On December 13, 2024, OLIP’s Equity Ottawa hosted a full-day Anti-Racism and Anti- Oppression Training for senior leaders from various sectors in Ottawa.

The event was designed to strengthen the capacity of local leaders in municipal, health, education, housing, and social services organizations to create more equitable organizational cultures that better serve immigrants and racialized communities.

The event was based on the needs of Equity Ottawa’s partner organizations and was attended by 20 leaders from 16 organizations. OLIP offered this as a pilot project and plans to continue offering similar training in 2025. The event gave leaders the tools and knowledge they need to create real change in their organizations. By the end of the day, they were ready to face the challenges of promoting equity and fighting oppression.

One participant shared, “I appreciate the chance to meet with other leaders from different sectors, explore this important topic, and share our challenges openly.”

The training provided an opportunity for senior leaders to:

• Share knowledge and experiences to better understand the challenges they face in creating equitable organizational cultures.
• Engage in honest self-reflection on their own positionality, biases, and the various forms of oppression within their organizations.
• Learn practical strategies for implementing anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices within their organizations.
• Participate in informed dialogue to inspire action and planning based on best practices and shared expertise.

By the end of the day, participants had developed a deeper understanding of how to navigate and address systemic barriers in their organizations and how to implement strategies for greater inclusion and equity in their daily decisions.

“I found the anti-oppression tools shared at this training provided a deeper understanding of the everyday forms of oppression that manifest in organizations. As the Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the Ottawa Police Service, the practical anti-racism and anti-oppression strategies shared at the session are invaluable in ensuring equity,” Paola Jeni.

If you or your partners are interested in a similar training or would like to join the Equity Ottawa’s Community of Practice, please email Yusra Osman.

The session was facilitated by Seema Lamba, an equity specialist, union leader, and human rights lawyer. With over 20 years of experience in advancing employment equity, Seema has been an invaluable resource for Equity Ottawa over the past two years. Her expertise in the field of equity, combined with her deep understanding of the challenges faced by organizations striving to implement anti-racism practices, made her the perfect fit to lead the training.

The event proved to be an invaluable experience for all who attended, offering senior leaders the opportunity to build a shared language for understanding oppression and to develop concrete strategies for advancing anti-racism and anti-oppression work within their organizations.