Update: New information after publication of this article indicates the Feb. 29 lecture has been postponed. Continue to read YFile for further updates on this event.
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are intended to create environments where individuals of all backgrounds and abilities feels safe, welcome and valued. York University’s School of Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies is examining the possibilities and limitations of institutionalized DEI at its annual lecture on Feb. 29, taking place from noon to 2 p.m. in 152 Founders College.
Titled Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI): The Good, The Bad & The Performative, the event will touch on fields such as higher education, broadcasting, news organizations and politics. Through a roundtable discussion, it will explore the ways in which racialized and other marginalized people with progressive politics are often initially welcomed into spaces of power, becoming symbols of progress in achieving diversity and inclusion, only to then be gaslighted or vilified or face reprisals for espousing their views.
The event will be moderated and hosted by York University professors Bianca Beauchemin and Nadia Hasan of the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. The featured speakers will include: Ginella Massa, a York alumna, broadcast journalist and media consultant; Desmond Cole, a journalist, activist and author of The Skin We’re In; Nadiya Ali, a professor of sociology at Trent University and Chair of the new Anti-Islamophobia Subcommittee of the Canadian Sociological Association; and Somar Abuaziza, York student, activist and president of the Palestine Solidarity Collective.
Register by Feb. 27 to join the fascinating discussion about an issue that impacts the entire community. For more information about the event, contact Melissa Falotico at gswsac@yorku.ca.