To celebrate International Women’s Day, COE (the Centre for Organizational Excellence) hosted a panel event featuring four inspiring women from the NC community.
The event took place in advance of International Women’s Day on March 7 at the Daniel J. Patterson Campus, with approximately 65 employees and students gathering in person and via Zoom to hear what they had to say.
Samah Sabra, NC’s Workplace Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Manager, moderated the panel discussion around embracing equity – this year’s theme for International Women’s Day. Sabra took a moment to acknowledge missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls as an important reminder of the violence and injustices suffered by these marginalized women within our community.
Senior Vice President Pam Skinner was also present to welcome attendees and introduce the discussion, noting the importance of embracing equity for each girl and women in society.
Among the panelists were Elysia Dardarian, Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Coordinator; Leah Hogan, Associate Director, Indigenous Education; Sam Jemison, NCSAC President; and Jamie Oresar, Professor, School of Academic and Liberal Studies, each of whom demonstrates a commitment to advancing equity for students and staff through their work on campus, in the community and abroad.
Each panelist began by introducing themselves, elaborating on their unique role at the College and how it relates to the embracing equity theme. Through discourse, council, and guidance, the panelists explained how they work with NC students and staff to address issues around inequity.
Dardarian particularly highlighted how sexual violence impacts women in marginalized communities. Through her work at NC, she aims to provide students and staff with tools to reflect on personal biases around sexual violence survivors to disrupt power inequities among inner circles.
Jemison, who also works closely with NC students, explains how the embracing equity theme is tied to every interaction she has when speaking with and on behalf of students.
“I try to empower students and staff that advocacy doesn’t appear the same for everyone and that student leaders should embrace their own differences,” she said.
In the classroom, Oresar often challenges students taking her Sociology course to critically examine systems of sexism, racism, classism and more, through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Similarly, Hogan aims to bring a sense of belonging in the classroom for Indigenous students at NC, “Not just behind desks, but through course curriculum.”
Each panelist was also asked to reflect on a small change that they hope to see in the context of embracing equity.
Dardarian believes that as a community, we can implement immense change by simply believing sexual violence survivors.
Other prompts for change included taking time to learn about Indigenous voices along with openly embracing unique experiences and challenges among diverse students.
The panel event was concluded by COE Director Julie Stitt who provided a passage from Maya Angelou’s On the Pulse of Morning to inspire attendees to embrace equity moving forward:
“History, despite its wrenching pain
Cannot be unlived, but if faced
With courage, need not be lived again.”
