Kenji Tokawa is a mixed-race Nikkei writer, artist and arts-educator based in Toronto, Wendat-Haudenosaunee-Anishinaabeg Territory. He came to Canada from Denmark, Japan and Ireland over one hundred years ago. Having coordinated queer- and trans-positive events and programing for racialized youth (Asian Arts Freedom School, GenderFOC) currently he runs his own workshops in silk-screen printing with a…
George Elliott Clarke is a longstanding community worker and mentor in the indigenous African-Canadian community. A poet and author, he was born in Windsor, Nova Scotia, near the Black Loyalist community of Three Mile Plains, a seventh-generation Canadian of African-American and Mi’Kmaq Amerindian heritage. A graduate of the University of Waterloo, Dalhousie University and Queen’s…
Roxana Ngis an educator and scholar who has been involved in anti-racist feminism since the mid-1970s, shortly after she immigrated to Canada. She established “immigrant women” as a field of study in the 1970s, when they were an invisible group in Canadian society. She was one of the organizers of the immigrant women’s movement in…
Lali Mohamed is an award-winning diversity and equity activist, organizer and consultant. He has worked extensively with youth service organizations in developing their outreach strategies, implementing their strategic plan and helping them become more inclusive and equitable. He is also the founder of Queering Black History Month, an annual photography exhibit and panel discussion that…
Lillian Allen emerged as a leading influential figure on the Canadian culural landscape. She is an award winning and internationally renowned poet and writer of short stories and Plays. As one of its lead originator, she has specialized in the writing and performing of dub poetry, a highly politicized form of poetry, which is sometimes…
Karl Flecker is the National Director, Anti-Racism for the Human Rights Department of the Canadian Labour Congress. Karl works for social justice, equity and fights to eliminate racism. When his two kids were young and he returned home, often tainted with tear gas and scuffed from ‘dialogue with the authorities’ from various protests, mass mobilizations and related trouble…
Jeff Perera is a workshop facilitator for the White Ribbon Campaign, the world’s largest effort to engage men in ending violence against women as well as founded a chapter at Ryerson University working to further a gender-inclusive environment. Jeff also co-founded the Ryerson Black History Awareness Committee & annual Viola Desmond Day Awards celebrating strong Black/African…
African Canadian Heritage Association is a non-profit and community supported organization, which operates a curriculum-based heritage program for families with children from five – 16 years of age. The programs objectives are achieved by including the seven principles of Kwanzaa in all the activities and events. The children are taught about the history of African people…
Professor Patrick Solomon was one of the pioneers of the Urban Diversity Initiative at York’s Faculty of Education Solomon was engaged in equity, diversity and social justice works for most of his professional career as an elementary and secondary school teacher, school administrator and university professor. In 1991, he began working in York’s Faculty of…
Lee Maracle is a celebrated author, poet, educator, storyteller and performing artist. She’s a member of the Stó:lo Nation of British Columbia, and is a descendant of Mary Agnes Joe Capilano, known as the Princess of Peace of Capilano Reserve. Maracle is also the granddaughter of the renowned Chief Dan George, and two of her four children…
