Honouring Diversity Speaker Series with Dr. Dustin Louie

In this session we will discuss the critical and challenging journey of honouring diversity. While the motivations and justifications for honouring everyone's identity are clear, creating an environment where each of us feel comfortable being who we are is far more difficult. The aim of our work is never to marginalize or shame anyone, instead modeling and establishing the norms of inclusivity and understanding. True barriers to honouring diversity exist and must be engaged with rather than ignored for transformational change to be realized.

Dr. Dustin Louie is a First Nations scholar from Nee Tahi Buhn and Nadleh Whut’en of the Carrier Nation of central British Columbia. He is a member of the Beaver Clan. Dustin’s education background includes a degree in Canadian history, a Master’s in International Relations, and a PhD in Educational Research. The topic of Dr. Louie’s dissertation was Sexual Exploitation Prevention Education for Indigenous Girls. He has worked as an historian in a land claims law firm, studied Indigenous homelessness in Western Canada, worked internationally for non-governmental organizations in Uganda and Australia, and is now at the Werklund School of Education in the University of Calgary. As a tenure-track Assistant Professor, he teaches primarily in courses related to Indigenous education, social justice, and educational philosophy. Further research interests include practical approaches to Indigenizing education, decolonizing education, Indigenous pedagogies, and critical theory.