{"id":105749,"date":"2025-11-03T12:54:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T17:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=105749"},"modified":"2025-11-03T18:03:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T23:03:19","slug":"equity-isnt-a-destination-its-a-continual-practice-says-award-winning-prof","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2025\/11\/equity-isnt-a-destination-its-a-continual-practice-says-award-winning-prof\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Equity isn\u2019t a destination, it\u2019s a continual practice,\u2019 says award-winning prof"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leanne Taylor believes deeply that advancing equity is an educational enterprise \u2014 one that requires collaboration each step of the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about listening, it\u2019s about learning, it\u2019s about leading and showing up for people,\u201d the Brock University Associate Professor of Educational Studies said.<\/p>\n

Taylor is driven to build up future educators, equipping them with the skills to carry equity work forward in their lives, careers and into the world. Just as she impacts her students, they impact her as well.<\/p>\n

She was moved by a recent conversation with a former teacher candidate whose teaching practice was transformed by conversations in a Brock class about the value of students\u2019 lived experiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt reminded me that equity work isn\u2019t abstract \u2014 it\u2019s alive,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s in the quiet moments where someone feels seen, maybe for the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taylor\u2019s efforts have not gone unnoticed.<\/p>\n

\"Three<\/a>

In addition to teaching and research at Brock, Associate Professor Leanne Taylor (centre) co-chairs the Faculty of Education\u2019s Equity and Social Justice Committee alongside Assistant Professor Kaschka Watson (left) and Associate Professor Dane Marco Di Cesare (right). Together, the group leads equity-driven initiatives and events that foster an inclusive institutional culture while bringing diversity and social justice to life within Brock and beyond.<\/p><\/div>\n

In addition to receiving the 2025 3M National Teaching Fellow<\/a> and Chancellor\u2019s Chair for Teaching Excellence, she was honoured with the Senior Leader Diversity Champion award at the Greater Golden Horseshoe Diversity Awards<\/a> on Wednesday, Oct. 29 in Hamilton.<\/p>\n

The awards ceremony honoured the impactful work of leaders and changemakers advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in community though education and advocacy in the Greater Golden Horseshoe area.<\/p>\n

Taylor said being recognized by the wider community while surrounded by Brock colleagues was a reminder of the power of education to create connection.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing the University represented in this way speaks to our community and the commitment of leadership, notably Dean of Education Mary-Louise Vanderlee, to championing diversity and inclusion,\u201d she said. \u201cInstitutional support behind equity initiatives is a powerful driver for positive change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taylor, who conducts research on anti-racism practices, policy and programming and has designed and instructed courses on equity, social justice, power and politics across undergraduate, graduate and teacher education programs, said no successful equity work happens in isolation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am honoured to be recognized by the broader community, especially for efforts that are so deeply collective in nature,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s an affirmation of what\u2019s possible when people come together to make change with courage, care and accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to her teaching and research at Brock, Taylor co-chairs the Faculty of Education\u2019s Equity and Social Justice Committee alongside Associate Professor Dane Marco Di Cesare and Assistant Professor Kaschka Watson.<\/p>\n

Together, the group leads equity-driven initiatives and events that foster an inclusive institutional culture while bringing diversity and social justice to life within Brock and beyond.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am so grateful for everyone at Brock who walks alongside each other, and me, every day, doing this equity work. None of it happens alone. It\u2019s grounded in collaboration, in listening and in community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEquity isn\u2019t a destination, it\u2019s a continual practice \u2014 one that asks us to keep learning, keep showing up and keep holding each other accountable with compassion and courage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taylor will keep close the impactful words of the awards ceremony keynote speaker, the Honourable Jean Augustine \u2014 the first Black woman elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1993 \u2014\u00a0who spoke about allyship and the strength of togetherness.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Augustine spoke not only about the power of allies, but of \u2018accomplices\u2019 \u2014 those who do not just support equity initiatives but pick up<\/em> the work alongside others and \u2018drive the getaway car,\u2019\u201d Taylor said. \u201cIn our Brock community, we have many \u2018accomplices,\u2019 and together, the work will continue.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Leanne Taylor believes deeply that advancing equity is an educational enterprise \u2014 one that requires collaboration each step of the way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":105751,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9794,7484,40,7,3319,1],"tags":[32,98,14919,10471,11988],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105749"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105749"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105749\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105752,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105749\/revisions\/105752"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}