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Janelle Brady
Assistant Professor
EducationPhD
OfficeKHS 363-K, Kerr Hall South
Phone416-979-5000, ext. 544862
Areas of ExpertiseBlack feminist thought; Anti-racist education; Sociology of education; Social justice education; Community-based research.
Dr. Janelle Brady, PhD (she/her) is an award-winning Black studies scholar, author, and activist-researcher. Dr. Brady is an assistant professor in the School of Early Childhood Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University, where she curates and teaches courses on equity, Black childhoods, and social justice pedagogies. Her research focuses on Black mothering, Blackness in early childhood studies, and Black feminisms.
Dr. Brady’s scholarship has been published in Bloomsbury Publishing, Springer, the Journal of Canadian Scholars, SAGE Publications, Demeter Press, and University of Toronto Press. She is the recipient of several awards, including the 2025 Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence and the 2022 Viola Desmond Faculty Award (external link) —both from Toronto Metropolitan University—as well as the 2021 Emerging Leader Award and the 2019 International Day for the End of Racial Discrimination Award (external link) from the University of Toronto. Her expertise has been featured in various media outlets such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), CityNews, Global News Canada, CP24, and CTV News.
She is also the co-founder and director of the Downsview Advocate, a community-based newspaper in Toronto’s north end. Dr. Brady has served as president of the Ontario NDP since 2022 and as a member of the Provincial Executive for several years prior.
- CLD 231: Families in Canadian Context I, Toronto Metropolitan University
- CLD 448: Childhood in a Global Context, Toronto Metropolitan University
- CLD 540: Black Childhoods in Canada
- CS 8923: Social Justice and Childhood, Toronto Metropolitan University
- LSSC 1220: Race and Racism in the Caribbean and the Americas, George Brown College
- ECS 2080: Social Justice in the Field of Early Childhood Studies, University of Guelph Humber
- WGS250: Women and Families, University of Toronto, Mississauga
- LSSC 1204: Sociological Inquiry, George Brown College
- LSSC 1301: Deviance and Society, George Brown College
- GSSC 1159: Strange World of the Familiar, Sociology, George Brown College
- SSCI 1013, SSCI 1014: Introduction to Sociology, Parts I and II, George Brown College
Research interests:
- Black studies
- Children and families
- Mothering research
- Community-based research
- Anti-racist education in early years
Research projects:
| Project | Role | Funding Information |
| Honouring Black refusal through the counter-stories and Lived experiences of Black community members in Early Childhood Education and Care: A study with Black mothers, Early Childhood Educators, and Elders (2023) | Principal Investigator: Brady, J. | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Insight Development Grant (IDG), $74,453 |
| The forgotten voices in Early Childhood: A study of Black early childhood educators, Black mothers, and Elders (2022) | Principal Investigator: Brady, J. | Faculty of Community Services, Internal Seed Grant, Spring Competition, Toronto Metropolitan University, $5,540 |
| The creation of a course: Black Childhoods (2022) | Co-Investigator: Brady, J. | Faculty of Community Services (FCS) Anti-Black Racism Curriculum Development Fund, Toronto Metropolitan University, $4,680 |
| Access to childcare and primary education registration: Struggles of Black mothers with precarious legal status in Canada (2021) | Principal Investigator: Brady, J. | Faculty of Community Services Internal Seed Grant, Fall Competition, Toronto Metropolitan University, $4,480 |
| School of Cities Anti-Black racism/Black Lives project (2021) | Co-founder and managing editor (incoming): Brady, J. | $10,000 |
| Jane Finch Parent Navigator Project (2020) | Anderson, L., Hilowle, M., Brady, J., & Samuel, M. | Ontario Trillium Foundation, $92,400 |
| Centre for Integrative Anti-Racism Studies | Research Collaborator and Senior Coordinator, ongoing projects |
- Brady, J. (2021 Spring). Black labour activism and the fight for racial justice (external link) . Education Forum Magazine. Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation.
- Brady, J. (2019). In my mother’s kitchen: Spirituality and decolonization. In Wane, N.N., Todorova, M., & Todd, K.L. (Eds.) Decolonizing the spirit in education and beyond. Cham: Springer Nature.
- Brady, J. (2016, June). Congressing in 2016! Online Web Log Post. Ontario, ON: Canadian Society for the Study of Education.
Videos and podcasts:
- CityNews TV Interview: New course teaches future educators about reducing racism in the school system (external link) .
- Dudley, C., Butler, A., Brady, J., Robinson, H., Robinson, T., & Thomas, J. (2025) Melanin Magic: A conversation about Black Joy (external link) by Sejal Patel for the Enhancing Equity in Ontario Elementary Education Committee at Toronto Metropolitan University.
- Brady, J. (2020, September). Co-Moderator. Dismantling anti-Black racism in schooling and education: Fighting the global racial and health pandemics (external link) . CIARS in Conversation series. [Podcast]
- Brady, J. (2020, May). Moderator. Addressing Anti-Black Racism in the Education System: Black Faculty in Conversation (external link) with panelists: Dei, G., Lopez, A., Wane, N., McCready, L., & Campbell, A. Centre for Leadership and Diversity. Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Virtual Webinar. [Video File].
- Ratković, S., Kaldi, S., Ellis, C., Kovačević, D., Brewer, C. A., Ahmed, N., & Brady, J. with Cities of Migration (2018, May). In the classroom and beyond: Supporting refugee students (external link) . [Video file].
- Brady, J. (2017). Growth Mindset Thinkers. [Video file]
News articles:
- 2025/04/15 Inside the teaching philosophies of TMU’s 2025 Provost Award recipients: How TMU’s Provost award winners are using their teaching to challenge assumptions and empower the next generation of changemakers, Rachel Purdy, TorontoMet Today, Toronto Metropolitan University.
- 2024/05/08 Black Childhoods in Canada: First course of its kind in Canadian post-secondary, Clara Wong, FCS News and Events, Toronto Metropolitan University,
- 2023/07/31 Downsview Advocacy: Exploring The Experiences Of Black Mothers With Children In Childcare Settings (external link) , Sarosh Sawani, Downsview Advocate
- 2022/12/01 Teaching preschoolers about anti-racism with CBC Kids, Transformation through collaboration: Connections for a shared world. Toronto Metropolitan University's Research and Innovation Magazine. Issue 37: Fall 2022
- 2022/04/07 Educator and community worker Janelle Brady recognized with Viola Desmond Faculty Award (external link) , Ron Fanfair, Share News Ron Fanfair
- 2022/04/05 Celebrating phenomenal Black women, then and now: The Viola Desmond Awards and Bursary recognizes the outstanding achievements of Canadian Black women, Surbhi Bir, Ryerson Today
- Brady, J. (2020, June 22). The deep roots of racism right here in Canada. Ontario Institute for Studies in Education News.
- Brady, J. (2020, June 15). The deep roots of racism right here in Canada (external link) . Downsview Advocate.
- Brady, J. (2020, May 22). Downsview mourns the loss of a frontline hero (external link) . Downsview Advocate.
- Brady, J. (2019, February 14). Black mothers: Our community, our strength. Downsview Advocate. Accessible at https://www.downsviewadvocate.ca/news/2019/02/black-mothers-community-strength (external link)
Resources:
- Hardware, S., Walker, A., & Brady, J. (2020). Talking to children about race. Prepared for the Child Development Institute. [Infographic]
- Brady, J., Mohamed, R., Odozor, E., Villaneuva, M.L., Singh, S., & Zafar, Z. (2020). Anti-Black racism in schooling, education, and beyond. [Resource guide].
Academic journal editing:
- Senior Copyeditor & Review Mentor. (2017-2018). Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education (CJNSE), Canada.
- Student Editorial Representative. (2016-17). Canadian Journal of Education (CJE) advisor on the Canadian Committee of Graduate Students in Education (CCGSE), Canada.
- Associate Copyeditor. (2016-17). Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education (CJNSE), Canada.
Books:
- Villegas, J.F., & Brady, J. (Eds.). (2019). Critical schooling: Transformative theory and practice. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. DOI 10.1007/978-3-030-00716-4, 338 pages. Foreword by Dei, G.J.S., & Afterword by James, C.E.
Journal articles:
- Balter, A.-S., Underwood, K., Brady, J., Douglas, P., & Howey, C. (2025). Mothering Disabled Children in Early Childhood: Institutional Reproduction of the Standard North American Family (external link) . Journal of Family Issues, 0(0).
- Silin, J., Bailey, C., Arndt, D., Brady, J., Lee, K. & Tesar, M (2025) Viable Vulnerabilities: Rethinking Conference Pedagogies. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood.
- Brady, J. & Berman, R. (2025). Black Mothers Enacting Refusal in Early Childhood and Care. Journal of Canadian Studies. 58(3): 456-481. University of Toronto Press.
- Brady, J. (2022). Strategies for Resistance: A study on Black mothering as practices of disruption for the schooling of Black children. Journal of the Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community Involvement. 13(2): 155-176.
- Brady, J. (2022). Exploring the role of Black feminist thought in pre-service early childhood education: On the possibilities of embedded transformative change (external link) . Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 23(4), 392–407.
- Brady, J. (2022). Strategies for resistance: A study on Black mothering as practices of disruption for the schooling of Black children (external link) . Journal of the Motherhood Initiative, 13(2), 155–176.
- Brady, J. (2017). Education for whom? Exploring systems of oppression and domination. Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education, 8(1), 116-126.
- Abawi, Z & Brady, J. (2017). Decolonizing Indigenous educational policies. Emerging Perspectives, 1(1), 20 – 30.
Book chapters in edited collections:
- Brady, J. & McPherson, K. (2025). Dedicated to Black Mothers and Black Daughters: A Black Feminist Approach to Duoethnography. In E.-R. Mullings, O. Adelakun, & D. V. Mullings (Eds.), In Her Arms: Love and Legacy of Black Mothers and Daughters. Demeter Press.
- Brady, J. (2025) Supporting Black flourishing in ECEC: Lessons on Black theory and resistance. Early Years Education and Care in Canada. Jagger, S. Editor. 2nd edition. Canadian Scholars’ and Women’s Press.
- Brady, J. (2025) Black Feminism in Early Childhood and Care. Prioletta J., Davies, A., & Smith, K (Eds). The Handbook of Gender and Sexuality in Early Childhood. Bloomsbury Publishing.
- Hardware, S., Walker, A., Brady, J. (2025). Impact of Conversations About Race and Racism Among Canadian Caregivers. Eizadirad and P.P. Trifonas (Eds). International Handbook of Anti-Discriminatory Education. Handbook of Anti-Discriminatory Education: 1-16. Springer International Handbooks.
- Lim, H.C. & Brady, J. (2024). YOU BETTER WERK: Disrupting and Queering Professionalism in Early Childhood Education & Care. Davies, A. & Greensmith, C. Queering Professionalism Pitfalls and Possibilities. Published, University of Toronto Press.
- Brady, J. (2020). Rethinking curriculum through critical Blackness and African Indigenous knowledges: A Black educator’s response. In Afful-Broni, A., Anamuah-Mensah, J., Kolawole, R., & Dei, G.J.S. (Eds.) Africanizing the school curriculum: Promoting an inclusive, decolonial education in African contexts. Main: Myers Education Press: 204-222.
- Brady, J & Abawi, Z. (2019). Disrupting Dolls and Princesses: A pedagogical moment in dismantling Eurocentric norms of beauty through anti-colonial theory. In Villegas, J.F., & Brady, J. Critical schooling: Transformative theory and practice. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 125-146.
- Villegas, J.F., & Brady, J. (2019). Continuing important conversations: an introduction. In Villegas, F., & Brady, J. Critical schooling: Transformative theory and practice. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 1-20.
- Brady, J. (2018). (Re)claiming spirituality as anti-colonial resistance and decolonial praxis: An Africana-feminist discussion on spirituality and Indigenous knowledges in education. In G.J.S. Dei., & C. Jaimungal. (Eds.) Indigeneity and Decolonial Resistance: Alternatives to Colonial Thinking and Practice. Maine: Myers Education Press, 35-49.
Book reviews:
- Abawi, Z & Brady, J. (2016). Decolonizing Solidarity: Dilemmas and Directions for Supporters of Indigenous Struggles, by C. Land]. McGill Journal of Education. Zed Books, 256 2015. (ISBN 978-1—783- 60173-8).
Reports:
- Ratkovic, S., Kovacevic, D., Brewer, C.A., Ellis, C., Ahmed, N., Brady, J. (2018). Supporting refugee students in Canada: Building on what we have learned in the past 20 years. A report prepared for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
- Brady, J., Wright, J., Wemigwase, S., & Brabazon, G. (2017). Social justice education student caucus report: Academic planning 2017. Prepared for the Ontario Institute’s academic planning project.
- Gray, E., Bailey, R., Brady, J., & Tecle, S. (2016, September). Perspectives of black male students in secondary school: Understanding the successes and challenges. Mississauga, ON: Peel District School Board.
Encyclopedic entries:
- Brady, J. & Cully, C. (2017). Kinship. In B. Turner (Ed.), The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social Theory.
- Provost’s Award for Experiential Teaching, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2025.
- Instructional Skills Workshop Certificate of Completion, 2022.
- Excellence in Teaching Program Fellow, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2022.
- Viola Desmond Award, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2022.
- Emerging Leader Award, Leaders and Legends Award, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, 2021.
- School of Cities Fellowship Award, University of Toronto, 2020.
- International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Award, University of Toronto, 2019.
- Ontario Graduate Scholarship, 2017-2019.
- Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canadian Graduate Scholarships Master’s Scholarship. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, 2014-2015.
Select awards, 2011-2014:
- Franc and Mary Joubin Bursary Fund, York University
- Graduate Student Entrance Award, Faculty of Education, York University
- Murray Ross University-Wide Award (Faculty of Liberal Arts and nominee) Ontario Medal for Young Volunteers, Lieutenant Governor
- Magna Cum Laude, Honours, B.A. Sociology with great honour
- Dean’s Honour Roll
- The Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies Outstanding Leadership Award
- The Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies Outstanding Volunteer Award
- Sociology Undergraduate Students’ Association (SUSA) Certificate of Appreciation
- City of Toronto Award for Outstanding Community Service