Human Rights Awards

The Human Rights Awards are presented annually by the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights to recognize outstanding contributions to human rights of people in Alberta.

”It is critical to recognize those that make those efforts every day to strengthen our social fabric. Often thankless work, these heroes are ones that amplify and mobilize community in important ways and we need them more than ever. Without them, our communities would not be the same and many would be left behind.” - Renée Vaugeois, Executive Director, John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights

The Awards:

• Human Rights Champion:  Recognizes those working to make their community a better place; a place where all are included, valued, participate and belong.

• Gerald L. Gall Award: For outstanding contribution to and demonstrated excellence in the protection and promotion of human rights in Canada through legislative change.

• Randy Palivoda Award for Public Service: For outstanding contribution and demonstrated excellence in the protection and promotion of human rights in their role as a public servant.

• The Honourable Salma Lakhani Award for Leadership in Pluralism and Reconciliation: An award granted to a young person (under the age of 30) who has shown leadership and a steadfast commitment to advancing meaningful reconciliation and peaceful co-existence of the diverse cultures in Canada. The award is a celebration of achievement and excellence to promote diversity, harmony, collaboration and connection. Winners exemplify and model values of inclusion, cross-cultural connection and equity.

These awards are for individuals of all ages, businesses or organizations that are making a positive contribution to the lives and well-being of people in our community. These recipients are those that are actively promoting, fulfilling, protecting or educating on human rights and making the community a place where all belong, are included and participate.

2025 AWARDS

This year, in celebration of the International Day of Peace, the 17th Annual Human Rights Awards took place on September 18, 2025 at ArtsHub Ortona in Edmonton.

Human Rights Champions

Inez Ashworth (she/her) is the founder of Inclusive Concepts Inc., a proudly women-owned and immigrant-led consulting firm rooted in the principles of inclusion, belonging, and accessibility. Born in England and now living in Mohkinstsis (Calgary), Inez is an immigrant, neurodiverse woman living with depression, anxiety, chronic pain, and a survivor of domestic violence. Her lived experience is inseparable from the work she does.

With over 15 years of experience leading equity and inclusion initiatives across sectors, Inez is known for her unapologetic humour, big heart, and bold commitment to justice. After a decade as a DEI manager in the energy sector, she launched her own firm to help organizations build inclusive, psychologically safe workplaces that reflect the communities they serve. Inez actively mentors through the Harry Shafer Mentorship Program, supporting equity-deserving youth at risk of leaving school. She also supports local community events, including work with Next Gen Men, and previously served on the board of Pride at Work Canada. She is a contributing author to Landed, a book spotlighting the journeys of immigrant women in Canada. In 2020, Inez launched the Leading with HEART Conference, a not-for-profit, labour of love that brings together DEI practitioners, executive leaders, and grassroots changemakers to build real relationships and keep each other going when the work gets hard. It’s her way of giving back to the community that has shaped her, and holding space for those still doing the work, even in the face of resistance. With a fierce belief in showing up, especially when it’s inconvenient, Inez continues to create spaces where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued.

Jeremy Dias (he/him) is a nationally recognized human rights advocate whose work has left a lasting impact on Alberta’s 2STQLGBIA+ communities. Born in Edmonton and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Jeremy has spent over two decades creating safer, more inclusive spaces—especially in Alberta’s rural, remote, and underserved regions. He led the first-ever 2STQLGQIA+ conferences in communities like Leduc, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, and St. Albert, opening doors where dialogue was once discouraged. His work with Catholic schools in Alberta—navigating resistance with respect and resolve—has brought meaningful change for queer and trans students across the province.

As founder of the Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity and creator of the International Day of Pink, Jeremy has reached over 250,000 youth nationwide, including more than 20,000 annually in Alberta alone. His leadership continues with the Day of Pink ECHO Tour, which visits Calgary (Oct 17) and Edmonton (Oct 19)—amplifying voices that have long been silenced.

Jeremy’s unwavering belief that everyone deserves to feel seen, heard, and safe has helped transform Alberta’s human rights landscape—turning exclusion into belonging, and silence into powerful, lasting change.

Brooke Leifso (they/she) is a visionary leader in accessibility, inclusion, and disability justice whose work transforms systems and relationships at every level. A self-described Crip performance producer, expressive art practitioner, consultant, and academic, Brooke's mission is clear: to ensure that everyone-regardless of ability, identity, or background-has the right to participate fully and meaningfully in society.

Whether developing innovative accessibility teams at the Edmonton Fringe Festival, serving as Chair of CRIPSIE (Collaborative Radically Integrated Performers Society), or leading workplace inclusion research at NorQuest College, Brooke's approach is always rooted in dignity, lived experience, and deep relational care. They are at once an artist, a scholar, and a fierce advocate for human rights. Brooke has reshaped how major festivals and institutions approach access-creating the Co-Fringer volunteer support program, piloting artist-led audio description techniques, and conducting accessibility audits that center user experience. They've worked with organizations across Edmonton-from the Citadel Theatre and CKUA to grassroots groups and residential care offering transformative education that's grounded, gentle, and powerfully effective.

As a facilitator, Brooke builds space for healing and justice through the arts, whether working with high-risk youth, faith communities, or people with cognitive disabilities. Their international residencies and academic work bridge research and practice, while their consulting demystifies complex systems and helps institutions take accountability. What sets Brooke apart is not just their technical skill, but the integrity they bring to every space. They centre the voices of those most often left out, and aspires to leave behind frameworks, tools, and empowered people who continue the work. Brooke's leadership is quiet, consistent, and revolutionary. Through them, communities across Edmonton and beyond—are becoming more equitable, compassionate, and accessible.

Brent Saccucci (he/him) is redefining what human rights leadership looks like in Alberta. A genderqueer educator, equity consultant, and community builder, Brent brings compassion, courage, and transformative vision to some of the most politically polarized spaces in the province—including churches, rural towns, and ideologically divided classrooms.

Working across Southern Alberta’s “Bible Belt,” from Coutts to Lethbridge County, Brent has facilitated dozens of Queer, Trans, and Two-Spirit 101 workshops for faith-based, rural, and conservative communities. They approach this work not with judgment, but with grace and deep listening, guiding participants toward understanding and connection. Their ability to challenge and comfort at the same time has opened hearts, minds, and dialogue where such conversations were once unthinkable.

In education, Brent’s impact spans K–12 and post-secondary. They have taught high school humanities, served as a diversity and equity consultant, and co-chaired the Alberta Teacher’s Association’s Diversity, Equity & Human Rights committee. At the University of Lethbridge, Brent developed a groundbreaking course on gender and sexuality for teachers, co-created the university’s largest multidisciplinary course on combating misinformation, and founded the “Leading Social Change in Schools Cohort.” Holding two master’s degrees and pursuing a doctorate in social justice education, Brent’s research focuses on their innovative “pedagogy of the oppressor,” which emphasizes working compassionately with those who hold power as well as empowering the oppressed.

Brent’s work is bold, relational, and deeply rooted in the belief that education can transform communities—proving that courageous conversations can change hearts, minds, and the future.

The Honourable Salma Lakhani Award for Leadership in Pluralism and Reconciliation

Vipasna Nangal (she/her) is a dynamic and compassionate young leader whose life’s work reflects an unwavering commitment to pluralism, reconciliation, and human dignity. A first-generation Canadian shaped by her family’s history of displacement, Vipasna channels her lived experience into transformative community advocacy, education, and legal storytelling.

Through her mentorship work with the Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association, Vipasna has uplifted youth in underserved schools, creating safe spaces that nurture identity, belonging, and empowerment. As a Human Rights Advocate at the John Humphrey Centre, she provided legal navigation with a human-centered approach, ensuring that each claimant's story is treated with dignity. Her passion extends to rigorous academic engagement. As a research advisor to projects at the University of British Columbia and Queen’s University, Vipasna has illuminated the intersections of caste, race, and migration—especially in the context of Dalit and Black solidarity. Her editorial leadership on an immigration blog at Osuji & Smith Lawyers transformed personal narratives into a public platform for legal justice and cultural empathy.

Vipasna’s initiatives also span arts-based mental health kits for youth during the pandemic, youth engagement with Calgary’s Innovation Lab, and global advocacy as a ONE Canada Global Activist. She integrates academic rigor, policy advocacy, and grassroots activism, embodying pluralism not as a concept but as lived practice.

Now pursuing an MSc in Migration Studies at the University of Oxford, Vipasna remains a bridge between scholarship and grassroots change. Her work has tangibly impacted immigrant communities, inspired youth, and shaped national conversations around equity and inclusion. Vipasna Nangal exemplifies the spirit of this award—leading with courage, cultivating solidarity, and weaving reconciliation into every layer of her advocacy.

Gerald L. Gall Award

Dr. W. Andy Knight PhD, LLD (Hon), FRSC (he/him) is a globally respected scholar, policy influencer, and steadfast advocate for human rights whose work has helped shape international and Canadian discourse on peace, equity, and justice. With a career spanning decades, Dr. Knight has advanced legislative and institutional change by challenging exclusionary systems and promoting inclusive, rights-based governance.

Born in Barbados and now based in Canada, Dr. Knight brings a vital diasporic and Black internationalist perspective to his work. As Chair of the United Nations’ Academic Council and through leadership in global institutions, he has shaped multilateral frameworks for conflict resolution and human security—principles that continue to influence Canadian policy and legislative advocacy on equity and justice.

In Canada, Dr. Knight has worked to combat anti-Black racism, Islamophobia, and Xenophobia through public engagement, teaching, and policy guidance. He has advised government agencies, contributed to anti-racism and diversity frameworks in higher education, and played a vital role in embedding human rights into Canadian institutional cultures.

Dr. Knight’s legacy also includes nurturing the next generation of scholars and advocates. His mentorship of racialized youth—particularly Black and Caribbean students—has helped build a pipeline of leaders committed to advancing legislative and systemic change in Canada. As co-editor of the African Journal of Political Science, he continues to elevate critical scholarship that informs and challenges public policy.

For his unwavering commitment to global justice, his courageous leadership in the fight against systemic discrimination, and his influence on legislation and public policy in Canada, Dr. W. Andy Knight exemplifies the spirit and impact of the Gerald L. Gall Award.

2024 AWARD RECIPIENTS

Human Rights Champions: Craig Haavaldsen, Curtis Red-Rokk Cardinal, Andrea Heinz, Cynthia Palmaria, Kathy King

The Honourable Salma Lakhani Award for Leadership in Pluralism and Reconciliation: Deep Braich

Randy Palivoda Award for Public Service: Sarah Adomako-Ansah

Gerald L. Gall Award: Avnish Nanda