Ubuntu – Mobilizing Central Alberta

The philosophy of Ubuntu guides us – “We are all connected. What affects one affects us all.”

Mobilizing Central Alberta in creating justice and equality for all. To promote full and equitable participation of individuals and communities of all origins.

In the spirit of respect, reciprocity, truth and reconciliation, as immigrant settlers to Central Alberta, UBUNTU – Mobilizing Central Alberta, honours and acknowledges Treaty 7 and Treaty 6 regions. This area is the traditional territory of the Niisitapi (Blackfoot), (including the Siksika, the Piikuni, and the Kainai Peoples), the Tsuut’ina, Stoney Nakoda, Cree, Saulteaux and Métis peoples.

What We Do

Our work is grounded in spreading the message of UBUNTU – Compassion, Humanity & Harmony. We are committed to a deep sense of interconnectedness and mutuality that changes attitudes and behaviors. We believe in radical inclusivity. We believe our work and efforts, through education, advocacy, and community building, has the power to address the prejudice at the root of our histories where it lives – in the hearts and minds of people.

Check out our services to see what we offer!

[ Ubuntu: (oo·boon·too) I am because we are. ~ Zulu Proverb ~]

pronunciation

Vision

Mobilizing Central Alberta, in which everyone values human dignity, interconnectedness and equality.

Mission

At UBUNTU – Mobilizing Central Alberta, our mission is to act as a bridge in connecting and mobilizing Central Albertan communities in racial and social justice through engagement, advocacy, and community building, both individually and systemically.

Values

Equity and Social Justice
Diversity & Inclusion
Creating safe and inclusive spaces
Creating colour brave and equitable spaces
Centering the experiences and voices of people and communities of color
Introspection
Innovation
Integrity
Intentionality

Board of Directors

Haleema Natiq, Chairperson

Haleema Natiq, is the Chairperson of UBUNTU-mobilizing central Alberta. Highly committed and dedicated to the work UBUNTU is doing in Central Alberta. Supporting by advocating and relaying the importance of all the programs/services offered by UBUNTU. Providing leadership to an enthusiastic and diverse board, while keeping board activities focused on the organization’s mission. Ensuring the presence and use of a reliable process to evaluate the effectiveness and success of the board members using a measurable criteria while acting as one of the signing officers. Actively supported several non-profits since 2000 in Ontario and British Columbia, and currently has been working on supporting the Central Alberta non-profit sector for more than 8 years. Has held various positions such as program coordinator, volunteer manager, counsellor/mediator and board member to name a few. The consistent efforts and contributions have been of help in many capacities both domestically and internationally.

As steward of the board, offering support and guidance to both the board and the executive team in delivering on UBUNTU’s vision and mission.

Saija, Secretary/Treasurer

Saija is an artist and art educator who has called central Alberta home for the past decade. Born in Fort McMurray, to parents of Eastern Canadian (Newfoundland) heritage on her father’s side, and of Dutch-Canadian heritage on her mother’s side. She is a firm believer in hospitality and in working to create a just & equal society through education and community action.

She has been involved with the Welcoming Inclusive Communities Network of Red Deer, and has assisted with donation drives and events organized by Red Deer Against Racism and the Black and Indigenous Alliance of Alberta. As a Red Deer citizen who works to deliver art and history programs, she does her best to create inclusive environments where everyone feels welcome, encouraged to learn, and to express themselves. She believes that fostering empathy and understanding among people, especially youth, is integral to creating compassionate and thriving communities.

Loves plants, reading books, and listening to podcasts about science and history – and is honoured to be supporting the vision of Ubuntu!

Our Story

Sadia Anwar and Dieulita Datus are the founders of UBUNTU.

Our story begins through shared experience.

As two women of colour on the prairies, we know first hand the impacts of racism and discrimination.

We met working in the community, often finding ourselves as the only people of colour at meetings and events. Immediately we both recognized the willingness in each other to speak truth to the powers that be.

We became increasingly engaged in many crucial conversations in community and local institutions and began actively organizing – from Women’s Day marches, International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination at the Red Deer school, and more recently Black Lives Matter rallies in Stettler, Innisfail, Lacombe, and Red Deer.

In Central Alberta, there is a huge need to critically address and engage in Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression work in communities and municipalities using reciprocal and relational approaches in collaborating with Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC).

In power, we are taking positive action and have thus created UBUNTU.

At UBUNTU, we are committed to doing the hard work of disrupting power dynamics at the root of systemic racism and colonialism and amplifying the voices of marginalized communities, with a particular focus on youth and women of colour.

Relationship-building drives our work, and our distinct approach is based on our experiences, learnings, and living our everyday truths. We are willing to step out of our comfort zones and anxieties, engage in extremely tough discussions, while centering ourselves as spiritual beings in a human experience.

In respecting our roots, we are free to create the change we want. And as changemakers, we were not willing to wait for a challenge to come to us, we decided to challenge ourselves…we formed UBUNTU.

Through education, advocacy, and community building, UBUNTU is helping lay the groundwork for equitable, just, and vibrant communities in Central Alberta.

We’ve accomplished a lot already and we’re just getting started. Join us and support our integral work! UBUNTU is open to collaborate on projects and pursue possibilities that align with our goals and core values.

Now is the time to strategize, organize, and MOBILIZE!

“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for”
~ Alice Walker ~

Dieulita Datus

Dieulita Datus believes smart and sustainable change starts with simple conversations and strives to always make a seat at the table for others to share their stories and experiences.

Born in Haiti and raised in The Bahamas, Dieulita now calls Central Alberta home. Dieulita understands the trauma of being an immigrant child all too well and she continues to be vocal about the Haitian community in the Bahamas for rights to education and housing.

Dieulita was one of the organizers of the Red Deer Women’s March 2020, an initiative that she would like to see become a major event every year. She serves on the board of Affirm of St. Andrews United Church, which focuses on making changes in faith based organizations. Dieulita recently joined the board of the Centre for Peace and Justice and is excited to be using her voice in these spaces to amplify the voices of others.

“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair” is a quote by Shirley Chisholm that Dieulita has made her own. She has been featured on multiple news networks and profiled in national articles across Canada.

Sadia Anwar

Sadia Anwar’s parents migrated to Canada as refugees. The word refugee comes from the word refuge – “the state of being sheltered from pursuit, danger or difficulty”. As a young child, Sadia faced intense challenges – overcoming trauma, learning to live in a new culture, experiences of discrimination. She gained fresh insight into the world, learned resiliency and became an activist, fueled by ambition to defend her rights and the rights of others.

Sadia is deeply invested in her community and is humbled to be involved with progressive organizations and initiatives in Red Deer and Alberta, including the Welcoming and Inclusive Communities of Red Deer (Co-Chair 2018), Rotary District 5360 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Chair, Chair for the Alberta Association of Multicultural Education (AAME), Vice-Chair at YOUTH HQ, and Member of the Alberta Hate Crimes Committee and sits on the Red Deer Local Immigration Partnership Advisory Board.

Sadia is a Canadian Certified Inclusion Professional (CCIP™) with the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion. Sadia is an activist, experienced facilitator, inclusion strategist, community builder, and a lifelong learner. Sadia’s goal for her work is to build more resilient, just, and equitable communities, working in allyship and solidarity.

Currently, Sadia works at the Central Alberta Sexual Assault Support Centre (CASASC), where she manages the Police, Court, and Community Support program. She approaches her work through an intersectionality framework and is passionate about connecting people of all backgrounds – women, men, gender nonconforming people, Indigenous peoples and immigrants, people of diverse faiths, abilities, and ages. Sadia is a certified facilitator for First Responder to Sexual Assault and Abuse Training™ with Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services (AASAS).

News and Media

2020 Ubuntu - Mobilizing Central Alberta AGM
Ubuntu hosts first AGM: July 28, 2021 Ubuntu – Annual report 2020
Hundreds turn out for Lacombe Against Racism peaceful protest
Lacombe Express: June 19, 2020
Anti-Racism Organizers Talk Educating Rural Communities In Alberta’s Heartland
June 18, 2020
Peaceful protest against racism coming to Lacombe
Red Deer Advocate: June 16, 2020
Freeland says police must acknowledge racism, advocates call for action
Richmond News: June 10, 2020
Freeland says police must acknowledge racism, advocates call for action
National Post: June 10, 2020
Small Alberta town in spotlight over planned Black Lives Matter event
National Post: June 09, 2020
Red Deer students are fighting subtle discrimination to help build a culture of tolerance
Red Deer Advocate: March 21, 2018

Workshops and Presentations

UBUNTU’s goal is to help build capacity for organizations and communities to create just, equitable, and inclusive environments through workshops, projects, and community building with a focus on Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression, and Human Rights. We work in collaboration, partnership, and in solidarity with grassroots, local Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC) led organizations. Supporting each other, sharing knowledge, and building relationships is at the heart of racial justice work.

Our aim is to help participants learn to value diversity, communicate across differences, and transform injustices – in communities, organizations, and at the dinner table.

BOOK UBUNTU

Community Building

Bringing together community networks, organizations, municipalities, and individuals to collaboratively address issues of discrimination, inequity, and racism.

Dinner Table

Training in Dinner Table Dialogues will help teach you to facilitate conversations in the every day – with family, friends, faith groups, small groups and around any dinner table.

How to be any ally – in this workshop, we explore:
- Understanding about what an Ally is and why they’re important
- How to follow BIPOC leadership, work toward collective goals, and how to take action

What if I Was Wrong Campaign around five main themes (resources created by, Centre for the Prevention of Radicalization Leading to Violence)
- I Don’t Belong Here – Feeling excluded
- One Vision for All – Dogmatic Vision
- Us Against Them – Polarization of beliefs
- They’re All The Same – Stereotyping the Other
- That’s None of My Business – Indifference

Board Rooms
(workplace training, corporate, executive committees)

Unconscious Biases

Testing your own unconscious bias
Steps to identify and address unconscious bias

Ethos, Cultural Diversity

How do our intersecting identities shape our perspectives and the way we experience the world?
How do we remain true to ourselves as we move in and out of different communities, cultures and contexts?

The Anti-Discrimination Response Training (A.R.T. developed by Dr.Ishu Ishiyama)

Witness-centred approach to prejudice reduction and and anti-discrimination experiential learning

Community Workshops
(schools, churches, community groups)

Diversity Equity & Inclusion

How do our various group identities shape us as individuals?
What part do culture and history play in the formation of our individual and collective identities?
How do our intersecting identities shape our perspectives and the way we experience the world?

Anti-Oppression

Diving into the world of anti-racism for the first time can be confronting. It may feel challenging to understand your place and where to begin with educating yourself. We are here to walk alongside you on this journey to help you learn about anti-racism work, dismantle the unconscious biases that exist within yourself, and take action to create a more just society. We offer resources, workshops, and how to create calls to action.
We create safe spaces for dialogue and discussion as we explore different forms of racism, understanding racism, suggestions about more community based anti-racism campaigns and strategies that can be used in our schools, workplaces, neighbourhoods and associations to encourage respect for cultural differences and human rights.
There is a lot to learn and un-learn — consider this part of our lifelong journey of anti-racism. Let’s get started!

Circle Forward, Building a Restorative Community

Practice of Circle into the everyday life
Structured process of communication
Creating a safe space for all voices

Events

First Black History Month Celebration in Central Alberta 2021

Join us for our virtual presence at Central Alberta’s First Black History Month Celebrations under the theme; Remember, Educate and Celebrate The Narratives; Past and Contemporary

We will be featuring songs and spoken words from young people who live or attend school in Central Alberta. We will be hosting an art contest, a webinar to speak with multiple generations of Black families living in Central Alberta. Along with a list of books to read, movies to watch, entrepreneurship and mental health. Black history is Canadian history as well as world history this is a community event. Your participation will ensure that the circle is full because there is no US without YOU!

Due to the pandemic all of the events will be held virtually and can be viewed on our Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/Ubuntucentralalberta

When: All February 2021!

Black History Month Art Contest

The Ubuntu Youth Council celebrates black history and all the accomplishments of Black people. This month we want to highlight black excellence. We’re calling all Central Alberta youth who identify as black to submit visual art and other pieces that celebrates Black History.

APPLY NOW for a chance to win the grand prize of $500.

Applications will be accepted until February 20^th, 2021. Apply now!

Link to application: https://forms.gle/629gicxZJwZzaGtN9

Olds Anti-Racism Protest

A peaceful protest to bring awareness & to engage with the community in anti-racism, supporting incredible movements across Central Alberta. We must WORK TOGETHER to create CHANGE!
Article – Activists Call for Racism Action, MountainViewToday

When: Saturday, July 1, 2020 @ 3pm
Where: Centennial Park

Lacombe Against Racism

Peaceful protest to denounce racism and stand in solidarity with all people of colour.

When: Friday, June 19, 2020 @ 6pm
Where: Lacombe Memorial Centre Park

Contribute to Ubuntu

The contribution you make is more than a donation; your support enables us to continue building strong communities in central Alberta. Moving power also means moving resources – any amount is welcome to help us build our work.

On behalf of UBUNTU – Mobilizing Central Alberta we thank you for supporting our passion, our work of heart, and our efforts to keep the momentum going. We appreciate you for being an ally, a champion and advocate of our work and causes.

There are 3 ways to give:

1

Online via PayPal. You will have the option to make a one-time contribution or be a monthly sustainer. – COMING SOON

2

To contribute via etransfer, send to ubuntucentralalberta@gmail.com: using the password “ubuntu2020”

3

Send a cheque within Canada

Pay to the order of:
UBUNTU – Mobilizing Central Alberta
134 Connaught Cres
Red Deer, AB. T4P 0T3

*These contributions are not eligible for a charitable tax receipt yet. We are actively working on it.

Ubuntu – the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can’t be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality – Ubuntu – you are known for your generosity. We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole World. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity. I am what I am because of who we all are.

— Desmond Tutu

Get in touch

If you have any questions that weren’t answered on our page, please feel free to contact us by clicking the Contact Us button.

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EMAIL: ubuntucentralalberta@gmail.com
TEL: 780-978-8800