“This afternoon, I was listening to the podcast recording of your Race in Education talk with Megan Wills, Tim McCaskell, and Annette Carla Bouzi as I wasn’t able to attend the panel live. I wanted to thank you and the other panellists for taking the time to explain and elaborate on so many issues related to race and education. The idea of allyship (now accomplice-ship) is on my mind a lot and something I’ve been trying to action as often as I can in my own life and at work. As you already know, it can be exhausting and frustrating work, so to hear you and the other panellists emphasize the individual responsibilities we have that exist beyond the current moment really re-emphasized to me why it’s important for me to keep using my voice and my actions as a non-Black/non-Indigenous woman of colour (and as the parent of sons who are part Indigenous) even when (especially when) it’s hard. I wrote two pages of notes during the podcast and feel empowered to continue this work because of the points you all raised.

Thank you for taking the time to speak on that panel.
”

“I am pleased to offer this letter of recommendation for Pascale Diverlus. Pascale has provided several anti-oppression and mediation trainings for student leaders at the University of Toronto from 2018 to 2020.

Pascale’s trainings helped members of the Executive Committee at the Graduate Students’ Union better understand privilege and intersectionality. In particular, our members found Pascale’s explanation of accountability measures for harmful behavior helpful, and use the approaches Pascale shared in their roles as student leaders.

Pascale’s trainings helped participants navigate internal disputes and disagreements by providing mediation tools like active listening. In addition, the trainings allowed participants to reflect on anti-oppression from a framework of learning and unlearning.

I unreservedly recommend Pascale to any group or organization that is looking to educate themselves and implement an anti-oppressive framework in their spaces. ”

“In our mission to proactively and consistently actualize anti-oppressive and anti-racist practices, the OCAD Student Union has retained Pascale Diverlus as our anti-Black racism trainer on an annual basis. Pascale carries an immense capacity to facilitate anti-Black Racism training for the OCAD SU team, which considers the theory, tangible practices and emphasizes a long-term commitment to this work. She takes a self-reflective approach within her training methods and calls upon each participant to draw upon their own knowledge, awareness of their privilege, and how to be accountable when engaging in anti-Black racism work tangibly. Pascale simultaneously provides accessible language to identify organizational and individual goals with avenues to actualization.

She is personable, empathetic, and patient when delivering her trainings; these qualities themselves positions Pascale as one of the most humble and radical trainers committed to the work of transformation and liberation”

“You want Pascale on your team. In 2017, she supported our organization to develop an inclusive and community-informed national strategy and a dynamic curriculum. We benefitted tremendously from her deep community organizing experience, her sharp thinking, and her passion. Pascale puts the voices of the most marginalized folks first — and our organization (and yours) will be better for it.”

“Pascale was our key note speaker at the annual Take Back the Night event hosted by the Gender Equity Centre at Lakehead University, Thunder Bay. The crowd was deeply moved and impacted by her expertise and insightful knowledge on the topics of gender-based violence (specifically against black women and girls) and what healing can feel like and look like. Pascale highlighted a much needed perspective within North-Western Ontario, on the occurrence of gender-based violence at the intersections of poverty, migration, and citizenship status. The tremendous support Pascale provided at the decompression space was also vital in making this event successful. We are grateful for her presence and the amount of love, labour and energy she put into the success of Take Back the Night.”

“Working with Pascale has been, and continues to be a wonderful learning experience. She does a great job of connecting with those she’s speaking to and working with ideas and concepts that are difficult and necessary for social justice conversations. I have had the pleasure of working with Pascale on a continuous basis and it has been enlightening to see her grow into herself, her knowledges, and her work as time goes on. I look forward to seeing the space between who she is and who she wants to be close.”

“It is with great enthusiasm that I write this letter of recommendation for Pascale Diverlus. Pascale is currently spearheading Ontario Public Research Interest Group (OPIRG) Carleton through an organizational restructuring and accountability process. OPIRG Carleton works to be a safe(r) space and social and environmental justice hub on Carleton’s campus. In my capacity as the supervisor for this project, I have witnessed Pascale’s dedication to unearthing and addressing anti-blackness in the organization firsthand, and we are grateful for her help in ensuring our organization is accountable to the community and actively centers transformative justice. Our restructuring process is long overdue, and Pascale’s role as a consultant is a unique one requiring attention to detail, strong communication skills, the ability to implement an anti-oppressive approach to conflict resolution, and a commitment to social justice.

Pascale is fiercely dedicated to ensuring communities have access to more just, equitable and accountable organizations. Through organizing and facilitating a town hall, she worked to create a safe(r) space for Black community members who felt harmed by OPIRG’s current practices internally and in community. In her pursuit of tackling organizational inequity, anti-racism and anti-Blackness, she conducted interviews and meetings with those at the top as well as frontline staff, facilitating conversations around internal and external communications and operations, investigating harms caused by current organizational policies and structure, and compiling recommendations for the ongoing accountability and restructuring process.

Pascale approaches activism with care and a commitment to continual self improvement. Her core mission to confront injustice head on and re-center folks who are continually pushed to the margins allows members of the community to speak truth to power. For these reasons, I support her RFP and strongly recommend her as the Neighbourhood Group’s incoming Equity Consultant. Thank you for taking the time to consider her proposal.”