Anti-Black Racism | The Harriet Tubman Institute

Dee Marksman-Phillpotts

rebsl — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 15:35:41 +0000

Dee Markman-Phillpotts (they/them) is a Black, trans, non-binary educator, researcher, and community advocate whose work centers Black trans life, collective care, and liberatory futures. A PhD student with a background in social work and sexuality studies, their research examines how intersecting systems of anti-Black racism, gender-based violence, queer and transphobia, and poverty shape the lived realities of Black and marginalized communities.
Grounded in Black feminist methodologies and abolitionist praxis, Dee’s scholarship interrogates dominant discourses that render Black trans people hypervisible as sites of harm yet invisible in policy, care infrastructures, and knowledge production. They are particularly interested in how communities cultivate survival strategies, mutual aid networks, and embodied practices of care that challenge carceral logics and reimagine safety beyond the state.
Through teaching, community-engaged research, and public scholarship, Dee works to bridge academic and grassroots spaces, insisting that knowledge is most transformative when it is accountable to the communities from which it emerges.

Keywords: Black Trans Studies; Queer of Colour Critique: Black Feminist Thought; Intersectionality; Anti-Black Racism; Gender-Based Violence; Abolitionist Frameworks; Transformative Justice; Collective Care; Critical Pedagogy; Anti-Oppressive Education

Salmaan Khan

rebsl — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 17:06:03 +0000

Salmaan Khan is a postdoctoral researcher at the Islamophobia Research Hub at �첥��Ƶ, with a focus on economic integration of Muslims in Canada. Prior to this role he was an Assistant Professor (Limiter Term Faculty) in the Department of Criminology at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), and Research Program Manager in the Office of the Chair in Social Justice and Democracy at TMU. He completed his PhD in 2022 in the Graduate Program in Social and Political Thought at �첥��Ƶ. His research can be framed along four avenues: 1.) the systemic racial and gendered dimensions of capitalist production with a focus on the experiences of racialized workers in the Canadian labour market; 2.) the intergenerational impacts of precarious working conditions; 3.) critical epistemologies and methodologies of the social sciences with a focus on community-based research methods and practices; 4.) critical pedagogies and engaged learning practices. His community, academic and teaching work is underpinned by a political commitment to intersectional, anti-oppressive politics and a desire for social justice.

Keywords: Islamophobia, Black Muslim, anti-Black racism, Labour, Employment, Discrimination

Olayinka Akinseesin

rebsl — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 15:54:40 +0000

Olayinka Akinseesin is a PhD student in Law at �첥��Ƶ. His research explores the intersections of intellectual property law, artificial intelligence, and social justice, with particular attention to how emerging technologies impact African and diasporic communities. He holds an LLM from �첥��Ƶ and a Bachelor of Laws from Afe Babalola University, and he has been called to the Nigerian Bar. His academic interests are rooted in advancing critical perspectives on law, technology, and race, with the goal of informing equitable policy and practice in Canada and globally.

Keywords: Intellectual property law, artificial intelligence, social justice, Africa and the diaspora, technology and society, anti-Black racism, bias, policy development, human rights, equity and inclusion

Ehiosa Eweka

rebsl — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 20:00:31 +0000

My name is Ehiosa Eweka and I am in my last year of Biology at �첥��Ƶ. I am dedicated to health awareness and social engagement. As a former data collector and intern into black and brown inequalities in British Columbia, it is with the hope that I advance the research with my skills that will highlight the diverse histories and inform equitable policies within the Institute.

Keywords: Anti-black racism, Data Collection and Analysis, Colonial Histories, Preventative Health Education and Cultural Competence in Healthcare

Karina Deepnarine

rebsl — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 20:02:08 +0000

Karina Deepnarine is a third-year student whose work sits at the intersection of race, identity, and post-colonial thought. She currently serves as an Undergraduate Research Assistant at the Harriet Tubman Institute. Beyond her research, Karina has a distinguished record of leadership and community engagement. From 2021-2023, she served as Vice-President and President of Goetz Black Voices, where she spearheaded initiatives like assemblies, panels, and discussions addressing colorism, texturism, microaggressions, and Black student empowerment, as well as the organization of Black History Month programming. She has collaborated with Black graduation coaches through the Black Community Advisory Council (BCAC) to help predominantly non-Black schools establish Black Student Associations. She has been interviewed by the Peel District School Board (PDSB) on strategies to better support Black students and has spoken on several high-profile panels, including Jean Augustine’s BSA Conference 2025 with PDSB at �첥��Ƶ on the Black undergraduate experience. Her leadership spans multiple organizations: she is the social media Director for the Black Business Student Association (BBSA), Ontario Hub Leader for the Federation of Black Canadians, Social Justice Chair for United Caribbean Islands (UCI), and an active member of the RISE Committee. She has also serves as VP of Internal Affairs for the Black Women in Law Association (BWLA), where she advocates for the advancement of Black women in the legal profession. Her advocacy has been recognized through numerous awards, including the NDP Rosemary Brown Social Justice Award, the Jacor Marketing Award for Inclusivity, and a Peel Regional Police Scholarship for Equity and Diversity. Her body of work reflects a commitment to dismantling the post-colonial mindset and advancing racial justice both within academic spaces and the broader community for Black communities.

Keywords: Advocacy, Human Rights, Anti-Black Racism, Black Education, Awareness