On October 07, ActionDignity brought together community leaders, researchers, policymakers, and community members for the first session of our Equity Literacy Series: Equity: More Than Checking a Box — Understanding Equity: Advancing Meaningful Action.
Together, we explored what it means to develop equity literacy—not only to recognize inequity, but to understand what is behind it and consider what we can do differently. Through conversations on the human, economic, health, and public safety costs of inequity, we heard diverse perspectives and examined how systems and structures shape access, opportunities, and experiences in our communities. The Calgary Equity Index also offered an important lens for understanding and measuring inequity in our city.
But the conversations didn’t stop at understanding the challenges. Through small-group discussions, participants were invited to identify actions they can pursue and reflect on what meaningful change could look like in their own communities and areas of influence.
Thank you to our speakers:
- Cam Stewart, Executive Director, Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre
- Francis Boakye, Executive Director, ActionDignity
- Dr. Ellen Perrault, Dean, Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary
- Dr. John Boakye-Danquah, Lead, Demographics and Evaluation, City of Calgary
- Derek Cook, Director, Canadian Poverty Institute, Ambrose University
- Dr. Alya Heirali, Research Associate, Health Equity & Systems
- Transformation Innovation Lab (HEST-IL), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary
- Asif Rashid, Deputy Chief, Bureau of Organizational Performance, Calgary Police Service (CPS)
- MLA Lizette Tejada, Calgary-Klein
- MLA Parmeet Singh Boparai, Calgary Falconridge
Thank you to our partners, media Sabrang Radio, and everyone who joined us with curiosity, openness, and a willingness to reflect. Your participation helped create space for thoughtful dialogue, shared learning, and new questions about how we can advance equity together.
This is just the beginning of the conversation. We look forward to continuing to learn, reflect, and take meaningful action together.