CURRICULUM VITAE
dr.decolonial
Education
2017 M.A Royal Roads University, Victoria, Canada. Interdisciplinary Studies:
Specialized in Leadership Studies and Intercultural & International Communication
Thesis: Rethinking the role of Indigenous governance practices in contemporary governance in Africa: The Case for Ghana.
2007 B.Eng McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada. Chemical Engineering
Research Interests
Race, Racism and Racialization, African Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Democracy and Governance, Leadership Studies, Social Justice, Digital Scholarship, Political Identity, International & Intercultural Communication, Decolonization Theory.
Professional Experience
2015 – PRESENT
President’s Advisory Committee on Building an Inclusive Community
McMaster University
Member: Race, Racialization and Racism Working Group
Working with McMaster’s diverse communities of color, Indigenous, First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) communities to identify and address issues affecting these communities both within the University, and in the broader McMaster community.
Providing subject matter expertise on issues related to race and racism, as well as increase awareness about the differential impact of racism on diverse communities.
Provide advice to PACBIC on the planning and development of policies, and programs related to anti-racism. Developing concrete anti-racism strategies using an intersectional lens focused on "building an inclusive community with a shared purpose", within the University, and the broader McMaster and Hamilton communities.
2015 - 2016
President’s Advisory Committee on Building an Inclusive Community
McMaster University
Co-convener: Race, Racialization and Racism Working Group
Co-chairing the Race, Racialization and Racism working group monthly meetings.
Part of the Priorities and Planning Committee of the President’s Advisory Committee on Building an Inclusive Community.
2011 – PRESENT
Lead Coordinator for Establishing an African & African Diaspora Studies Program at McMaster University-HAMILTON
Successful in convincing Faculty of Humanities to start an undergraduate program in African & Caribbean Studies.
In present talks with the School of Graduate Studies to extend this program to the graduate level.
2010 – 2018
Events Coordinator
Black History Month Planning Committee (McMaster University) – HAMILTON
Organized activities focused on exhibiting African Culture through visual and performing arts.
Organized movie nights in the month of February for the student population dealing with social justices issues facing the continent of Africa.
2010 – 2013
Coordinator / Facilitator for Social Justice Fellowship
Ecumenical Chaplaincy (McMaster University) – HAMILTON
Organized and facilitated discussions with students on issues of poverty, war, the environment and economic injustice facing our world.
Helped fundraise for the Living Rock Food Shelter in Hamilton
Recruited new members to the group at the beginning of each school year
Planned various campaigns on the issue of eliminating plastic water bottles on campus.
2009- 2016
Board of Directors/Board Member
ONTARIO PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP (OPIRG) - HAMILTON
Ensure that all of OPIRG McMaster’s financial records with the help of the office coordinator are properly kept and are in good standing condition
Act as the signing officer for OPIRG McMaster
Develop the budget for each academic year with the help of staff
Maintain the financial health of the organization
Responsible for appropriate procedure in cases of concern, regarding staff, board member and volunteer relationships
Responsible for collective agreement and hiring policy
Engage in evaluations when necessary, which are meant not only to identify concerns, but to recognize the positive contribution and achievements of the staff
Work Profile
Sept 2018 – PRESENT
Manager of Programs
Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion (HCCI)
Responsible for the management, implementation and supervision of HCCI’s programs.
Coordinating logistical aspects of running productive and engaging events.
Working with Governing Council/Board of Directors to create a yearly budget and management plan for the program, and achieving annual budget objectives
Maintaining a strong and appropriate local social media presence and media relations.
Identifying and pursuing grant/funding opportunities.
Feb 2016 – PRESENT
Founder and Educational Coordinator (Canada/Ghana)
KAD Education
Develop social justice resources for high school students, university students and community activists in Hamilton, Ontario and Accra, Ghana.
Develop research resources for community researchers involved in social initiatives.
Organize teach-ins, symposiums and conferences related to social justice issues in Hamilton, Ontario and Accra, Ghana.
Publish articles (academic and non-academic) by activists in the community.
Sept 2012- Sept 2018
Regional Animator for South West Ontario (Hamilton/London/St Catharines)
Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace
Build public awareness on issues of environmental and social justice
Contribute to the education of the general public with respect to international solidarity to address injustices in the Global South.
Maintain a relationship with Canadian Catholic Bishops, the local Church and social change groups in South West Ontario
Contribute to the development, implementation and evaluation of the Education Department’s work plan.
Support members in fundraising activities across South West Ontario to support initiatives in the Global South.
Aug 2012 – Nov 2012
Assistant Residence Director
Columbia International College (Hamilton)
In charge of staff and students at Pine Hall residence.
Manage daily operation of residence.
Create positive environment for student life at Pine Hall residence.
Memberships in Professional Organizations
African Studies Association of Africa.
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
Associate Student at the Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on Africa and its Diaspora (York University, Toronto, Canada).
Canadian Communication Association.
International Society for African Philosophy and Studies.
African Caribbean Faculty Association of McMaster
Scholarship
Conference Presentations
Upcoming
Completed
2019: 2nd Waterloo Region Multi-Disciplinary Conference on Africa.
Indigenous governance practices for contemporary governance in Ghana.
2018: Decolonizing Conference, Centre for Integrative Anti-Racism Studies, University of Toronto.
Rethinking the role of Indigenous governance practices in contemporary governance in Africa: The Case for Ghana.
2017: 60th African Studies Association Conference, Chicago, USA.
Reclaiming democracy and sovereignty through African Indigenous Knowledge Systems.
2017: 2nd African Studies Association of Africa Biennial Conference, Accra, Ghana.
Rethinking the role of Indigenous governance practices in contemporary governance in Africa: The Case for Ghana.
2017: Royal Roads University Leadership Conference, Victoria, Canada.
Racial Justice: Moving towards a diverse world.
2017: 17th International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities and Nations, University of Toronto
African Identity Crisis: A Contemporary View of the African in a Globalized World
2016: 10th Decolonizing Conference, Centre for Integrative Anti-Racism Studies, University of Toronto.
Sankofa: Reclaiming democracy through Indigenous Knowledge Systems.
2016: 9th Global Studies Conference, University of California, Los Angeles, U.S.A.
The Death of International Aid: Developing a new discourse about development
in Africa.
2016: 11th International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, London, U.K.
Democratization in Africa: Using African Indigenous Knowledge Systems.
2015: 8th Pan African Congress, Accra, Ghana.
Neo-liberalism and the Pan African Movement
2015: Royal Roads University Leadership Conference, Victoria, Canada.
UBUNTU: A critical outlook of leadership in Communities, Society and the World
Journal Publications
Completed
2016: The Global Studies Journal, Volume 9, Issue 4, pp. 1-7: The Death of International Aid: Developing a new discourse about development in Africa.
Forthcoming
2019: Interdisciplinary Social Sciences Journal: Democratization in Africa: Using African Indigenous Knowledge Systems.
2019: Diversity in Organizations, Communities and Nations Journal: African Identity Crisis: A Contemporary View of the African in a Globalized World
2019: Interdisciplinary Social Sciences Journal: Can African Indigenous governing principles be the panacea for effective and participatory governance? Suggestions for Ghana.
Media Publications
2015: CBC Hamilton: Hamilton is safe. But is it safe for everyone?
2015: CBC Hamilton: Why Hamilton’s music festivals need to move beyond grit and guitars
2014: CBC Hamilton: Finding a unified Black voice in Hamilton
Scholarships Awards
2016: TD $1000 Bursary from Royal Roads University
2016: 9th Global Studies Conference Graduate Scholar Award
Teaching Activities
Teaching Assistant (Jan – April 2019)
Indig St 2MM3: Indigenous Ways of Knowing: Theory
Indigenous Studies Department: McMaster University, Hamilton, ON
Instructor: Dr. Katherine Munich
Courses Created
Introduction to African Studies: This is a course designed as an introduction to African studies, including history, geography, literature and the arts through an interdisciplinary lens.
African Political Thought: This course involves a historical analysis of the ideas and concepts that define African political thought prior to the advent of colonization.
African Philosophies: Past, Present, & Future: This course looks at prominent philosophers in the field of African Studies.
African Popular Culture: This course focuses on a wide range of genres of performance and popular culture in Africa and its influence on the continent and the African Diaspora.
Concepts of Afrofuturism: This course will look at Africa & African Diaspora creative and theoretical works of Afrofuturism from an intellectual framework of understanding race, identity, colonialism, science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.
African Concepts of Decolonization: This course will focus on theories regarding colonization and decolonization emerging out of post-colonial discourse and African Indigenous Knowledge Systems. Particular attention will be paid to the relationship between race, colonialism, gender, and sexual orientation.
Roots of African Literature: Past, Present, & Future: This course attempts to cover pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial periods of African literary production, across major genres such as oral traditions, poetry, performance, music and theatre. Literary works from Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Ngugi Wa Thingo, Fela Kuti will form the basis of discussion.
Race, Racism, & Africa: This course looks at the social construction of race, and how it fed the project of colonialism. Further inquiry will entail looking at specific countries such as South Africa, Rwanda, Cameroon, and Ghana to illustrate how race and racism has shaped contemporary Africa.
Africa & International Development: This course explores African states’ relations with the West, China and international political, economic and financial institutions.
Facilitation, Discussions and Workshops
Facilitations
2018: What is Black Lives Matter? Hosted by McMaster University Equity and Inclusion Office.
2015: Facilitated a discussion with McMaster University staff and faculty on how institutional racism manifests itself in academia.
2012: Facilitated a discussion with male allies on What Men Can Do and how they can be involved in ending violence towards women.
Discussions
2012: Race and the Academy. Discussed how the low number of racialized professors at McMaster University is replicating the ills of institutionalized racism and its implications of students (undergraduate and graduate) who identify as racialized.
2011: Youth, Arts and Community. Discussed the importance of youth participation in the arts (performance and visual arts) and how it impacts the community.
Workshops
2017: Social justice workshop series: Created a 4 part workshop series to delve into issues community activists face when doing social justice work. Four part workshop included: Social justice 101, Social justice and –isms, Protest in Social Justice & Measuring success in social justice initiatives.
2015: The impacts of climate change on the Global South. Created a workshop for environmentalists and activists, where we talked about how countries in the global south are mitigating the effects of climate change.
2015: Laying the foundation for social justice: A look at anti-oppressive principles. Created a workshop for high school students, where we talked about tangible ways of practicing anti-oppressive behavior when doing activist work.
2014: Food Sovereignty or Food monopoly. Created a workshop for food activists, interested in learning about the effects of Genetically Modified Organisms/Seeds in the global food market.
2011: Using arts for redemptive justice: A case study in violence against women. Created a workshop for survivors of domestic violence, where we talked about how arts can be used to combat gender-based violence in Hamilton.