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People

Anne-Marie Singh, Ph.D

Anne-Marie Singh, a racialized settler on Indigenous lands, is an active contributor to anti-racism and decolonization in every aspect of her work. She is a sociologist who has been working and teaching in the criminology field for several decades.  Anne-Marie has a long-standing interest in how marginalized communities can and do ensure their own safety and security and in so doing engage, and are engaged by, state agencies and commercial enterprises. In the late 90s she participated in policing transformations in post-apartheid South Africa, working with a local NGO to support community-based policing initiatives; and, as part of a facilitation team at the University of Cape Town, training the police on community policing principles. In 1995, as a member of a research team at the Centre for Urban and Community Research (London, UK), she compiled, for the local council, the first comprehensive mapping of the resources, skills and strategies used by area residents to address their safety, housing, employment and other security needs.  Anne-Marie joined Toronto Metropolitan University initially as a part-time instructor and then in 2005 as a full-time faculty.

Mandissa Arlain

Mandissa Arlain Mandissa Arlain is a Social Sciences Librarian at the Social Sciences, Health, & Education Library, at the University of Illinois. A role she has held since January 2024. 

She previously held various library positions at Toronto Metropolitan University Libraries (TMU). Those roles included Business Librarian, where she supported areas such as Economics, Marketing, Hospitality, Entrepreneurship, Zone Learning, Immigration and Settlement Studies, and Black Studies. She also worked as an interim librarian for Communications, Systems Support, and as a Coordinator of Part-Time Staff. Her responsibilities encompassed outreach, research consultations, library instruction, and collection development. Additionally, she served in several technician and supervisory roles, including eReserves and Copyright, Reference and Web Support and AV/ILL Technician roles, as well as Leadhand and Circulation Supervisor roles.

Mandissa has made significant contributions to various EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) initiatives. 

She served as a stewart in her local union, and as an active member of OPSEU’s Workers of Colour Caucus. She’s also served on Toronto Metropolitan’s Anti-Racism Task Force, promoting greater equity awareness and creating a safer, more respectful environment for marginalized groups. She was an active member of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Black Faculty and Staff Community Network, served as a member and Chair of the Ontario Library Association’s (OLA) EDI Committee, and also the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) EDI Working Group. She was awarded Toronto Metropolitan University’s Viola Desmond Staff Award in 2016, and was also a Black Canadian Role Model Inductee in 2016. Currently, she provides technical support for the annual 100 ABC (Accomplished Black Women) book and gala project, which highlights the achievements of notable Black Canadian women, and collaborates with Dr. Anne-Marie Singh on this Criminal Justice First project, which documents the experiences of Indigenous and racialized individuals who were pioneers in policing, corrections, legal practice, and the judiciary in Canada.

Besides her dedication to equity and inclusion, Mandissa is interested in relationships and the energies that govern them, with a particular focus on the epistemologies and ontologies that explain, support, and enhance the lived experiences of African/Caribbean women in academia and the greater diaspora.

Acknowledgments

The CJFP would like to thank Toronto Metropolitan University (Faculty of Arts) for hosting this site and all those who've contributed to date in making the site what it is today. Contributors are listed below in alphabetical order.   

  • Noel Damba - Data and GIS Technician
  • Zachary Davis - Research Assistant
  • Julia Davydova - Graphic design
  • Trina Grover - Librarian
  • Mackenzie Hickie - Research Assistant
  • Deborah Jaquerz - Artist
  • Michael MacDonald - Technical support
  • Sharmaine McKenzie - Admin support
  • Yelyzaveta Plukhovska - Research Assistant
  • Carson Pun - Site design
  • Demolha Sherwood - Research Assistant