Counter Narratives for Equity and Justice
Welcome to our website, Beyond the Margins! I am Tanya Manning-Lewis, an Assistant Teaching Professor in the School of Education, Graduate Programs, TRU. This website is dedicated to centring voices, stories, and scholarship that challenge systems of oppression and advocate for social change. It focuses on the work of students, faculty, and community partners. It is a platform to support and showcase critical conversations and actions on pressing social issues such as race, gender, sexuality, disability, identity, and intersectionality.
It is part of two of the graduate courses I teach, Diversity: Constructing Social Realities and Activating Anti-racist Education, Pedagogy, and Activism in Canada, which invite students to critically interrogate social structures, reflect on their own positionalities, and engage in transformative learning with the community.
Beyond the Margins is more than a repository of academic work—it is a living, collaborative hub for activism, research, and dialogue. Here you will find:
- Student assignments that reflect deep engagement with anti-oppressive frameworks
- Community-based research projects that address local and global injustices
- Recordings and resources from student-led panel discussions
- Celebrations of community-led initiatives and grassroots efforts
- Opportunities to connect students with local activists, educators, and organizations
Our aim is to bridge the gap between classroom learning and community action, amplifying voices that are too often pushed to the margins. We believe education can be a tool for liberation, and that meaningful change happens when we learn with and from each other.
We invite you to explore, engage, and contribute to the conversations happening here.