Mobilizing For Change: Addressing Anti-Black Racism

Dr. Apentiik, a professor at the University of Calgary, specializes in African and Diaspora Studies, Development Studies, Environmental Studies, Indigenous Studies, and Anthropology. His interdisciplinary research focuses on how Indigenous and African communities engage with cultural, environmental, and political challenges in the context of globalization, advocating for the integration of local knowledge and values into development initiatives. His work spans areas such as political economy, human-environmental security, African Diaspora contributions, and youth involvement in community development. Under his leadership, the African Studies Program grew from two courses with 90 students to nine courses with over 800 participants. A recipient of multiple awards and grants, he has also fostered international partnerships with Ghanaian institutions. His teaching and research prioritize equity, diversity, and inclusion, emphasizing practical and critical learning experiences.

Greg Birkett is a published author (Running relationships – Sankofa Black Reading Collection), co-author (Black history: Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas – Emond Montgomery Publications, The great Black north poetry anthology-Frontenac House Poetry) and recognized educator (Governor-General Award for Teaching Excellence Finalist, 2011, A.H.E.N. Excellence in Teaching Award winner, 2016). He has written curriculum for the Ontario Ministry of Education and has served as a curriculum consultant for the Ontario Black History Society in the past. Greg has written freelance for the Toronto Star and was also a Senior Writer for the CBC Kids website. He has appeared on Citytv News, Breakfast Television, Global News, and CTV News to discuss issues pertaining to anti-Black racism, its impact on the education system, and strategies to address these ongoing challenges. Two plays that Greg wrote, Do You Remember Me and Pieces of a Black Woman’s Soul, were performed at the Toronto Fringe Festival and the Sandbox Theatre in downtown Toronto respectively. Greg Birkett is the co-developer and co-presenter of See Us, Learn Us: Teaching the Black Canadian Experience, a nationwide webinar for educators and education stakeholders in partnership with Nelson Education. He has and continues to create material and resources for Nelson’s digital learning eco-system Edwin. 

Nicole Bonnie is an organizational consultant with a Master of Social Work from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Education and Leadership from Western University. With extensive experience in the public sector, she specializes in organizational excellence, equity-driven leadership, and transformative change. In 2019, Nicole made history as the first Black CEO of the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies, playing a pivotal role in shaping policies and practices within Ontario’s child welfare sector. Throughout her career, she has held senior leadership positions in child welfare, focusing on addressing systemic barriers and service disparities impacting marginalized communities. Her expertise spans leadership development, mental health, education, governance, service excellence, and research. Passionate about fostering equitable and inclusive systems, Nicole works to amplify the voices of underrepresented communities and drive meaningful policy and practice changes across Canada.

Heather Campbell is an experienced energy professional focused on energy transition, sustainability & inclusion. She has a B.E.Sc. in Biochemical & Chemical Engineering (Western University) & a LL.M. in Energy Law & Policy (University of Dundee). She’s a licensed professional engineer with The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists (APEGA). She is on the board of Arts Commons, and she is an advisor to B.C. CICE, Western Engineering & The National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP).  She was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, Calgary Black Chambers Black Achievement Award in Energy, and the 2024 Harry Jerome Decade Leader Award.

Dr. Gideon Christian is an Associate Professor and University Research Chair in AI and Law at the University of Calgary. Prior to joining the University of Calgary, he was technology lawyer with the federal Department of Justice where he deployed technology in high profile litigation involving the Government of Canada.  Dr. Christian’s research seeks to identify elements of racial bias in laws, policies and in emerging technologies. His current research seeks to develop the concept of algorithmic racism which is defined as race-based bias arising from the use of AI-powered tools in the analysis of data in decision making resulting in unfair outcomes to individuals from a particular segment of the society characterized by race. Dr. Christian has appeared before the House of Commons Committee on Citizenship and Immigration (CIMM) as an expert in the use of AI in immigration decisions. He was the Ontario Bar Association 2024 Chief Justice of Ontario Fellow in Research. He was named by the Calgary Herald as one of the top 20 Compelling Calgarians in 2024.

Dr. Patrina Duhaney is a distinguished educator, scholar, activist and chair of the Anti-Black Racism Task Force in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary. She is at the forefront of efforts to dismantle anti-Black racism, employing a transdisciplinary approach that integrates social work, criminology, education, gender studies, and law. Dr. Duhaney’s expertise in racial and gender justice is highly sought after on local, national, and international stages underscoring her commitment to transformational change in Black communities. Recently, Dr. Duhaney was appointed as an academic co-lead for Democracy, Justice, and Sustainability in the Institutes for Transdisciplinary Scholarship at the University of Calgary. Her contributions have also earned her several prestigious awards, including the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Award, the Teaching Award for Team Teaching from the University of Calgary, the Faculty of Social Work Early Career Research Award, and the Calgary Black Achievement Award in Education.

Wale Gbalajobi is a Nigerian-Canadian financial expert and entrepreneur with extensive experience in wealth management and financial advisory. He is the President of Aquafinancial Consulting Inc. and has overseen major business initiatives, including facilitating partnerships between the Tsuu T’ina Nation and the Warri Kingdom of Nigeria. Wale played a key role in introducing Oando Energy to Canada’s energy sector. He spent 15 years at CIBC, holding senior positions, including Regional Manager, Western Canada, and Country General Manager in St. Lucia. He holds multiple financial certifications and is currently enrolled in McMaster University’s Chartered Directors Executive Program. An award-winning banker, Wale has received several CIBC Chairman’s and Achievers Awards. He has led major fundraising efforts, including $120,000 for United Way Calgary and securing a mortgage-free Nigerian House in Calgary. He has served on boards for Families Matter, Ladies in the Family Foundation, and Bridge to Oasis Foundation.

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Mr. Idowu currently resides in Mohkínstsis, colonially known as Calgary. Wunmi Idowu is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker, teaching artist, consultant, producer and the Founder and Director of Woezo Africa Music & Dance Theatre Inc., since 2006. She is also the Founder of the Black Arts & Culture Council (BACC). She is currently working as a consultant for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA) with the Calgary Arts Development. Driven by her belief that arts, culture and education are essential for growth, development and global impact, Wunmi pushes for increased visibility of ethnically and culturally diverse artists in Canada. Through dynamic, cutting-edge programs that capture the imagination of a range of audiences, her hope is to enhance the creative economy in Calgary, empower communities and perpetuate the movement for instilling social change. Wunmi’s accolades in the arts and culture sector include winning the 24th Annual Immigrants of Distinction Award and the Avenue Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40.

Dr. Régine Uwibereyeho King is Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary. Her research bridges national and international themes of racial justice, cross-cultural mental health, post-conflict recovery processes, women’s rights, critical pedagogies, and African Indigenous knowledges. Dr. King’s contributions to research and scholarly activities were recognized by the 2023 University of Calgary Research Excellence Chair Program and the 2021 Killam Award as an Emerging Research Leader. King is one of the founding members of the Anti-Black Racism Taskforce (Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary) and the Calgary African Community Collective. Her tireless community engagement was recognized by the 2024 Alberta Immigrant Impact Award (Inclusive Workplaces Category).

Adam Massiah is a dedicated advocate for racialized communities, working to address challenges in public housing, healthcare, and law enforcement interactions. He actively pushes for policies that protect racialized Calgarians and their families while challenging systemic discrimination. A graduate of Mount Royal University with a major in International Business and a minor in Computer Information Systems, Adam has emerged as a community leader focused on combating systemic and anti-Black racism in Alberta. As a Community Relations Advisor for Ward 2 in Calgary’s City Council, he helps shape policies that promote inclusivity and equity.

Adam is also the co-founder and executive member of the United Black People’s Allyship (UBPA), an organization known for leading Calgary’s Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 and advocating for systemic change at local and provincial levels. Additionally, he is the CEO of New West Entertainment, a music networking hub that provides a safe and inclusive space for young adults to express themselves.

Michèle Moss (B.Ed., M.A.) (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, academic researcher, and community educator. Born in the UK to Jamaican and British parents and raised in Montréal, she has built her career in Calgary, Alberta. For 40 years, Michèle has engaged in dance as a performer, teacher, creator, writer, researcher, and ethnographer. She co-founded Decidedly Jazz Danceworks (DJD) in 1984, served as the founding principal of its dance school, and has choreographed numerous works. Currently an associate professor in the School of Creative and Performing Arts at the University of Calgary, she is transitioning toward retirement after nearly 30 years at the university. Her jazz dance research, which began in 1986 in Africa, explores the Africanist aesthetic and the roots of the African American form. She has conducted embodied ethnographic research across Africa, the African Diaspora, and major U.S. dance centers. Michèle has served on numerous boards and peer adjudication panels, presented at conferences, contributed book chapters, and received grants, awards, choreographic commissions, and international teaching opportunities. In 2022, she was inducted into the Dance Collection Danse Hall of Fame in recognition of her lifetime contributions to dance in Canada.

Cynthia Okafor has over 20 years of experience in both the public and private sector.  She’s currently a manager with the Calgary Police Service’s Racial Equity Office and is responsible for advancing the priorities around the Anti-Racism Strategic Roadmap and the Community Mobilizer stream. Cynthia is passionate about human rights and social justice and works tirelessly to create an environment that acknowledges, embraces and values differences.  She believes that true change happens when individuals are given the tools to engage and actively promote change at a systemic level.

Dr. Smith holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Alberta, along with an MA, MDA, and a BA magna cum laude in Political Science and Criminal Justice from Western Michigan University. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team at the University of Calgary, Dr. Smith plays a key role in advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA). She serves on the Vice President Research-Ops, co-chairs the President’s Task Force on EDIA, chairs the Dimensions EDI Executive and Steering Committees, and leads the One Child Every Child Equitable Pathways Accelerator and the Equitable Pathways Council. Nationally, Dr. Smith holds prominent advisory roles, serving on the SSHRC Council and Executive, Statistics Canada’s Immigration and Ethnocultural Statistics Advisory Committee, and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s (ISED) External EDI Advisory Board. She is also the Vice Chair of the Scarborough Charter Steering Committee.

Her contributions have been recognized with numerous awards and honors, including the Friends of Diversity Award from Diversity Magazine (2024), the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Calgary Black Chambers (2023), and an honorary Doctor of Laws from Simon Fraser University (2021). Other accolades include Compelling Calgarians (2021), the Susan S. Northcutt Award from the International Studies Association (2020), the 100 Accomplished Black Women Honouree (2020), the Rosalind Smith Professional Award (2020), the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellowship (2018), the ISA-Canada Distinguished Scholar Award (2018-19), the Equity Award from the Canadian Association of University Teachers (2015), and the Academic Woman of the Year Award from the Academic Women’s Association (2011).

Sheryl Thompson is a dedicated social worker, educator, researcher, and clinical supervisor, practicing in both Canada and the USA. With a passion for mental health, social justice, and equity, she has spent years educating and training professionals across sectors on critical issues such as suicide intervention, trauma-informed practice, crisis management, mental health, implicit bias, microaggressions, violence against women, and race and identity. Grounded in anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices, Sheryl’s work challenges systemic barriers while fostering inclusive and transformative learning spaces. As a practitioner and researcher, she applies frameworks such as anti-colonial studies, anti-racist theory, and critical race theory to address disparities and advocate for marginalized communities. A trailblazer in her field, Sheryl remains committed to shaping the next generation of changemakers and creating lasting social impact.

Dr. Osei-Tutu is the inaugural senior associate dean - Health Equity and Systems Transformation at the Cumming School of Medicine having previously served as associate director student advising and wellness in UME, and as director of resident support at PGME. He is well established as a provincial and national leader in change transformation. Dr. Osei-Tutu is the founder and president of the Black Physicians’ Association of Alberta, a member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta’s Antiracism Anti-discrimination Action Committee, and chair of the inaugural AFMC Black Health, Innovation and Advancement Committee. He informs the development of policies, educational programs and curricula that are inclusive and has established partnerships with regulatory and licensing bodies to advance health equity. Dr. Osei-Tutu earned a degree in Kinesiology from McMaster University, followed by a Master of Science and medical degree at Dalhousie University. He completed a Family Medicine residency at the University of Toronto. He is the recipient of many awards including the 2023 National Leadership Award from the Black Physicians of Canada, the 2022 Donald I. Rice Award from the Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine, and the 2022 John Ware Fellowship from the DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University.

Theresa White is a passionate creative artist and dedicated mother of five from Sackville, Nova Scotia. With a deep commitment to inspiring others, Theresa focuses on motivating individuals navigating life-changing situations. Her work centers on the power of creative expression as a tool for personal transformation and resilience. Theresa’s journey as both a mother and an artist fuel her desire to help others find strength and hope through their own challenges.