Jamilah Dei-Sharpe
Graduated from UTM: June 2017
Degree: Honours Bachelor of Arts with High Distinction
Program(s): Sociology specialist
Awards & Accolades: Dean’s List Scholar
Other Degrees: Master of Arts
Current Role: Ph.D. student at Concordia University
What have you been doing since graduating from UTM?
Jamilah: Since I graduated from UTM, I have pursued a career as a Sociologist specializing in critical race studies, critical gender studies, decolonial pedagogy and Black masculinity studies. I am active in community work, educational, and research consultancy to support Black, Indigenous, Queer and other racialized communities. As such, I founded the Decolonial Perspectives and Practises Hub (www.facebook.com/thedpphub) – a coalition of decolonial and BIPOC advocates that propel decolonial pedagogy within higher education using co-creation to forge new praxis and perspectives into our learning environments via workshops, events, podcasts and more. I co-founded the National Black Graduate Network (www.nbgn.ca) a platform for Black graduate solidarity and resource exchange. I am the project manager for the Anti-Racist Pedagogy Project – a public database of educational videos on combatting systemic racism by activists, educators and students hosted at Concordia University (www.concordia.ca/antiracist). I am an active member of Concordia's Black Studies Collective, a board of director for the American Men’s Studies Association and I held the position of Student Outreach Coordinator with the Black Canadian Studies Association for two years. Follow my work here: www.jamilahds.com
What are you studying now/what is your research focus?
Jamilah: I am currently completing my Ph.D studies at Concordia University due for completion in 2023. My project, “Black Masculinities in Canada: A Documentary of Black Empowerment and Community Engagement”, is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Joseph-Armand Bombardier Doctoral Scholarship.
What was your favourite Sociology course taken at UTM?
Jamilah: Race and Ethnicity! It changed my life – I say it in every panel that I present in – opened my eyes about the Eurocentric foundations of the academy, the erasure and Canada’s fraught history with systemic racism.
What tip or suggestion would you like to pass along to current students?
Jamilah: Get involved with clubs, be a research assistant, and volunteer as much as possible – your undergrad is a time to cherish the invigorating community around you and the many pathways you are offered for opportunities to excel in your field. It is one of the few times where you have access to many mobilized scholars and activists that you can connect with as mentors to contribute to systemic change-making in and outside the academy.
What’s next for you?
Jamilah: I hope to continue growing as an educator and sociological researcher to train and mentor students with as much rigour, spirit, and technical training that I received when I was a student at UTM.
Thanks Jamilah, we wish you all the best!