10/08/2026
Yesterday, ActionDignity brought community leaders, researchers, policymakers, and community members together for the first session of our Equity Literacy Series: Equity: More Than Checking a Box — Understanding Equity: Advancing Meaningful Action.
Together, we explored what it means to develop equity literacy—not only to recognize inequity, but to understand what is behind it and consider what we can do differently. Through conversations on the human, economic, health and public safety costs of inequity, we heard from diverse perspectives and examined how systems and structures shape access, opportunities and experiences in our communities. The Calgary Equity Index also offered an important lens for understanding and measuring inequity in our city.
The conversations didn't stop at understanding the challenges. Through small-group discussions, participants were invited to identify actions they can pursue and reflect on what meaningful change could look like.
Thank you to our speakers:
Cam Stewart, Executive Director, Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre
Francis Boakye, Executive Director, ActionDignity
Dr. Ellen Perrault, Dean, Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary
Dr. John Boakye-Danquah, Lead, Demographics and Evaluation, City of Calgary
Derek Cook, Director, Canadian Poverty Institute, Ambrose University
Dr. Alya Heirali, Research Associate, Health Equity & Systems
Transformation Innovation Lab (HEST-IL), Cu***ng School of Medicine, University of Calgary
Asif Rashid, Deputy Chief, Bureau of Organizational Performance, Calgary Police Service
MLA Lizette Tejada, Calgary-Klein
MLA Parmeet Singh Boparai, Calgary-Falconridge
Thank you to our partners, media Sabrang Radio and everyone who joined us with curiosity, openness and a willingness to reflect. Your participation helped create space for thoughtful dialogue, shared learning and new questions about how we can advance equity together.
