Michelle听Paul听is a mother, treaty rights holder, water protector, land defender, advocate and activist. She is a member of the Wasoqopa'q (Acadia) First Nation. Her advocacy work focuses on Indigenous allies and settler solidarity to resist colonial infringements on Mi鈥檏maw sovereignty, including the Alton Gas Resistance movement in Mi鈥檏ma鈥檏i.
The 2025 conference theme
The State of the World Conference is a space for reflection and a call to engagement. It is an opportunity to critically consider how solidarity, resistance, and community action can help shape a more just future.
Across our communities and institutions, the 鈥渟tate of the world鈥 is no longer something distant. Global crises are unfolding alongside local struggles, shaping how people live here in Nova Scotia and beyond. From war, displacement, and humanitarian catastrophe to budget cuts, anti-equity backlash and ongoing struggles for Indigenous sovereignty, racial justice and collective care, we are living through a moment defined by overlapping crises and urgent questions of responsibility.
This conference invites participants to reflect on how global issues are experienced locally, and how individuals, communities, and institutions are responding in justice-oriented ways. It begins from the understanding that crises do not remain 鈥渙ut there.鈥 They are felt in our campuses, workplaces, neighbourhoods, and relationships. At the same time, they also reveal the strength of communities that continue to advocate, resist, and care for one another despite limited support.
Through a keynote address and panel discussions, we will explore:
- How global crises such as war, displacement, and systemic violence are connected to local realities in Nova Scotia.
- The impact of budget cuts, institutional retrenchment, and declining support for equity and community-based initiatives.
- How faculty, staff, and community leaders are mobilizing to build more equitable spaces.
As the world feels increasingly unstable, this conference asks: How do we understand the connections between global injustice and local life? What responsibilities do institutions and communities have in this moment? Who is being asked to carry the weight of crisis, and who is being left unsupported? Most importantly, what does it mean to respond not only with concern, but with action?
Agenda
听12:00鈥1:00 PM | Keynote address
鈥婰ina Hamid is a dedicated public servant and community advocate currently serving as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the constituency of Fairview-Clayton Park. Since her election, she has been a consistent voice in the House of Assembly, focusing on provincial policy, legislative analysis, and the fiscal management of Nova Scotia.
Lina is proud to be the first Muslim woman to be elected to the Nova Scotia Legislature and first Sudanese Canadian to be elected to any legislative position in Canada. 鈥婬er lived experience drives a legislative focus on societal equity, accessibility, and inclusive policy-making. By bringing a perspective that was previously absent from the provincial dialogue, Lina works to dismantle barriers and foster a more representative government that reflects the multicultural fabric of Nova Scotia.
听1:00鈥1:10 PM | Break
听1:10鈥2:30 PM | Panel
听2:30鈥2:40 PM | Break
听2:40鈥4:00 PM | Panel
4:00 PM | Closing
Changemakers panel
Lisa听Bland听is a registered nurse, health advocate, and community leader from the historic African Nova Scotian community of Windsor Plains, Nova Scotia. With nearly two decades of experience in healthcare, she has worked across perinatal and women's health,听 gynecology, elder care, and health promotion.听Lisais currently pursuing a Master of Science in Nursing at 色妹妹直播, with a research interest in menstrual equity for African Nova Scotians.听
Lisa听serves as the Valley Regional Representative on the Council on African Canadian Education and sits on the board of the Health Association of African Canadians, where she helps advance equity-focused policy and community engagement. She is the co-founder of the Avon River Days Society, a grassroots initiative celebrating culture and community in West Hants, and a longtime volunteer with Girl Guides of Canada supporting youth leadership and empowerment.听Lisa听is widely recognized for her leadership in community health, education advocacy, and rural community development and the recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal.
Dr.听El听Jones听is a poet, journalist, professor, and abolitionist living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She was the 5th Poet Laureate of Halifax and a 2015 resident of the International Writing Program at University of Iowa.听El听was the poet in residence at U of T Scarborough in 2021. She won 2 Atlantic Journalism Gold awards in 2018 and 2019. In 2016,听El听was a recipient of the Burnley 鈥淩ocky鈥澨齁ones听human rights award for her work with prisoners. She was the 15th Nancy鈥檚 Chair in Women鈥檚 Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University.听El听received her PhD in Cultural Studies at Queen鈥檚 University and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political and Canadian Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University.听
El听was the lead author of the report,听Defunding the Police: Defining the Way Forward for HRM. Her second book,听Abolitionist Intimacies, a collection of poetry and prose examining abolition through Black feminist practices of care and resistance is being released from Fernwood Press in November 2022.听
Huwaida听Medani听is The Employment Equity Manager with People and Culture at 色妹妹直播. She brings over 20 years experience in equity, diversity, and inclusion. She holds a Master鈥檚 degree from the Mount Saint Vincent University and has received and gave extensive training in equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.听Huwaida听has听expertise听in community connections, employment equity planning and implementation and leadership development.听
Outside her day job,听Huwaida听is active in her local Sudanese-Canadian community and the broader community of immigrants and newcomers in Nova Scotia.
Other panelists include:
Dana Elborno | Palestinian Canadian and social advocate
Lisa Arnason |听Consultant and Chair of Ase Community Foundation for Black Canadians with Disabilities
Registration
Contact us
If you have questions about the conference, contact the organizers on hres@dal.ca
Previous conference themes
- Pulling the Red Card on Racism: Teaming Up to Transform Sport & Recreation (2024)
- The Role of Curriculum in Combating Racism (2023)听
- Learning from the Past to Build for the From Community to Campus: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Social Justice (2021)
- Future: Challenging Discrimination from the Global to Local (2020)
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