UNB Fredericton

March 25 | 12:10 - 1 p.m.
Harriet Irving Library, Active Learning Lab, Room 303
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Virtual meet-up

March 10 | 12:10 - 1 p.m.
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UNB Fredericton and virtual

Feb. 11 | 10 a.m. - noon
Harriet Irving Library, Event Space, Room 318
Networking inperson reception: HIL Data Visualization Lab (Room 320D), noon to 2 p.m.

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Virtual option: Teams link provided upon registration

This event is hosted by the Office of Vice President Research, in partnership with Human Rights & Equity Office. It consists of a series of short presentations from Black researchers at UNB, including graduate and undergraduate students and faculty members, followed by a networking reception. The reception will feature digital poster displays as well as an opportunity to chat with our presenters and connect with the UNB research community.

This is an opportunity to highlight and celebrate the excellence of Black scholarship at UNB, to gather the UNB research community and to foster connections. This event also marks both Black History Month and the one-year anniversary of UNB signing the Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in Canadian Higher Education.

Virtual

March 11 | 12:30 - 1:45 p.m.
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Focus on applying and integrating accessibility into regular workflows and practices. Review tools and strategies for accessibility, incorporate accessibility checks into daily routines, and develop an accessibility mindset with best practices and case studies.

Presenter

Mitch Baird has a broad background that includes health and nutrition, yoga, training, and deep cultural insights from the Cayuga Wolf Clan Knowledge-Keepers of Six Nations and beyond. He is renowned for his ability to solve any information technology issue and find effective solutions for a variety of needs.

With over 20 years of experience providing technical solutions and staff training in both Indigenous and mainstream non-profit and small business sectors, Mitch is adept at working within tight budgets. His skills span website development, graphic design, and consulting on large IT projects and federal privacy compliance. Recently, Mitch was selected for the federal Accessibility Advisory Board, highlighting his commitment to making technology accessible for all.

UNB Fredericton

Jan. 23 - March 27
UNB Art Centre, East & West Galleries, Memorial Hall

The UNB Art Centre, in partnership with the UNB Human Rights and Equity Office, is proud to present two powerful exhibitions that invite our community to reflect, engage, and celebrate Black identity and heritage.

Trayces is a striking visual narrative exploring Black skin, memory and cultural lineage. Through portraits crafted with transparent vinyl and aluminum baking trays, the exhibition draws inspiration from West African scarification traditions to examine identity, beauty and the marks we carry.

Alongside Trayces, the UNB Art Centre continues its annual Black History Month project, Rediscovering the Roots of Black New Brunswickers, honouring notable Black New Brunswickers who have fought, and continue to fight, for equality in the face of prejudice and discrimination.

This ongoing research initiative adds new faces and stories each year, bringing their portraits to the streets of Fredericton throughout February.

Banners along Westmorland and Regent Streets stand as a public tribute to their achievements and enduring contributions to shaping contemporary New Brunswick.

Three special events will accompany these exhibitions, creating opportunities for deeper reflection and dialogue:

Panel discussion: The art of belonging

March 21 | 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. | Snow date: March 28 | 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.)
UNB Art Centre, East & West Galleries, Memorial Hall

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In recognition of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the UNB Human Rights and Equity Office, in partnership with the UNB Arts Centre, presents The Art of Belonging.

Rooted in the themes of Trayces, this community-centered exploration explores belonging, identity and cultural histories through storytelling and lived experiences.

Together we will reflect on how our stories shape who we are, how belonging is cultivated or constrained and what it takes to build dignity and belonging across difference.

Dorcas Tshimenga – Moderator

Dorcas Tshimenga is a racial justice and DEI advocate with over five years of experience advancing equity and anti-racism initiatives across Canada.

She has led bilingual asset-mapping projects, facilitated anti-racism training, and contributed to policy reform efforts supporting Black communities and driving systemic change.

Prince Chiagozie Ekoh – Panelist

Prince Chiagozie Ekoh is an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at the University of New Brunswick. He earned his PhD from the University of Calgary, focusing on the lived experiences of older African refugees.

A recipient of the Vanier and Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Doctoral Scholarships, his research centers on ageing, migration, Black and Africentric epistemologies, and social work education.

He has authored over 60 publications and is deeply committed to social justice and the care of displaced older adults.

Lisa Perley-Dutcher – Panelist

Lisa Perley-Dutcher is a Wolastoqi/Maliseet leader from Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation) and a registered nurse with 30 years of experience advancing Indigenous health.

She has served locally and nationally, including as president of the Indigenous Nurses Association of Canada and director of mental wellness for Atlantic Region Indigenous Health Services.

She now serves as Director of Kehkimin, the first Wolastoqey language immersion and land-based school in Wolastoqey territory and co-facilitates education on Indigenous–Settler relations.

Angela Tozer – Panelist

Angela Tozer is an associate professor of Canadian history at UNB, specializing in 19th-century Canada. Her research examines capitalism and settler colonialism.

Her forthcoming book, The Debt of a Nation: Land and the Financing of the Canadian Settler State, 1820–73 (UBC Press, 2025), explores how public debt and Indigenous land appropriation shaped the Canadian settler state.

Her current SSHRC-funded research investigates the history of eel fisheries and treaty impacts.

Gary Weekes - Panelist

Gary Weekes is a fine art photographer and filmmaker whose work explores his Black identity in Canada, his UK upbringing, a decade in the USA, and his evolving role as a father of three. His art challenges stereotypes and reflects his personal experiences, perspectives, and voice.

In 2022, he became the first Black New Brunswick artist to present a solo exhibition at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, with a work acquired into its Permanent Collection.

In 2023, he received the CBC Black Changemaker Award for his community impact. Gary has expanded into short documentary filmmaking, adding cinematography and directing to his practice.

He is currently the UNB Culture & Media Studies Artist in Residence and is exhibiting his solo show “Trayces” at the UNB Art Centre in Fredericton until March 27, 2026. He is represented by Gallery on Queen.

March 31 | 12:30 – 2 p.m.
Location: Harriet Irving Library, Active Learning Lab, Room 303

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Join us for an informative session about Kehkimin Wolastoqey Language Immersion School mission to sustain and strengthen the Wolastoqey language through immersive language and land-based education. Discover how the school is creating future generations of fluent speakers and reconnecting students with the culture and life ways of the Wolastoqiyik.

Presenter

Lisa Perley-Dutcher a Wolastoqi ehpit (Maliseet woman) from the Neqotkuk/Tobique First Nation. Her family roots are from the Kahkakuhsuwakutom naka Malsomuwakutom (Crow and Wolf Clan). She is a mother of four sons (Shane, Andrew, Jonathan, Jeremy) and grandmother to four granddaughters (Sadie, Aurora, Dahlia, and Gwyneth).

Lisa worked as a Registered Nurse for 30 years with a master’s degree in nursing from the University of New Brunswick. The focus of her career as a nurse has focused on contributing to the improvement of health outcomes for Indigenous peoples. She worked as a community health nurse in one of the first communities that transferred health services to a First Nation community in the Atlantic region. She was also at the forefront of the First Nations and Inuit Home and Community Care Program when it was being launched into First Nations across the country.

She established the first Aboriginal Nursing Initiative director position at UNB’s faculty of nursing to help increase the recruitment and retention of Indigenous students. She also worked as the director of mental wellness for the Atlantic Regions First Nation and Inuit Health Branch. Lisa and her husband Stephen are partner consultants (Mah-sos Education and Research Associates- MERA) providing on-line educational sessions, facilitation and research services on various topics related to Indigenous history and health.

She served as president of the Indigenous Nurses Association of Canada. She recently graduated from a two-year intensive Wolastoqey language program and is currently involved in language and cultural revitalization projects.