The Future of Work is Diverse, Inclusive, Just and Equitable
GlobalMindED closes the equity gap by creating a capable, diverse talent pipeline through connections to role models, mentors, internships for low-income students, returning adults, First Gen to college and inclusive leaders who teach them, work with them and hire them.
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Breathing Life into Ancestral Visions of Nationhood: Meet Dr. Gerald Taiaiake Alfred - Philosopher, Writer, Veteran, Political Strategist
Meet Gerald Taiaiake Alfred, who commonly uses Taiaiake. A member of the Mohawks of Kahnawà:ke, Taiaiake has a B.A. in History from Concordia University in Montréal, Canada, and an MA and Ph.D. in Political Science from Cornell University. He is a philosopher, writer, Veteran, and political strategist with more than three decades of experience in First Nations governance, politics, cultural restoration, and environmental impact assessment. After a 25-year academic career, he left academia to devote himself to working directly with his own and other Indigenous people at the community level to breathe life into ancestral visions of nationhood. You can learn more about him here: What can universities do to support indigenous resurgence?
What key moments defined you as a leader?
I have served my own community as a land claims and self-government negotiator, and have been a researcher and advisor for many different First Nations organizations for over thirty years. I started my academic career as an assistant professor when I was 28 years old, I was awarded tenure and promotion to Associate professor at 35 years of age and was a Full Professor before turning 40 years old. I was the first Native American in North America to receive a doctorate in the field of political science, and I founded Concordia University’s Native Centre and the University of Victoria’s Indigenous Governance Program. I have been awarded a Canada Research Chair and an Aboriginal Achievement/Indspire Award in the field of education, and the Native American Journalists Association award for best column writing, and I have published three scholarly books, one of which (Wasáse: Indigenous Pathways of Action and Freedom, by the University of Toronto Press, 2005) was voted one of the ten most influential books in Native American Studies by the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association.
What community-driven projects have you spearheaded/participated in that you are proud of? What did you take away from these experiences?
The project I am most proud of is the community work that I have been asked to lead in my home community of Kahnawà:ke. Starting in 2019, I managed a wide-scale community engagement focusing on making our community’s governing institution more transparent, accountable, and effective. In 2021 we shifted the focus of the project to educate and engage the community about our Nation’s history and traditions, with the aim of developing a community vision and strategy to restore a traditional form of governance for our people. I am very proud of this work and feel that it is a full-circle experience for me. Having studied and worked on governance issues with Indigenous peoples all over the world for so long, it is very rewarding to go back home and apply what I have learned for the betterment of my own people. The experience has given me an even better sense of the wisdom and strength and tenacity of the Mohawk people and humbled me in a true sense because of the awe I have for the character of our people, their resilience, intelligence, and determination to rise again in our nationhood.
How do you connect with your ancestral roots professionally and personally?
I have been fortunate to have always stayed connected to my ancestral place on this earth and to have always felt the embrace of the community I was born into. Professionally, my work is in my own community and on issues that are important to people. It is directly related to our people’s efforts to breathe life into our traditions and overcome the obstacles to peace and health that colonialism has placed in front of us. There is no separation for me from this work and my own personal journey – I learn and benefit from the work that I do and I always try to reflect and deepen my understanding of my responsibilities as a Mohawk man as I go along, and then model these in my personal life and relationships.
As a leader, what motivates you to move forward in adversity?
My motivation is the reverence I have for the sacrifices our ancestors made to ensure our survival. I have always been passionate about making myself a force for the achievement of justice for our people – righteousness, anger, and an understanding that my struggle is part of a long tradition have always helped me endure and find a way to thrive in adversity.
What do you see yourself doing in the future? Next five years? Ten?
The project that I am leading now is scheduled to wrap up in mid-2024, so in terms of the work that I am doing, there will be a shift at that point. After decades of being somewhat transient and always moving from place to place and constantly traveling for my work, I am in the process of building a new house in my home community and plan to base myself there - and travel much less – in a couple of years. I am at the point in my life and career where I am able to choose what I want to do, and I have the sense that in the next five years, I will still be active in the political life of my community, but in ten years I will hopefully be in a position to focus on mentoring, advising and writing for art’s sake. But who knows?
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Social Justice and Equity: A constant evolution but we still haven’t hit the mark! |
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Social Justice and Equity: A Constant Evolution but we Still Haven’t Hit the Mark!, a Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable presentation |
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Dr. Ryan Ross; Assoc. V. Chancellor Student Affairs, Equity, & Inclusion, Colorado Community College System
Reiland Rabaka; Founder and Director, Center for African and African American Studies, University of Colorado Boulder,
Lana Hailemariam; Chief Executive Officer, StandUP, LLC,
Emily Shamsid-Deen; Principal, ESD Consulting,
Dr. Roberto Montoya; Chief Educational Equity Officer, Colorado Department of Higher Education,
Keith Station; Deputy Chief of Staff—Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, City of Omaha Mayor’s Office
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Join us in Denver June 7-9 for GlobalMindED 2023 |
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Early Bird Registration Open Now
To get a feel for the conference experience, please see this brief video by The PhD Project from the 2022 GlobalMindED Conference
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Join us for the conversation
Social Justice and Equity:
A constant evolution but we still haven’t hit the mark!
Tuesday January 24th 4:00 EST
Some of the original social justice conversations began in the 19th century during the Industrial Revolution to promote more egalitarian societies and reduce the exploitation of certain marginalized groups due great disparities between the rich and poor. Today, social justice has shifted towards a stronger emphasis on human rights and improving the lives of disadvantaged and marginalized groups that have historically faced discrimination in society. We continue to see and experience discrimination based on race, sex, age, wealth, ethnicity, heritage, social status, religion, and others.
Social justice and equity work is still all too common and very necessary. Even in the context of a pandemic, after the murder of George Floyd people spilled into the streets to protest police violence, racial discrimination, and the scourge of white supremacy. The United States recorded its largest protests in the history of the country’s existence. Join Equity and Social Justice leaders to discuss where we are, what has changed, and where we should be going to realize country where thriving is a right and not a privilege.
Led by Dr. Ryan Ross with Emily Shamsid-Deen; Principal, ESD Consulting, Keith Station; Deputy Chief of Staff—Diversity, Equity & Inclusion City of Omaha Mayor’s Office, Lana Hailemariam; Chief Executive Officer, StandUP, LLC, Reiland Rabaka; Founder and Director, Center for African and African American Studies, University of Colorado Boulder, and Dr. Roberto Montoya; Chief Educational Equity Officer Colorado Department of Higher Education.
See bios below
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The GlobalMindED Inclusive Success NetworkTM had another banner year of growth, impact, and outcomes for First Generation, poverty-affected and minoritized students. Here are some of the highlights:
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Return of in-person GlobalMindED conference with record attendance and the largest First Gen Leadership Class ever of 122 student leaders. See PhD Project brief video of the event.
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Our fourth annual Inclusive Leader Awards recognized 15 DEIB leaders across sectors.
- Almost all our 100+ panels and sessions of 2022 featured a student.
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Of the 300+ speakers, 73% were diverse leaders sharing their thoughts.
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We held our first Industry Marketplace Career Exploration Arena at GlobalMindED 2022 with 40 companies, giving K-12, college students, educators, and leaders a way to learn about emerging fields and careers. Join us for the next one at GlobalMindED 2023.
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Our first satellite event at Georgia Institute of Tech was livestreamed via the Atlanta PBS affiliate.
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We became an official initiative of the Foundation for the Support the United Nations (FSUN) and will hold our first UN event on March 22, 2023.
- ·We served ten colleges with the GlobalMindED Success Collaborative connecting students at each HBCU, MSI, HIS and Tribal College with role models, mentors, internships, and jobs.
- We had partners/volunteers from Microsoft, Salesforce, Rubrik, HP, Stanford MBA and more.
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We spoke at the White House Initiative for HBCUs with sponsor Hewlett Packard.
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Our team, Board, Colorado Board and Executive Leadership Council are all majority diverse serving a majority diverse population of emerging leaders.
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We continued to publish our daily newsletter and conduct monthly virtual Equity events, led by people of color with majority diverse panelists and students. These are the role models for our students.
- Our annual operating budget increased by 67% emerging COVID strong.
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We doubled our staff from four to eight as we grow to scale our impact.
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Our Young Professionals grew to 40 strong, with a ten-person leadership cabinet made up of, but not limited to, graduates of our programs who are now working professionals.
- Since 2015, we have successfully connected 1,200+ students to internships and jobs.
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Our founder, Carol Carter, was recognized as one of the Most Powerful Women in Denver by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce and one of the Most Admired CEOs by the Denver Business Journal.
We are grateful for the support, inclusive leadership, and financial contributions of our community and sponsors who work tirelessly to open doors for the students we serve, the institutions who support them, and the businesses and non-profits who are committed to hiring a capable, diverse talent pipeline. We look forward to seeing all of you June 7-9 at our best event yet, GlobalMindED 2023 - Transforming Boundaries: Creating Systemic Access and Equity. The Inclusive Leaders Awards Dinner is June 7, followed by the conference June 8- 9 at the Denver Downtown Sheraton.
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