SCHEDULE

Dr. Carl James
Black Women and Black Men: Their different approaches to sports and academics
Feb. 15 @ 7pm
Zoom: https://yorku.zoom.us/j/96333344556?pwd=YnBpMUY1a0g0ZFVlalphSS9MczRYQT09


Meet My Melanin with Khamica Bingham and Cassandra Pascale
Underrepresentation in Sport
Feb 17 @ 12pm
Zoom: https://yorku.zoom.us/j/98678507857?pwd=NlpVQ1NvZVM5eVhZUU8yTXhZU0ovZz09

Sheereen Harris
The Science Behind Being a Successful Student-Athlete
Feb 22 @ 2pm
Zoom: https://yorku.zoom.us/j/99698743493?pwd=czNFa1VabUt0V28vanVCUDJWZEdHQT09

Jheanelle Peters
Black Joy: The Special Ingredient to Black Wellness and Health
Mar. 15 @ 12pm
Zoom: https://yorku.zoom.us/j/99728105874?pwd=VUdOT2w2bUxtL2NXYkFhbVU3VStMQT09

Brittney Gibbs
Mindset
May 5th @ 1:30pm
Zoom: https://yorku.zoom.us/j/93365262630?pwd=SCtDOVRPbDRpT29WS0tnaVlzSVJvdz09 


PAST SPEAKERS

• Paul & Justine Jones
• Frank Stones
• Reni Odetoyinbo
• Winta Desta
• Sammy Okpro
• Jacob Janke
• Aleia Gland
• Tonee Jones – Paralegal Specialist, US Department of Justice
• Keenan Lewis Jeppesen – Director of Outreach, Onyx Initiative
• Jamal Campbell – Professional Football Player (Toronto Argonauts, CFL)
• Kayla Alexander – Canadian Professional Basketball Player (Castor Braine, Belgium)

 

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SPEAKERS

Dr. Carl James
Carl James holds the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora in the Faculty of Education, York University, Toronto, where he is also the Senior Advisor in Equity and Representation in the Office of the VP Equity, People and Culture. He holds cross-appointments in the Graduate Programs in Sociology, and Social & Political Thought. He has published widely on the ways in which race and its intersection with gender, class, citizenship and other identify constructs – mediated by accessible and equitable opportunities – account for the lived experiences and outcomes in education, sport and employment of racialized people, and Black youth particularly. His recent (2021) book is: Colour Matters: Essays on the Experiences, Education, and Pursuits of Black Youth.


Meet My Melanin: Cassandra Pascal & Khamica Bingham
Meet My Melanin is a brand dedicated to speaking on racial inclusion through conversations to help the minority community be seen, heard and known in all spaces. It is co-founded by Khamica Bingham and Cassandra Pascal. Khamica Bingham is a 2-time Olympian, 6-time CIS Champion, and York Alumni who understands the importance of resiliency and overcoming obstacles. Cassandra Pascal is a Human Resources professional who is passionate about diversity and inclusion and also is a retired sprinter who competed in the NCAA, CIS and represented Canada as a Junior. During the rise of the black lives matter movement, they drew on their shared experiences and created Meet My Melanin recognizing the need to uplift the black community and support impactful conversations in the classroom.


Sheereen Harris
Sheereen Harris is a graduate of York's kinesiology and health science program and is currently a 4th year PhD candidate at McMaster University specializing in exercise and health psychology. Sheereen spent five seasons with the Lions on the track and field team (2011-16) and acted as team captain for four years. She competed in the 60m, 300m, 4x200m and 4x400m relays and won seven OUA medals and six CIS medals, including a CIS gold medal in the 300m and a team bronze medal in 2015. Sheereen was a four-time academic all-Canadian and the recipient of the Bryce M. Taylor Award, Lions Legacy Award, as well as the OUA and CIS female community-service award in 2016.




Paul Jones
Paul has been associated with Toronto Raptors broadcasts since the team's inception during the 1995-96 season. He was part of the inaugural radio broadcast crew for the first two seasons as an analyst and then moved into a play-by-play role. As a player, Paul was a two-time conference all-star at York University in Toronto where he also earned an Honours Bachelor of Science degree. He went on to represent Canada in international tournaments on two occasions earning a silver medal from the Commonwealth Tournament in New Zealand. Paul has coached at the high school and provincial team levels where he helped lead Team Ontario to silver and gold medals in consecutive years. He spent three years as an assistant coach at the CIS level at the University of Western Ontario. 

Justine Jones
Justine is a former libero for the York Lions Varsity Volleyball Team, having walked onto the team as a freshman in 2015. During her time at York she was a PAWS Mentor and a 5X U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian. Since graduating, she has worked at the NBA Summer League, the GIST and the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), and is co-host of the OUA: In Conversation podcast that looks to tell stories beyond the playing field with OUA athletes. Justine is currently in her first season as a Media Relations Coordinator with the Toronto Raptors. 



Frank Stones
Frank Stones (BA '08) is the youngest of five children, with an Ojibwe mother from Little Current and a father from Barbados. He was the first individual in the entire generation of his family to graduate from high school and to also receive a post-secondary education. After graduating from York on a basketball scholarship, Frank became a police officer for York Region and the Hamilton Police. He also works in real estate for the Hamilton-Burlington Board.

Reni Odetoyinbo, Marketing Consultant

Reni is marketing consultant by day and finance enthusiast by night. In her second year of university she was introduced to the power of personal branding and has never looked back. Since then, she has not had to formally apply for a job because her brand speaks on her behalf. On her YouTube channel, "xoreni" she teaches on the basics of personal finance & career and aims to be a resource to all. 


Winta Desta – Physiotherapist, Kids Physio Group & Assistant Coach, Ontario Tech
Desta is a registered physiotherapist, basketball coach, strength coach and health educator. She currently works at various pediatric health centres throughout the GTA, where she provides physiotherapy services to infants, kids and teens. Desta also acts as the lead assistant coach for the Bill Crothers senior boys basketball prep team and coaches for the Northern Kings AAU basketball program. She is the founder of MayeHealth, a digital platform that provides health education to Eritreans in the diaspora. Her work lies at the intersection of health and sport where she empowers her clients and athletes to lead full, healthy lives and helps them optimize their function and performance.


Sammy Okpro – Defensive Coordinator, York University Lions Football
Okpro was hired as the defensive coordinator for the Lions in 2017 and was reunited with head coach Warren Craney, under whom he played for four years at Concordia University. Okpro came to York from the Edmonton Huskies in the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL), where he was the defensive coordinator from 2015-17. He had a tremendous playing career with the Stingers. In his four seasons he was a three-time U SPORTS first-team all-Canadian and earned RSEQ all-star honours three times (2005-07). He was also the team MVP in his final season, and was selected in the fourth round by the Edmonton Eskimos in the 2008 CFL Entry Draft. He also represented Canada three times internationally, including winning the silver medal at the 2011 IFAF senior world championships in Austria.

Jacob Janke – Professional Football Player, Saskatchewan Roughriders
Janke spent five seasons with the Lions football team and was the first-ever York recipient of the U SPORTS Russ Jackson Award, which is given to the football player who best exemplifies the attributes of academic achievement, football skill and citizenship. He also earned second-team all-Canadian honours after a tremendous season on the field in 2019. He is the first York football player to win a U SPORTS major award since Jeff Johnson was the rookie of the year in 1996, and he is the first all-Canadian since 2004. Janke makes his impact felt away from the field as well – he co-founded Tiny Strides, a non-profit organization that he and three teammates launched to service underprivileged youth in the community. He graduated in 2019 with his degree in Commerce and intends to pursue a career in finance when his playing days are done. For now, he is focused on his professional football career with the Canadian Football League (CFL)'s Saskatchewan Roughriders, the team that selected him with the 35th pick in the 2018 draft.



Aleia Gland – Marketing Manager, Square & VP of Marketing, Icon Talent Partners
Gland is a seasoned marketing professional with expertise in digital advertising, social media, analytics and brand marketing. Currently working in the quickly growing fintech industry at Square, a US-based merchant services and mobile payment company and more recently audio streaming (Tidal). Previous to Square, Gland spent five years on Bay Street working on the marketing team at TD Bank. She is passionate about diversity and inclusion, currently serving as a Board Member of ICON Talent Partners as the VP of Marketing. Originally from Toronto, she was a former NCAA Division 1 basketball player at The College of William and Mary in Virginia, where she earned her degree in International Relations and Economics.
 


Tonée Jones – Paralegal Specialist, US Department of Justice
 
Tonée Jones is a fourth year, part-time evening student at the University of District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law. Throughout her legal academic career, Jones has served as an intern for the National Legal Aid and Defenders Association and serves as a teaching assistant for multiple professors in various legal courses. Currently, Jones serves as the Student Bar Association, Vice President for her law school while simultaneously working as a resident in the D.C. Bar's Inaugural Writers In Residence Program. Additionally, Jones recently joined the Inaugural D.C. Council's Director of Racial Equality Office as a racial equity fellow. The program launched January 18, 2021.
 
In 2014, Jones received her Bachelor of Science in Law & American Civilization at Towson University. Three years later, she received her Master of Professional Studies in Paralegal Studies at George Washington University.
 
Jones has also worked for the United States federal government for the last five years. She began her time in government in 2016 at the Department of Labor as a pathways student in the Solicitors Office, working for the Division of Federal Employees and Energy Workers Compensation as a paralegal specialist. In 2017, she continued her time in the Solicitors Office working with the Fair Labor Standards Division as a legal assistant. In 2019, she served as a paralegal specialist for the Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency, General Counsel's Office. Last year, she joined the Department of Justice continuing her work as a paralegal in their tax division.

 

Keenan Lewis Jeppesen – Director of Outreach, Onyx Initiative

Keenen Lewis Jeppesen joined The Onyx Initiative on the ground floor and is now the director of outreach. Onyx's purpose is to bridge the gap between students who identify as Black and/or Afro-Canadian and corporate Canada for internships and entry-level opportunities. At Onyx, he has been able to combine his passion for diversity and inclusion with his experience in marketing and corporate partnerships to create impactful change.
 
Before joining Onyx, Jeppesen spent two years as the director of basketball operations for the McMaster men's basketball program and built a successful consulting business named Daya Solutions. Daya Solutions is an industry agnostic consultancy that helps companies, usually early stage ventures that do meaningful work, with marketing and scalability. Daya Solutions' core competencies include campaign strategy and design, customer identification and acquisition and efficient operation management.
 
After graduating from the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, Jeppesen began his professional career in New York City working for media giant Viacom, where he spent most of his time on the Black Entertainment Television brand in media sales operations. From Viacom, he was recruited to the wireless hardware manufacturer Ubiquiti in Los Angeles to lead marketing and media efforts for the launch of the company's first consumer targeted line of products.
 
When Jeppesen isn't on his laptop or in a meeting, you can usually find him walking around his west Hamilton neighborhood with his French bulldog Obi.

Jamal Campbell – Professional Football Player (Toronto Argonauts, CFL)
 
Jamal Campbell is a York University alum and a former Lions varsity student-athlete, spending five seasons with the football program. He spent time on both the offensive and defensive lines while with the Lions and was selected by his hometown Toronto Argonauts in the third round (22^nd overall) in the 2016 Canadian Football League (CFL) Draft.
 
He has been with the Argos since 2016 and has had a solid career to date, appearing in a total of 50 games. He was part of the team that won the Grey Cup in 2017 and in 2019, he scored his first career touchdown in a win over Winnipeg.
 
Off the field, Campbell has made a tremendous impact in his community. He grew up in the Jane-Finch neighbourhood of Toronto and has spent his professional career giving back as a mentor and public speaker, and was recently part of an initiative called People 4 People which raised more than $2,000 for Help the Homeless in the city. He won a Toronto Urban Hero Award in the People's Choice Sport category in 2017 and competed his degree in sociology and graduated from York in 2018.
 


Kayla Alexander – Canadian Professional Basketball Player (Castor Braine, Belgium)
 
Kayla Alexander is has been playing professional basketball for eight years. She is currently playing for Castor Braine in Belgium, and previously she played seven seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), for the Canadian senior women's national team as well as across the globe. She played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange, where she earned her degree in Social Studies Education and graduated as the program's all-time leading scorer.
 
Off the court, Alexander enjoys being creative. She has a website where she creates custom illustrations, writes blog posts about her travels and is a published author. She co-wrote The Magic of Basketball with her sister Kesia, and drew all the illustrations. She also co-wrote Women for the Win alongside 10 other Canadian women in the sport of basketball.
 
Alexander is also passionate about giving back to youth. She is a mentor with the National Basketball Youth Mentorship Program (NBYMP), and she speaks often at schools, camps, universities and various organizations on a variety of topics, including the power of sport, women empowerment, goal setting and overcoming adversities. In her spare time, Alexander enjoys a good book, movie or spending quality time with her loved ones.