Reflecting on HERstories of Anti-Racism & Decolonial Organizing

On Thursday, November 26, 2020 we co-hosted, along with a number of other amazing partners, a special event meant to learn and celebrate the long history of anti-racist and decolonial organizing here in Calgary. We had the privilege of hearing from four incredible activists, Grandmother Doreen Spence, Marva Ferguson, Kamal Sehgal, and Rosemary Brown.

You can view the full recording of the panellists’ stories here. To turn on the closed captioning, press ‘c’. The biographies of the panellists have been included below.

After a quick break, we had an opportunity to get into small breakout rooms to share our reflections together. We’ve captured the highlights shared back in our group debrief below. If you’d like to see the notes from the conversations, look here.

We’d like to extend our gratitude to each of the panellists, our breakout room facilitators and note takers, to those who participated, and to those who helped organize the event and make it possible! We look forward to gathering again in the future for more of these important conversations, connections, and learnings.

Panellist Biographies:

DOREEN SPENCE

Grandmother Doreen Spence is from Saddle Lake Cree Nation and now resides in Calgary. She is a traditional healer, retired Registered Nurse, Nobel Peace Prize nominee, author, and human rights activist who served as a presiding Elder on the working group for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.  At 83 grandmother is still an active lodge keeper and support to many. 

MARVA FERGUSON

Marva Ferguson is a daughter, sister, auntie, mentor, friend and confidant to many. In her professional life, she is an  Assistant Professor in the Department of Child Studies and Social Work, Mount Royal University. She teaches from an anti-Black racism, Critical Race and Whiteness theories. She is a Mental Health First Aid Instructor and a Critical Incident Stress Management Facilitator. As a PhD Candidate at Memorial University, she is presently completing her research that focuses on a study of the Personal Stories of Jamaican Canadian Adults who Migrated to Canada as Children. Marva sticks close to her Jamaica roots and recently organized the "Quick Response Project" that provided resources for individuals struggling with the outcome of COVID-19.

KAMAL SEHGAL

Kamal Sehgal has over 25 years of experience working in Canada’s post-secondary system and the non- profit sector. Kamal is the Executive Director of Alberta Network of Immigrant Women with an interest in social justice and research.  

ROSEMARY BROWN

Rosemary Brown is currently a member of We're Together Ending Poverty (WTEP),  Justice  for Palestinians, the Basic Income YYC Arts Collective and Brentwood Cares. Since the mid 1970’s she has been involved in a range of anti-racism initiatives.