This event is a critical, anti-racist look at EDI policies in the academy. This event will bring Dr. Shana Almeida, Assistant Professor at TMU’s School of Professional Communication and author of the recently published Toronto the Good?: Negotiating Race in the Diverse City, and Leen Amarin and Tegan Hadisi, York University students/activists who have been involved with the Palestinian resistance and Iranian protests in conversation with artist Zainub Verje to explore what the future of equity work within the academy might look like.
Dr. Shana Almeida is an Assistant Professor in the School of Professional Communication, specializing in politics, political communication, and race. Her research and teaching contributions are informed by over six years as senior political staff in the municipal government of Toronto. Dr. Almeida’s book Toronto the Good? Negotiating Race in the Diverse City (2022) brings together her critical insights as a former political staff member along with her years of in-depth research on diversity in the City of Toronto to offer a compelling case to rethink how we understand diversity and racial inclusion, in the City of Toronto and beyond.
Tegan Hadisi is a first generation Canadian raised in a Kurdish Iranian household with parents whose roots are connected to political activism in Iran. Having experienced racism growing up in a predominantly white city, she found herself yearning for a deeper understanding of her identity and recognizing the power it held. She’s currently a student in the Human Rights and Equity Studies program at York University where she’s looking at the role of Kurdish women as leaders of revolution and resistance by examining self-produced narratives on social media.
Zainub Verjee is a leading public figure and senior arts administrator in the Canadian cultural sector, widely recognized as an institution builder, strategic thinker and leader, and an influencer in the international arts and culture sector. Her impressive track record of four decades has shaped culture policy at all levels of government as well as the growth of cultural institutions and organizations. Currently, she is the executive director of the Galeries Ontario/Ontario Galleries (formerly known as Ontario Association of Arts Galleries) in Toronto.
