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
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
“Black Thriving in Impossibility”
Tuesday, February 24 from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (Hybrid/McCain 105)
Black Thriving in Impossibility is a keynote on life beyond survival. Drawing on Black radical thought and traditions, this talk explores how Black communities create joy, vision, and freedom inside systems designed to constrain them. This talk invites audiences to consider thriving not as an exception or resilience alone, but as a deliberate practice of refusal, care, and world-making that is ultimately threatening to power. It is a call to recognize Black thriving as both an act of love and a blueprint for futures that have already been imagined—and are already being built.
Dr. Rachel Zellars, MA, JD, PhD, is a legal scholar, Associate Professor, and Senior Research Fellow in Social Justice and Community Studies at Saint Mary’s University. A nationally recognized expert at the intersection of law, history, and public policy, her research focuses on antiblack racism, institutional accountability, and systemic inequities in public governance.
Dr. Zellars led the landmark national “Study on the Black Executive Community in the Federal Public Service,” shaping 2026 federal reforms on leadership equity and systemic antiblack racism. Her ongoing research examines historical exclusion, governance structures, and recourse mechanisms, revealing the disproportionate procedural and psychological burdens faced by Black and racialized public servants.
In 2021, she was the inaugural Jocelyne Bourgon Visiting Fellow at the Canada School of Public Service, conducting pioneering research on merit and inclusion in government institutions. Her work has informed executive-level policy, equity reforms, and discussions on procedural fairness and accountability across federal departments.
An award-winning educator, Dr. Zellars has been recognized for excellence in teaching and research, including the SMUSA Award for Overall Excellence in Education (2021), the Father William A. Stewart, SJ Medal for Excellence in Teaching (2025), and the Dr. Geraldine Thomas Educational Leadership Award (2025).
Please RSVP today by filling out Dr. Rachel Zellar’s talk RSVP Form.