Dr. Ismaël Traoré
Developing an Anti-Racist Organization: A Model
This event is sponsored by Langara's Centre for Intercultural Engagement
Dr. Ismaël Traoré (Pronunciation: Iss-Ma-Yel Tra-O-Ray) is a racial inclusion and equity educator and specialist. At the heart of his work, is anti-racist organizational change through evidence-based practices. He is interested in issues of power and privilege, community engagement, and the social determinants of health. In his role at UBC, he supports the implementation of diversity and inclusion plans across the university.
Dr. Traoré completed his dissertation in 2017, in which he explored the anti-racism practices and perspectives of 41 white allies in Southern Ontario. His dissertation is available online for free by searching: White Antiracism in Southern Ontario: Frames, Praxis, and Awareness.
Ismaël has co-produced two documentaries. The first is titled “Hamilton’s Ugly Underbelly: Racism” (2015) and was produced with Dr. Lisa Watt. This film look at contemporary forms of racism, activism, and community healing in Hamilton, Ontario. The second documentary explores the resettlement story of Rahaf, a Syrian refugee in Kelowna, B.C. Through Rahasf’s story, this film highlights some challenges newcomers may experience and the support they need.
Ismaël lives in Vancouver, on the unceded, ancestral, and traditional lands of the Stó:lō (staw-low), Stz’uminus (sha-main-us), Squamish (squa-mish), Musqueam (mus-kwee-um) and Tsleil-Waututh (sail-wha-tooth) people. (Pronunciation of territories come from “A Guide to the Pronunciation of Indigenous Community and Organizations in BC”, available here)
SESSION:
Developing an anti-racist organization requires a system’s change and organizational development approach combined with anti-racism theory and practice. In this talk, Dr. Traoré discusses a theoretical model of change that targets the organization, more so than individuals, as the key client of an anti-racist intervention. The model presented uses a developmental approach. Attendees will thus learn about the different stages on the continuum of a segregated organization to an anti-racist multicultural organization.
This talk is best suited for persons who have awareness of systemic racism, and would like some insights on what an anti-racist multicultural organization looks like.