Anti-Racism Symposium
Anti-Racism SymposiumUnlearning silence, confronting racism, and collectively building anti-racist institutions
Thompson Rivers University, Campus Activity Center — Grand Hall
Hosted by the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Anti-Racism and the TRU Faculty Association (TRUFA)
May 5, 2026 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Anti-racism symposium
The Office of EDI and Anti-Racism and the TRU Faculty Association (TRUFA) invite you to join us this year for TRU's annual EDI conference on May 5th, 2026.
This year, the conference's focus on racism and anti-racism, hopes to create a space for speakers, facilitators, and attendees to name and confront racism in holistic and systemic ways. Throughout the day, participants will be asked to learn, share, and build through guided, trauma-informed conversations, activities, and an action-planning exercise.
We will look to initiatives such as the Scarborough Charter and the TRC Calls to Action, as guiding lights, as we discuss topics such as anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism and what is means to be an "anti-racist".
Please join us for a day filled with networking, connecting, learning, and listening, ending with some concrete action planning to take back to our institutions, departments, classrooms, and community spaces.
This conference will be offered in person only. The room is fully accessible, including elevator access, and live captioning will be provided. Please be aware that sensitive topics will be discussed.
Meet our keynote speakers
Tanya Manning-Lewis
Dr. Tanya Manning-Lewis is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the School of Education, Graduate Programs at Thompson Rivers University, Canada. With over two decades of experience as a secondary educator, teacher educator, and community-engaged researcher, she has a record of work grounded in anti-racist, equity-focused education and transformative social change. As a racialized scholar and educator, she brings a justice-oriented lens to her teaching and research, centring the experiences, knowledge, and resistance of historically marginalized communities. Her scholarship critically examines how systemic inequities and racialized structures shape educational policies, institutions, and student experiences across local, multicultural, and international contexts. Her research explores anti-racist pedagogies, equity, diversity and inclusion, language and socialization, gender, Caribbean identity, and decolonial approaches to teaching and learning. Through collaborative work with educators, community partners, and graduate students, she seeks to challenge dominant narratives in education and advance practices that address the intersections of race, gender, class, and power.
Rajneet Kaur
Rajneet Kaur is a visitor on this beautiful land with roots in India. She is an educator and currently leading the Kamloops & District Local Immigration Partnership with Kamloops Immigrant Services. With a background in English instruction and EDI facilitation, she brings a deep commitment to community building and inclusion. Outside of work, Rajneet loves hiking, kayaking, and skiing.
Dr. Roxane Letterlough
Dr. Roxane Letterlough (Dr. Mixalhíts̓a7) is a St’at’imc scholar and Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at Thompson Rivers University, where she holds a tripartite role in teaching, research, and service. She has worked in Indigenous education and community contexts for over two decades, supporting relational, land-based, and culturally grounded approaches to learning.
She is an anti-racism advocate whose work is shaped by her lived experience as a mother of Black and Indigenous children who have faced systemic and extreme racism within the public school system. Her scholarship focuses on Indigenous resurgence and the transformation of educational spaces through accountability, relationality, and community-engaged practice. She is committed to advancing equity through Indigenous knowledge systems and the protection of future generations.
May 5, 2026
Join us for a full day of presentations, performances, experiential learning and action planning focused on anti-racism in practice.
| Time | Activity | Hosted by | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00 – 8:30 | Breakfast | Arrival, light breakfast and informal gathering. | |
| 8:30 – 8:40 | Welcome | Opening welcome to participants. | |
| 8:40 – 8:50 | Elder Opening | Elder Patricia Terry | An opening grounded in community and respect. |
| 8:50 – 9:00 | Performance: Indigenous drumming and round dance | Lex Edwards and Vernie Clement | A special cultural performance to begin the day. |
| 9:00 – 9:20 | Welcome from TRU President, TRUFA President, and TRU Provost and VP Academic | Dr. Airini, Tara Lyster and Dr. Gordon Binsted | Opening remarks from university leadership. |
| 9:20 – 10:00 | Conversation-style Keynote: Racism and Anti-Racism in Context | Dr. Tanya Manning-Lewis and Dr. Mixalhitsa7 Letterlough. Moderator: Dr. Alana Hoare | Join Drs. Manning-Lewis and Letterlough as they address real-life contexts of racism and anti-racism, including a focus on anti-Black racism and anti-Indigenous racism. Not all racism presents in the same way, and not all systems are racist in the same way. |
| 10:00 – 10:20 | Q & A | Open floor discussion with our keynote speakers. | |
| 10:30 – 10:45 | Morning Break | Refreshment break. | |
| 10:45 – 11:05 | Presentation: Anti-Racism 101 | Rajneet Chhatwal, LIP Coordinator, Kamloops Immigrant Services | What does anti-racist mean? What are members of our Kamloops community telling us about racism around us? What are anti-racism strategies and what are examples of their implementation? |
| 11:05 – 12:00 | Experiential Learning Session: Systemic Discrimination | Keisha Morong, EDI Manager, TRU | This interactive group activity will take participants through generic systemic discrimination in action. |
| 12:00 – 1:00 | Lunch | Lunch break. | |
| 1:00 – 1:15 | Beading Our Stories: Race, Work, and Responsibility | Dr. Mixalhitsa7 Letterlough | A hands-on cultural activity for participants. |
| 1:15 – 2:00 | Guided Storytelling | Prompt questions and guidelines for this session will be sent to all attendees ahead of time. | |
| 2:00 – 2:15 | Afternoon Break | Refreshment break. | |
| 2:15 – 3:45 | Small group activity: Anti-racism Action Planning | Guided SMART-goal action planning activity. Participants will work through the creation of at least one specific actionable strategy to address and dismantle systemic racism within their work or social contexts. | |
| 3:45 – 3:55 | Performance: African drumming and dancing | Wakeen | A closing performance to celebrate community and connection. |
| 3:55 – 4:00 | Closing Remarks | Final reflections and thanks. | |
| 4:00 – 5:00 | Networking and Appies | Attendees are invited to stay and connect with each other and with our invited community booths. |
Contact Us
Email: edi@tru.ca
Phone: 250-852-7662
Office: Administration Building, 3rd floor
Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism - Thompson Rivers University
