Ruby Smith Díaz (she/her/hers) was born to Chilean and Jamaican parents in Edmonton –amiskwaciy and graduated from the University of Alberta with a degree in Education with distinction.

 Since graduating in 2010, Ruby has centred her work on exploring issues of inclusion and anti-oppression in classrooms, custody centres, non-profit organizations and beyond. She is the founder of Tierra Negra Arts, an arts based facilitation business with a mission to deliver workshops that foster inclusion and social justice in communities. She is also the owner of Autonomy Fitness, a body positive personal training business inviting people of all sizes, abilities,  genders and sexual orientations to learn the joy of movement.

In 2018, Ruby launched "Still Here", an arts based workshop series aimed at fostering a deeper understanding of the history of anti-Black racism in Canada, and celebrating the resilience and resistance of Black communities.

Her writing appears in Harsha Walia's book, Undoing Border Imperialism, and in the newly released book by Nora Samaran, Turn this World Inside Out. She is the director and producer of the film After Africville, which was recently featured at the MSVU Gallery in Halifax and the Vancouver International Film Festival Black History Month series.

Meenakshi Mannoe is a settler living on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples since 2006.  In her role at Pivot, she works alongside interdisciplinary colleagues to envision intersectional approaches to policing and criminalization. She values Pivot’s uncompromising commitment to the expertise and vision of people with lived and living experience. Her work emphasizes the impact of policing across campaign areas. Prior to joining Pivot, she held a variety of frontline and administrative positions at legal and social service agencies in Vancouver. Meenakshi is a graduate of the UBC School of Social Work (MSW, 2019) and Registered Social Worker. She is currently a board member for the Community Radio Education Society, programmer at Vancouver Coop Radio (Stark Raven), and member of the Vancouver Prison Justice Day Committee.

"I teach primary grades -- children don't see race" "Talking about race is divisive.  I teach diversity and inclusivity" "Better let someone trained to do this, I don't want to say the wrong thing" "Too much is asked of us, I'm exhausted!  How about getting back to the basics: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic?"

Sounds familiar? If you feel any gut reaction at all to any of the above statements, this workshop is for you.  Be ready for a deep dive into how critical literacy and an anti-racist practice can empower yourself, engage the children you teach, and effect change in the school community at large.  Questions to be discussed are: What does an anti-racist teaching practice look like?  Why anti-racism? How does it connect to literacy?  What are some resources for young children?  The only thing you need for this workshop is an open, inquiring mind.