Upcoming: Who Am I?: Navigating the World as a Multiracial Person

CRiCS is hosting a panel discussion on multiraciality in Canada, entitled "Who Am I?: Navigating the World as a Multiracial Person." This event features Cultural Studies MA student Emma De Sousa, Keesha Harewood, Kimbaya Carriere, and Kristoff Hunter and is moderated by CRiCS RA Taylor Boucher. They will explore themes of language and food, family, and society from their own unique perspectives.

This event will take place virtually on January 27, 2023 at 12:30pm on Zoom. Please register for this event here.

Learn more about our panelists:

Emma De Sousa (Métis/Portuguese) was born and raised in Mohkinstsis, Treaty 7 territory (Calgary, Alberta) and is a citizen of Métis Nation of Alberta Region 3. De Sousa descends from multiple Métis families originating from the Red River region in the communities of St. Laurent, St. Boniface, St. Francois Xavier, and Baie St. Paul. Her maternal line stems from a long lineage of mixed settler European and Métis ancestors and her paternal Grandparents immigrated to Canada in the 1960s from the Azores Island of Sāo Miguel, Portugal. De Sousa holds a BSc in Biological Anthropology from the University of Calgary and is currently a graduate student in Cultural Studies – the Curatorial Practices stream at the University of Winnipeg. Her research and future field of study lies in the representation of Métis and mixed cultural identities in museum and heritage spaces.

Keesha Harewood - More information coming soon.

Kimbaya Carriere (She/Her) is of Franco-Metis and Mestiza Mexican background.

She grew up in Treaty 1, traditionally known in Cree as win-nipi, ᐑᓂᐯᐠ (murky waters), now referred to as Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is currently living in what is originally known in Halq’eméylem as  Lhq’á:lets (wide at the bottom), now referred to as Vancouver, British Columbia, in the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. She graduated from the University of Winnipeg with a biology and environmental science degree in April 2020.

She grew up in a multicultural and multilingual household. While her mother tongue is Spanish and French, she also had the privilege to have learned English, Italian and Portuguese growing up. Kimbaya has fond memories of growing up facing the cold winter day to attend the Festival du Voyageur having some "tire d'érable" learning to weave together a "ceinture fléchée" and then going home and enjoying a nice warm bowl of "Sopa de tortilla." 

She is currently working with First Nations across BC to decolonize Water rights and governance. In her spare time, Kimbaya enjoys travelling and exploring Turtle Island and other international destinations. In particular, she enjoys learning about new cultures and reconnecting with her cultural heritage. She also enjoys learning about cultures through cuisine, language, art, and dance. She hopes to one day have the opportunity to learn and reconnect to the Michif language. 

Kristoff Hunter is a graduate of the Organizational Communications program at the University of Ottawa. Kristoff started his career in the Non-profit sector, working for the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation, then switching to the marketing industry and working in Edmonton for Roadshows Alberta for a year. Kristoff is currently a Growth Verticals Marketing Lead at SkipTheDishes and has been with the company for the past 6 years. Kristoff plays an active role in Skip’s BIPOC Network, and has also built up the company’s external Inclusivity, Diversity and Belonging strategy since 2018.

Being Biracial, Kristoff has lived through the experience of being both Filipino and Jamaican in multiple provinces and multiple industries. Passionate about Inclusivity, Diversity, and Belonging, Kristoff is an advocate for proper representation in both the workplace and through all forms of corporate communications. 

Taylor Boucher (she/her) is a Filipino and Ojibwe research assistant for CRiCS. She was born in Manila and came to Winnipeg as a toddler where she grew up. Her Ojibwe family today resides in Duck Bay, Manitoba in Treaty 4 territory, and Pine Creek, Manitoba in Treaty 2 territory. Taylor did not grow up with cultural knowledge of either of her families, but she’s learning about them as an adult and what the intersection of both of them means to her. She graduated with a BA from the University of Winnipeg in English Lit shorting before starting the Master of Art’s Cultural Studies program in Texts and Cultures. Her research interests and projects have largely been focusing on explorations and reflections of multiracial people in contemporary Canadian spaces.