Equity and Anti-Oppression Student Forum

Location: 3rd floor hallway between 306 and 307 Tier

Breakfast will be provided.

Cold beverages and tea available (no coffee).

We are honoured to have Vanessa Lillie, Director of Cultural Integration (Indigenous) begin the day in ceremony and to provide a teaching to start us in a good way. 

Location: 306 Tier

Presenter: Dr. Jennifer Dengate, Director of EDIA Research and Projects, Office of Equity Transformation 

Data is a powerful tool to support institutional equity work, but all data contains bias and limitations. In this session, we will consider what it means to be critical consumers of survey data while exploring highlights from the 2025 UMCES. The experiences of students and marginalized identity respondents will be emphasized, including intersectionality. We will also provide space to collectively reflect on the findings, considering how we might translate data into action.

Location: 306 Tier

Break

Workshop 1: What is ableism? Building an understanding and practical tools for anti-ableism and accessibility

Facilitator: Angie Conrad, UM Anti-Ableism and Age-Inclusivity Specialist

Location: 301 Tier

This workshop will discuss ableism, accessibility, related legislation and practical tips for application. The first part of the presentation will define key concepts, models of disability, popular misconceptions and assumptions of people with disabilities, and systemic ableism. The second part will introduce applicable legislation, along with some practical tips on how to address systemic ableism and increase accessibility. Participants will leave with a greater understanding of how to remove barriers for people with disabilities. 

Workshop 2: Model Minority Myth

Facilitators: Anny Chen (Community Engaged Learning), Erid Mendoza (Prairie Asian Organizers)

Location: 302 or 305 Tier

This participatory workshop will introduce participants to the model minority myth and help them explore how the concept of a ‘model minority’ shapes, homogenizes, and marginalizes Asian identities and experiences and what it means to push back against this myth and build solidarity across Asian, Black, Indigenous, and other systemically marginalized communities.

Workshop 3: 2SLGBTQIA+ Inclusivity in Student Activities

Facilitator: Mandalyn Unger (Social Justice Hub)

Location: 303 Tier

Using the Working in Good Ways framework, this participatory workshop offers a practical, educational introduction to meaningful engagement with 2SLGBTQIA+ students. Inclusion is not a series of boxes to check off - it requires a shift in your mindset and a willingness to intentionally build relationships of respect and reciprocity. All are welcome, especially learners who feel tentative or uncertain of how to practice allyship.

Food and drinks will be provided.

Food available in 307 Tier.

Workshop 1: Understanding Environmental Racism, Developing Practices for Sustainability 

Facilitators:  

• Bruce Erickson (Associate Professor, Environment and Geography)
• Christie Nairn (Director, UM Office of Sustainability)

Location: 301 Tier

University sustainability and climate action must go beyond reducing emissions—it should aim to address social components of sustainability. Marginalized communities often face the worst environmental harms, like pollution, lack of green space and access to food. This workshop will look at sustainable actions you can take on campus, examples of environmental racism locally and a discussion on how sustainability efforts can help ensure that environmental benefits and burdens are shared fairly. 

Workshop 2: Student Organizing Beyond UM: National Networks and Collaboration

Roundtable panelists: 

• Joyce Ji
• William Ho
• Jubilee Agba
• Jason Johnson
• Vivian Pinheiro

Location: 307 Tier

This roundtable session begins with ‘share-back’ from UM students who attended two different national conferences: Convergence 2026 (convened by the national Black Undergraduate Coalition) and 2026 Aspire to Lead Chinese Canadian Summit (hosted by ACCT Foundation). Both these conferences aimed to enhance student leadership and capacity to address specific forms of racism, namely anti-Black racism and Anti-Chinese racism. Panelists will share their main take-aways from the conferences, as well as their thoughts on why it’s important to have UM participation in national dialogues and movements. Then the session will open up for broader conversation on student leadership in anti-racism spaces at UM and beyond.

Break

Presenter: 

• Robin Attas, EDIA Specialist, Division of Extended Education
• Ifra Shami, Office of Equity Transformation Student Assistant

Location: 302 Tier

Facilitators:  Tina Chen, Vice-Provost (Equity) and Bre Woligroski (Director, Sexual Violence Resource Centre)

Location: 302 Tier

Closing for the forum.

Angie Conrad holds an undergraduate degree in Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies from the University of Calgary and a Master in Public Administration from the University of Manitoba. She previously held the position of Manager, Accessibility Policy with Canada Post, and has held roles including neurodevelopmental services with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, and the Province of Manitoba in the area of adult disability services. Angie volunteers as a Technical Committee member, Accessibility Standards Canada, Board of Commissioners Manitoba Human Rights Commission, Steering Committee Member with Barrier Free Manitoba, and was recently on the Human Rights Committee of Council, City of Winnipeg.

Anny’s love for experiential learning and community engagement started during her work with Katimavik and was nurtured by a Master of Education in adult education and community development, her work in the settlement sector as an EAL teacher, and organizing with various communities in Winnipeg.

Bre is the Director of the UofM Sexual Violence Resource Centre.  Bre holds over three decades of experience in nonprofit leadership, community development, 2SLGBTQ* rights, sexual health, and sexual violence prevention and response. And she's got a cute dog.

Bruce Erickson is Department Head and Associate Professor in the Department of Environment and Geography at the University of Manitoba. His research and teaching focuses on the cultural and political dimensions of outdoor leisure and environmentalism.  In particularly, he pays attention to how colonialism and nationalism in Canada impact our use of space and the possibilities for progressive politics. His work also documents the impact of gender, race and sexuality on our understandings of nature and space. His current projects address ecotourism in northern Canada, environmental activist campaigns throughout Canada and the United States, and the politics associated with canoeing.  He is the Author of Canoe Nation: Race and Gender in the Making of a National Icon, and is the editor of The Politics of the Canoe.  

Christie Nairn is the Director of the Office of Sustainability at the University of Manitoba, a role she has held since 2019. Originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Christie spent many summers on her family farm on Treaty 4 territory in southwestern Saskatchewan, where she developed a deep connection to the prairies and the natural environment. She holds a Master of Arts in Environmental Education and Communication and is passionate about advancing sustainability through education, outreach, and collaboration. Christie is committed to bringing people together to create meaningful and lasting sustainability outcomes.

Erid Mendoza (He/Him) is a teacher for Seven Oaks School Division in Winnipeg. He supports the following committees: Anti-Racism, Asian Heritage, Indigenous Education, Gay Straight Alliance, and Sustainability.

Jason Johnson is a student leader, creative professional, and community advocate based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is actively involved in leadership at the University of Manitoba, serving in roles that focus on student engagement, representation, and community building. His experience includes serving as Regional Director (Western) for Black Students in Universities, Vice President of Engagements, and Director of Music within the Black Students Community, where he has organized initiatives that foster inclusion, leadership, and collaboration.

As a musician and bassist, Jason performs with Triiibe Xperience, blending Afrobeat, highlife, jazz, and contemporary music. He is also a photographer and creative storyteller, capturing meaningful moments through professional photography while using media as a tool for connection and impact.

Passionate about service, Jason is committed to mentoring others, building strong communities, and leading with integrity, initiative, and empathy. He strives to make a lasting impact through leadership, creativity, and a dedication to helping people reach their full potential.
 

Dr. Dengate earned her doctorate in sociology from the University of British Columbia in 2017, specializing in survey and qualitative methods. She returned to the University of Manitoba as a post-doctoral fellow, researching gender inequities in science and engineering in Canada, Germany, and Sweden. After serving as the first Director of the Centre for Social Science Research and Policy in the Faculty of Arts, she joined the Office of Equity Transformation in 2022. In addition to the UM Community Experiences Survey, Jen lead the Dismantling Ableism: Institutional Action and Accountability Survey in 2023-2024 for OET, focusing on the experiences of UM community members with disabilities and chronic health conditions.

Joyce Ji is an environmental science graduate from the University of Manitoba and the current President of the Manitoba Chinese Youth Committee, with a passion for creating spaces that foster belonging, collaboration, and cross-cultural understanding. She recently participated in the Action! Chinese Canadians Together: Chinese Leadership & Belonging conference, engaging in discussions on anti-racism, Chinese leadership, and challenging the model minority myth while gaining a new perspective on Chineseness as a leadership asset. As a second-generation Chinese Canadian woman, Joyce brings these reflections to this forum, sharing her lived experiences and exploring strategies that strengthen belonging, empower leadership, and foster collaboration across communities.

Jubilee Agba is a second-year international student at the Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba, pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce with majors in Business Analytics and Marketing. As the Vice President of Events for the Black Student Union, she is passionate about creating inclusive, engaging experiences that foster community, celebrate culture, and empower students through meaningful connections and impactful events.

Mandalyn Unger (they/she) has been a coordinator, facilitator, and community organizer for over 10 years.

Guided by lived experiences of queerness and disability, and supported by an education in Community Advocacy from the University of Winnipeg, Mandalyn has worked for climate justice, queer and trans liberation, and public health in solidarity with anti-colonial and anti-imperialist movements in both their professional and personal capacities.

Robin Attas (she, her) is a white settler based in Treaty 1 territory, with a lifelong passion for equity, justice, and social responsibility through education. Her current role is the latest step in a long academic career supporting others to integrate equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, decolonization, and Reconciliation into post-secondary education practices. Robin oversees and teaches the Micro-certificate in EDIA and EDIA 0100: EDIA Foundations for the UM community. Robin also facilitates workshops and discussions on a range of EDIA topics for both academic and non-academic audiences, including school and government officials and community groups.

Tina Mai Chen (she/her) is Vice-Provost (Equity) at the University of Manitoba. She leads the UM Office of Equity Transformation and holds the university’s senior leadership position to advance equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and anti-racism. Dr. Chen is also Distinguished Professor of History, with research and teaching focused on feminism, anti-colonial solidarities, anti-racist activism, and alternative political imaginaries in modern Chinese, Asian and World history. Her current research examines gendered aesthetics in figure skating through embodied research methodologies, critical choreography, and queer theory. In addition, Dr. Chen is active in local and national community work, with recognitions including: WXN Top 100 Women, Canada Race Relations Foundation Community Champion Award, and YMCA/YWCA Woman of Distinction Award. 

Vanessa Lillie is Cree and Métis. Her family is from St. Peter’s/Peguis Reserve along the banks of the Red River. Vanessa has roots in Peguis First Nation, a community in Manitoba’s Interlake. She earned a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Psychology from the University of Manitoba. Her thesis research focused on the effect of socio-cultural factors leading to Indigenous high school graduation.

She has worked at the University of Manitoba as the first Academic Advisor for Indigenous Students in the Faculty of Arts and a Student Advisor in the Indigenous Student Centre overseeing the cultural portfolio.

As an alumnus of the University of Manitoba, Vanessa works to walk in the footsteps of those who came before her seeking possibilities to make our collective space more accessible, inclusive, and healing. Relationships, listening, and learning are integral to Vanessa as she strives to co-create respectful, community-informed restorative practices. Inclusion and integration of Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing widen the path for generations to come reclaiming spaces within all aspects of education.

She is a strong advocate and an active grass-roots community member who balances her time so she can learn from Elders, Traditional Knowledge Keepers and spend time on the land. She is honoured to be a daughter, mother, sister and auntie.

Vivian Pinheiro (she/her) is a 3rd year Global Political Economy student at the University of Manitoba, who is on the pre-law track. She is very passionate about advocacy and social justice, seeking to pursue a career in law and policy. In the past year, Vivian was the president of the Black Students Union and continues to be involved in student politics and leadership roles. 

William Ho is a law student at Robson Hall who recently attended the Chinese Canadian Leadership & Belonging conference, where he saw how anti-racism and leadership are inseparable, from historical exclusion to today’s “bamboo ceiling”. The conference reshaped how he thinks about Chinese cultural traits such as humility and collectivism, often read as deficits rather than strengths under current leadership models. He brings that perspective to this forum, eager to explore how anti-racist frameworks can help other communities name and dismantle their own barriers to belonging.