EDID Awareness Week 2023

Wampum Learning Lodge, Western University, 1137 Western Rd, London, ON N6G 1G7

Please join us to welcome the day and give thanks with Ojibway and Oneida Cultural Knowledge Keeper Liz Akiwenzie. Registration is required as capacity is limited.

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Wampum Learning Lodge, Western University, 1137 Western Rd, London, ON N6G 1G7

Wampum Learning Lodge guests are welcome to join us for breakfast following the Sunrise Ceremony. Speeches by executive members from Western, Kings, Brescia, and Huron. Registration is required as capacity is limited. 

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Wampum Learning Lodge, Western University, 1137 Western Rd, London, ON N6G 1G7

Indigenous leadership roles in Canadian universities are increasingly held by Indigenous women who, despite their increasing numbers, often find themselves working in tricky academic administrative contexts. This talk will explore some of the deeper and ongoing structural and ideological challenges that limit institutional-Indigenization work in Canadian universities with a particular focus on the lived experiences of Indigenous women administrators striving to advance institutional change.

Space is limited. Registration is required.

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Wampum Learning Lodge, Western University, 1137 Western Rd, London, ON N6G 1G7

Join Shayla Oulette Stonechild (she/her) for an intention setting medication focused on "Choice is Power", followed by a keynote that weaves in her personal story and how that relates to Canada's ongoing history and current relationship with Indigenous people. She will discuss her journey of intergenerational healing, life promotion (suicide prevention) and how she utilizes her voice within mainstream conversations, content creating, campaigns and creating a community driven platform (@matriarch.movement)

Shayla aims to ignite a collective understanding of the resilience and knowledge embedded within the Nehiyaw (Cree) culture and language, while challenging the dominant narratives that have attempted to erase Indigenous voices, culture and communities. Shayla will share insights into the importance of reclaiming Indigenous values, which emphasize balance and harmony with nature, interconnectedness , and the holistic well-being of individuals and communities.

Through this exploration, we will gain a deeper understanding of the urgent need to dismantle oppressive systems, restore Indigenous sovereignty, and create spaced for genuine reconciliation.

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Joanne and Peter Kenny Theatre, Darryl J. King Student Life Centre, King’s University College. 266 Epworth Ave, London, ON

Panelists: Moses Latigo, Tanya Hansler, Dan Twist

Join us as we look at how we can raise awareness and reduce the stigma of raising children who have been diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome. In this short documentary film, the journey is not easy. This pilot film explores the intersectional challenges that exist for Black Caregivers in Canada who face the challenges of institutional barriers, systemic discrimination and daily microaggressions while parenting a child that does not fit into the norm. A panel discussion with parents with lived experience of navigating the world of parenting a child with a disability will follow. Registration is required. ASL interpreter and closed captions will be available. 

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Joanne and Peter Kenny Theatre, Darryl J. King Student Life Centre, King’s University College. 266 Epworth Ave, London, ON 

In-Person Panelists - Tom Cull, Clint Jacobs, Skylar Franke, Sarah Welch, plus four students’ council presidents (Sunday Ajak, Laura Crowe, Aaryan Lakhan Paul, Maathangi Rudranantha)

Virtual Panelist - David Suzuki

This event is part of a King’s Author Series hosted by the Cardinal Carter Library, The Write Place at King's, the King's University College Students' Council, and King’s Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization.

Internationally known and revered advocate, activist and author David Suzuki will speak to our community about environmental equity issues as well as the challenge of systemic racism. He will speak to the connectedness that we all share with the Earth and how we can use that connection to support well-being in one another. This talk will be followed by a panel discussion with London’s leaders in Environmental Advocacy. Registration is required. ASL interpreter and closed captions will be available.

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Virtual (Zoom)

Rising to prominence in the late 20^th century, the term “special needs” animates early efforts to integrate disability within education, be it the IDEA Act (1990) in the US or the “Special Education” system in Ontario. While the term itself has slowly fallen out of favour, it’s ideological rot has left current accessibility efforts on shaky ground. Rooted in personal and professional experience, this presentation considers how our accessibility efforts built on a hegemonic binary of mainstream versus “special” students will almost assuredly fail to result in genuine inclusion and asks: What if Western conceived of disabled people not as having “special needs” but human rights? Registration is required.

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Zoom (Virtual)

In recent years, organizations have committed to increasing opportunities for diverse employees to be successful in the workplace. It is imperative that employers consider neurodiverse people among the other equity-deserving groups. Population studies tell us that 1 in 5 people are neurodiverse! These folks have unique ways of interpreting and interacting with the environment and people around them with impacts on thinking, learning, emotional regulation, and behaviour. Now is the time to identify how organizations, leaders, and colleagues alike can support neurodiverse people in the workplace with departmental policies, routine practices, and person-specific strategies. This presentation and the accompanying toolkit offer concrete ideas to put into practice in YOUR workplace. Registration is required. 

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Zoom (Virtual)

This presentation will offer academic and real-world experience concerning how to navigate the accommodations process of graduate education. I will explore the differences in accommodations between undergraduate and graduate education, and the importance of individualized and flexible accommodations for graduate students. Access challenges for outside-the-classroom learning opportunities (leadership, conferences, publication) will be problematized with solutions offered to make these spaces more equitable. Timelines land milestones, a cornerstone of graduate education will be discussed with an offering to consider these approaches using a crip time lens. Registration is required. 

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The Mercato at Brescia University College

Event Sponsored by Centre for Women's Leadership at Brescia

Join us for a presentation and talk that will amplify dialogue on gender, 2SLGBTQ+ Advocacy/Support and race equity in leadership! Join student alum and leaders as they welcome Dr. ABC on this important talk during EDID awareness week! Registration is required. 

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Great Hall, Huron, 1349 Western Rd, London, ON N6G 1H3

Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Day of Action guest speaker Cultural Knowledge Keeper Liz Akiwenzie. Teachings about Women and the sacredness they hold. Please join us for lunch in Huron’s Great Hall following Liz Akawanzie's teachings. Registration is required.  

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Theatre, Huron, 1349 Western Rd, London, ON N6G 1H3

Periphery is an evocative photographic and film project that bears witness to ethnic diversity in the Jewish community. Sharing narratives from individuals of multiracial and multiethnic backgrounds, Periphery creates space to look, listen, and learn from participants as they share their experiences and explore ideas of representation, intersectionality, ethnicity, race, and sexuality.
Following the short film, join Akilah Allen-Silverstein, co-creator of the project in a discussion about intersecting identities and inclusion.

This event is in collaboration with Western Hillel.

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Theatre, Huron, 1349 Western Rd, London, ON N6G 1H3

Panelist: Dr. Robert Ventresca, Hannah Alper, Judith Dworkin, Jacqueline Dressler

Antisemitism - hate and discrimination towards Jews - has been on the rise in recent years. According to Statistics Canada’s latest report on police-reported hate crime, Jewish Canadians remain the country’s most frequently targeted religious minority. Jews are approximately 1% of Canada’s population but were victimized by 67% of religiously motivated hate crimes.

Join experts including faculty, community members and students, in a moderated discussion about the history of antisemitism, how it manifests today, and hopes for the future.

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The Mercato at Brescia University College

Event Sponsored by Centre for Women's Leadership at Brescia

Panelists: Siham Elkassem, Ahmer Khan, Nusaiba Al-Azem. Moderators: Shahin Pardhan, Hooriya Ansari, Tala Nairoukh

Join Western, Brescia, King’s, and Huron as we host experts from the City of London on Islamophobia and Xenophobia. Join us as we welcome Siham Elkassem (PhD) (C), Ahmer Khan (Muslim Community Liaison Advisor), and Nusaiba Al-Azem (Holds a Juris Doctor from Western Law and is Director of Legal Affairs at the National Council of Canadian Muslims/Canada’s foremost anti-islamophobia advocacy organization) to discuss ways to disrupt Islamophobia and Xenophobia in our systems and city while we come together in unity and strength with community! Registration is required. 

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Joanne and Peter Kenny Theatre, King Student Life Centre, King’s University College. 266 Epworth Ave, London, ON N6A 3X9

This film is an examination of over 400 troubled years of the British monarchy as it relates to colonialism and the crimes of the slave trade, slavery, and genocide of indigenous people, with calls today for restorative justice and reparation.  The film will be followed with a Q&A with the Director and Producer of the film, Shelley Jarrett, and Writer and Co-Producer, Andrew Paseika. Registration is required. ASL interpreter and closed captions will be available.

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Vitali Student Lounge, Wemple Hall, King’s University College

Panelists: Dr. Jane Sanders. Panelists: Moses Latigo, Leroy Osbourne, Colette Chapman, Michelle Young

Join us for a thought-provoking presentation by Dr. Jane Sanders that delves into the critical issue of disproportionate school discipline. In this session, we will explore the disparities in disciplinary actions faced disproportionately by Black, Indigenous, male identified students, students requiring educational support, and those residing in lower resourced communities. We will articulate macro factors, including educational policy, which contribute to these disparities and their far-reaching consequences on academic achievement, mental health, and future opportunities. We will further discuss the implications of disproportionate and unacknowledged exposure to expanded forms of adversity (including systemic racism, inequity, and violence) for students who are over-surveilled and under-supported. Important experiences are not conventionally acknowledged as adversity, and certain students are not viewed as traumatized by their experiences. This work invites students, educators, parents, and policymakers to engage in a crucial dialogue aimed at creating positive change and ensuring every student's right to an equitable education. Registration is required.

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Joanne and Peter Kenny Theatre, King Student Life Centre, King’s University College. 266 Epworth Ave, London, ON N6A 3X9

The “school-to-prison pipeline” is a disturbing national trend wherein children are funnelled out of public schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems.  The Black Legal Action Centre (BLAC) led a province-wide research and advocacy initiative on anti-Black racism and oppression in our educational and justice systems, and produced Links to Justice — a documentary on the school-to-prison pipeline in Ontario, produced by Moses Latigo Odida. Registration is required. ASL interpreter and closed captions will be available.

Register for this event (in-person). 

Register for this event (virtual). 

Joanne and Peter Kenny Theatre, King Student Life Centre, King’s University College. 266 Epworth Ave, London, ON N6A 3X9

Join us as we celebrate the closing of EDID Awareness Week 2023. Registration is not required.

Dr. Magdalena Kubow gives a powerful presentation on Antisemitism, the Holocaust, dangers of Holocaust denial, and the importance of recognizing genocides that have taken place globally. How will education and remembering move us forward so that history will not repeat itself?

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Bio:  Dr. Magdalena Kubow received her PhD in history from the University of Western Ontario in 2015. Her dissertation is titled “Contemporary Reactions to War and the Holocaust with a Focus on The Role of the Polish-Language Press in North America from 1926-1945.” She turned her dissertation into a monograph with McFarland & Company Publishing. Her book is titled "Poland and the Holocaust in the Polish-American Press 1926-1945" (released July 2020). She has attended conferences and workshops in Washington (US), Warsaw (Poland), Kent (England), Yad Vashem (Israel) and is an EHRI Fellow (Jewish Historical Institute - 2017). Dr. Kubow has many interests and publications including: “The Solidarity Movement in Poland: Its history and meaning in collective memory” (The Polish Review, Vol. 58, No. 2, 2013); "Kanada: The Effect of The Canadian Jewish News and Survivors on the Memory of the Holocaust" (Holocaust Studies: A Journal of Culture and History, Vol. 19, No.3, 2013 – Published April 2014); and "Polish-Jewish Relations as Reflected in the Pages of the Republika-Górnik 1926-1930"(The Polish Review, Vol. 62. No.1, 2017). She currently works at Brescia University College as the Writing Centre Manager and as a part-time instructor.

Listen to Professor Michael Lynk’s rich experience on International Human Rights, including the birth of human rights, the rise of international human rights law and its importance in the world today.

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Bio: Michael Lynk is Professor Emeritus at the Faculty of Law, Western University, where he taught from 1999 to 2022. He taught courses in Canadian labour law, Canadian constitutional law and Canadian and international human rights law, and he has written widely in these areas. In 2016, he was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council for a six year term as the Special Rapporteur for human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory.  In this capacity, Professor Lynk delivered regular human rights reports to the United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Council.

In this narrative experience, co-created with undergraduate students studying in the Arts and Humanities, we explore the historical and contemporary settings that foster poverty and reduce freedom in both local and global agri-food systems. We continue with some of the ways that poverty segments opportunity, choice, and progress; thereby limiting the collective potential of humanity. Exemplary agri-food thinkers whose visions and actions have made a difference in the world are discussed in order to offer hope for a way forward together. We conclude by re-imagining our agri-food future, with a call to action where each member of our human family can reach their full life's potential. 

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Dr. Peggy O'Neil's bio: I grew up in the daisy filled meadows of my family’s farm, near Ontario's West Coast. When not in the fields or barn, I looked for the meaning of life—across time, place, and circumstance--- in classic mythology, Black history, Indigenous legends, and Irish folklore. Against the days and seasons of my poetic life, commodity-based living, 20% interest rates, penny auctions, and farm foreclosures, cast its shadow on my family and community. My father's childhood friends, who he walked beside, snow, rain, or shine, during WWII rationing to a one room school house miles from home, lost their farms. The horizons that they knew were replaced with the walls of small, rental apartments in the city. To survive, those still on their farms cleared land, industrialized operations, and took on more debt. One way or another, families fell as surely as the sun set to how fast and how cheap food could be produced. I have learned that these chapters of my life do not belong to me. They are shared the world over. Even so, today, families and farmers across humanity toil for the pages not yet written on, for their way of life, for freedom of thought, and for our future. My life's work is to stand alongside them, to see that this moment is only a difficult chapter and not the end of the story.

Listen to a powerful talk with Dr. Roula Hawa as she shares her knowledge and research on Health Equity and the various disparities that are a reality for so many. She will be sharing two examples from her work with vulnerable communities: locally in London and from other spaces across Ontario. In this presentation, we will unpack what “health is a human right” entails and will explore how nurturing resilience and enhancing wellbeing will help present solutions forward.

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Bio: Dr. Roula Hawa is Associate Professor and Academic Coordinator of Family Studies and Human Development at Brescia University College at Western. She received her PhD in Leadership, Higher and Adult Education at OISE, the University of Toronto. Roula’s background includes over 15 years of teaching, leadership experience and curriculum development. She is the recipient of the 2023 Award for Excellence in Teaching at Brescia and the 2020 Adelaide Hoodless Award for Excellence in Family Studies Education in Ontario.

A racialized immigrant woman, Roula is a passionate educator and researcher who brings a deep commitment to social justice and an interest in mobilizing research and innovating university-community partnerships. Her research is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research, and CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network, and engages communities using critical feminist, anti-colonial and anti-oppression frameworks to inform equitable and culturally relevant practice and policy. Roula brings vast educational and community leadership, including serving on a number of committees such as the London Homeless Coalition, Women's Priority Working Group, President of Arts Researchers and Teachers Society—Special Interest Group of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies—President of the Canadian Association for the Study of Adult Education, and Associate Editor at Progress in Community Health Partnerships, Johns Hopkins University Press.

What Does It Mean to Honour the Lands: Global Indigenous Peoples and Self-Determination Global Indigenous communities continue to face numerous challenges as they endeavour to maintain their self-determination in the face of unjust and oppressive systems. This presentation addresses the historical and present-day context of Global Indigenous Peoples' experiences while emphasizing the critical role of Indigenous code of care in nurturing ancestral lands for future generations.

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Bio: Erica Neeganagwedgin (Taino) is an Associate Professor of Critical Policy, Equity and Leadership Studies in the Faculty of Education at Western University.

Instructors across the disciplines think of their assignment expectations as a mundane aspect of academic life. Listen in on a discussion about the barriers multilingual students face in meeting these expectations, the ways in which linguicism overlaps with racism to create disadvantage for some students, and the pressure the standard expectation of "critical thinking" puts on international students to acquire a selfhood that is rewarded in the North American context.

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Bios: 

Rama Eloulabi is a PhD student in Social Psychology at Western University. She received her MSc in Social Psychology and the Collaborative Graduate Specialization in Migration and Ethnic Relations at Western University, and received her BA in Psychology and Human Rights and Ethnic Studies at York University. She has occupied several research positions across several universities and non-profit organizations, and is currently working as a graduate student assistant on a research study in partnership with multiple Local Immigration Partnerships across Southwestern Ontario examining the experiences of discrimination of immigrant and racialized community members across the region.

Dr. Victoria Esses is Principal Investigator of the Pathways to Prosperity Partnership, a national alliance of university, community and government partners dedicated to fostering welcoming communities and promoting the integration of immigrants in Canada. She is also Professor of Psychology and Director of the Network for Economic and Social Trends at Western University. Her research focuses on immigration policy and practice, including public attitudes toward immigration and cultural diversity; promising practices in settlement and integration; factors promoting the settlement and integration of immigrants; and the measurement of community welcome-ability, immigrant needs, and immigrant outcomes. As a volunteer, Victoria is the Research Liaison for the London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership and serves as Chair of its Welcoming Communities Work Group. She is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.

Huda A. Hussein is currently the Project Manager for the London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership, a position she has held since 2009. After a fulfilling career as an assistant professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Aden in Yemen, she moved to Canada with her family and began a career aimed at serving the needs of families in London Ontario. Huda has over 20 years of experience working with families with young children, ten of which have focused on immigrant families specifically. Her work includes developing two resources for service providers to enhance their welcome-ability of immigrant families and one for newcomers to connect them to available resources in their new community. Her current work as Manager at LMLIP focuses on identifying barriers for integration as well as opportunities for success; this work involves working with various sectors in the community, including ethno-cultural and faith groups to maximize better outcomes for newcomer immigrants. Huda is passionate about creating a more welcoming region for all immigrants - a region that counts on diversity as its strength. Huda was awarded the Leading Women Building Community Award by the Province of Ontario in 2009. In 2011, she was recognized by the government of her country of origin, Yemen, for her role in empowering women in her new home, London Ontario.

Instructors across the disciplines think of their assignment expectations as a mundane aspect of academic life. Listen in on a discussion about the barriers multilingual students face in meeting these expectations, the ways in which linguicism overlaps with racism to create disadvantage for some students, and the pressure the standard expectation of "critical thinking" puts on international students to acquire a selfhood that is rewarded in the North American context.

Watch this session

Bio: Vidya Natarajan teaches Writing and coordinates the Writing Program at King’s University College, London. Her research and creative writing focus on Writing pedagogy in relation to racial, gender, caste, and disability justice. She recently co-edited a special section of Discourse and Writing/Rédactologie with contributions from the 2021 CWCA/ACCR conference, and a special issue of The Peer Review on changing writing centre commonplaces in response to anti-oppressive frameworks.

Understanding the nuances of birth control from an EDI perspective. Birth control is incredibly complex physiologically, not to mention any added layers of intersectionality. This workshop will explore all the ways birth control is making strides for EDI and where contraceptives are lacking and how they can improve from an EDI lens. 

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Bio: Dallas is the Founder and CEO of Reya Health. She is a Reproductive Rights and Sexual Health Activist and Speaker, sought after globally for workshops, events, and keynotes in policy change and leadership in these topics. Dallas has her Bachelor of Commerce from the Sauder School of Business and has since spent her career in activism and innovation. Through StartUp Canada Women, she coaches marginalized entrepreneurs on business plan strategy and sits on the board of Femtech Canada, an organization that supports women’s health innovation in Canada.