The MSVU Black and Indigenous Speaker Series highlights the scholarly work of Black and Indigenous scholars from across Turtle Island. The purpose of this series is to initiate important conversation by inviting Black and Indigenous scholars to share their knowledge, worldviews, and their contributions to their respective academic field.
Black and Indigenous Speaker Series
Coming up in 2026!
The Research Office are excited to introduce our next MSVU Black and Indigenous Speaker Series talks for Winter 2026.
Dr. Debbie Martin from Dalhousie University talk
“The Trouble with Indigenous Identity Policies and How They are Harming Indigenous Peoples”
Thursday, January 22nd from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (Virtual)
Wading into the complicated politics of Indigenous identity has opened a whole host of issues for academic institutions. In this presentation, Dr. Martin will explore some of the ways in which Indigenous Peoples, who are meant to be protected from the harm caused by those committing “Indigenous identity fraud”, are being targeted and erased by the very policies meant to protect them.
Debbie Martin is NunatuKavut Inuk, raised in Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, with many family connections to both Trinity Bay and St. Lewis, Labrador. Dr. Martin is a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples’ Health and Well-Being and Full Professor at Dalhousie University. She is currently the Nominated Principal Investigator of the Wabanaki-Labrador Indigenous Health Research Network.
Please RSVP today by filling out Dr. Debbie Martin’s talk RSVP Form.
Dr. Rachel Zellars from Saint Mary’s University – Tuesday, February 24th from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (Hybrid)
The MSVU Research Office welcomes Dr. Rachel Zellars to our campus. Dr. Zellars is a lawyer, Associate Professor, and Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Social Justice and Community Studies at Saint Mary’s University. Prior, she served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Vermont in the Department of History, where her research focused on the history of Black migration and slavery in the Maritimes beginning in the 18th century.
Dr. Zellars’ research focuses on the histories of anti-black schooling segregation and resistance in Canada; migration and slavery in the Maritimes and throughout the Atlantic world from the 18th century; and the historical impact of gender violence in the lives of Black women.
In 2021, Dr. Zellars was named a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Social Justice and Community Studies. Also in 2021, she was awarded the SMUSA Award for Overall Excellence in the Field of Education, an annual award presented to a faculty member who has undertaken initiatives and implemented practices to improve the quality of life and education for students in and outside of the classroom.
Further details coming soon! Please RSVP today by filling out Dr. Rachel Zellar’s talk RSVP Form.