OISE community praises Dr. George Dei, Whitworth Award winner
November 3, 2016
OISE professor and 2016 Whitworth Award winner George Dei
“Compassionate.”
“Generous.”
“More than an inspiration.”
These are some of the words that have been chosen to describe Dr. George Dei, OISE professor and winner of the 2016 Whitworth Award for Career Research in Education, presented on Nov. 3 at the 10th annual Decolonizing Conference at OISE.
Dr. Dei was selected for his outstanding contributions to anti-racism studies, the advancement of human rights in education, equity and diversity, and tremendous community leadership.
Read below to hear what students and colleagues have to say about Dr. Dei.
Name: Anila Zainub, PhD student
How do you know George Dei?:
“Prof. George Dei is my PhD supervisor. I have also worked/volunteered as a coordinator for his Center for Integrative Anti-racism Studies for the past two-and-a-half years.”
Share your experience working with Dr. Dei:
“Prof. Dei has been my mentor for many years. It is with his guidance and support that I have survived my years of graduate study. It comes as no surprise that he was honored with the prestigious Whitworth Award. His work engages with and informs the Canadian Education policy at multiple levels offering new paradigms and creating a space for non-dominant forms of knowledge production.”
Name: Suleyman Demi, PhD student
How do you know George Dei?:
“I have known Prof. George Dei for the past 10 years. I first met him at an academic event in Ghana and over the years he has become my mentor, academic advisor and thesis supervisor. I was drawn to him by his humility, special interest in academic development of students, fairness to everybody and his willingness to listen rather than impose his ideas on students.”
Share your experience working with Dr. Dei:
“Prof. George Dei is an amazing professor, he his compassionate, thoughtful and not prejudicial.
He is down to earth and his doors are opened to all irrespective of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, etc. He also takes special interest in student success through creating a community where students support each other. He is a great community leader (precisely traditional chief) helping to change the lives of so many people in Ghana.”
Name: June Larkin, Director, Equity Studies, New College, University of Toronto
How do you know George Dei?:
“Prof. Dei has been a strong supporter of the undergraduate program in Equity Studies since it was launched in 1998. He was a regular guest speaker in equity studies courses and events and an advisor for the program. He now teaches one of our undergraduate courses: Critical Race and Anti-Racism Studies (NEW347H), offers international research experiences for equity studies students and has created a strong partnership between our undergraduate program and the Center for Integrative Anti-Racism Studies (CIARS) at the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. This year we are collaborating with CIARS on the international Decolonizing Conference.”
Share your experience working with Dr. Dei:
“Professor George Dei’s generosity and commitment to students is creating the next generation of critical anti-racist scholars and educators who will continue his life work of challenging systems of racism and social injustice.”
Name: Stanley Doyle-Wood, Professor, Equity Studies, New College, University of Toronto
How do you know George Dei?:
“I have known George for 17 years as his MA student, his Ph.D student, GA, research assistant, social justice collaborator and now as a colleague in the Dept of Equity Studies in New College at University of Toronto and as a member of the CIARS Faculty committee.”
Share your experience working with Dr. Dei:
“After my undergraduate studies in anti-racism and early childhood education, I had only one focus afterwards: to work with George Dei, to be in the same department as him, to learn from him. I viewed this as an essential and necessary move in my desire to rupture and contest at all levels and at all times the dominant social order of things. George is more than an inspiration, George is one of those educators, practioners, public intellectuals and critical anti-racism/social justice scholars who [in the context of decolonization transforms] saves lives.
This award could not have gone to a more deserving and a more powerful/power nurturing recipient.”
Related
OISE’s Dr. George Dei wins prestigious award for profound impact on race and education
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