The Drawing Board is what you come back to when you need to refresh and enliven.
Nakita Valerio is the owner, editor-in-chief and head writer/researcher for The Drawing Board. Her information can be found below.
Present and past contributors for The Drawing Board can be found here.
Bio
Nakita Valerio is an award-winning writer, researcher, and Muslim community organizer based on Treaty 6 territory in Edmonton. She serves as the Research Director for the Institute for Religious and Socio-Political Studies (I-RSS), as well as the Editor-in-Chief for the RSS Journal and the Edmonton Heritage Council’s ECAMP collection. Nakita is the founder and facilitator of The Nusaibah Collective (a holistic study group for sisters) and is a student of Arabic, tajweed and calligraphy. Her graduate studies were in Islamic-Jewish historical studies at the University of Alberta and she continues to act as an academic strategist/mentor for students in the arts. Nakita serves as an advisor and research fellow to the Chester Ronning Center for the Study of Religion and Public Life at the University of Alberta and is the sponsor for the Fatima Al-Fihri Graduate Award in Islamic Studies. She is currently writing a creative non-fiction book and a novel.
Education
Master of Arts (2017), University of Alberta, Department of History & Classics, 4.0+ Remembering the Departure of Moroccan Jews (thesis)
Advisors: Professors Jocelyn Hendrickson and Andrew Gow
Bachelor of Arts (2009), University of Alberta, Department of History & Classics, 3.8
Experience
Employment
Research Fellow (2022- present), Chester Ronning Center for the Study of Religion and Public Life
Community Needs Assessment Project
Research Director (2021- present), Institute for Religious and Socio-Political Studies
Editor-in-Chief (2021-present), Religious and Socio-Political Studies Journal
Research Fellow (2020-21), Mercy Mission Canada
Youth and Wellness Focus Groups Research Project
Research Fellow (2020), Edmonton Council of Muslim Communities
The Impact and Growth of Muslims in Alberta from the Late 19th Century to Now
Research Fellow (2019), Institute for Religious and Socio-Political Studies
Primary Challenges Faced by Muslim Youth in Canada & Pathways to Resilience
Research Fellow (2018), Tessellate Institute
Jewish Responses to Anti-Semitism in Canada: Theoretical Foundations for Comparison and Lessons for Anti-Muslim Hatred
Supervisor: Dr. Katherine Bullock
Development Coordinator & Consultant (2017 to 2019)
Association of Translators and Interpreters of Alberta (ATIA)
Research Assistant (2016 to 2017), University of Alberta, Dept. of History & Classics
Medieval Mediterranean Pilgrimage and Encounter (Muslims, Christians, and Jews)
SSHRC-funded research
Supervisor: Professor Jocelyn Hendrickson
Affiliations
Run for Palestine Volunteer Coordinator (2019)
Advisory Committee Member (2017 to present)
Chester Ronning Centre for the Study of Religion and Public Life
Committee Member (2016 to present)
Young Indigenous Women’s Circle of Leadership Cree Women’s Camp
Vice-President of External Affairs (2016 to 2018)
Director of Public Policy (2015 to 2016)
Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council
Director (2017 to 2018)
Edmonton Heritage Council
Awards
Academic
Government of Alberta Graduate Scholarship (2017)
Sir Guy Carleton Graduate Scholarship (2016)Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship (SSHRC – 2016)
Walter H. Johns Graduate Scholarship (SSHRC – 2016)
Frank W. Peers Graduate Research Scholarship (2015)
Queen Elizabeth II Award for Graduate Studies – Master’s Level (2015)
State of Kuwait Award for Graduate Students in Islamic Studies (2015)
Canadian Federation of University Women Female Student Bursary (2015)
Community
University of Alberta Alumni Horizon Award (2018)
Rotary International Paul Harris Fellowship for Excellence in Service to Humanity (2016)
Edmonton Journal Difference Maker (2015)
Alberta Council for Global Cooperation – Top 30 under 30 (2015)
Publications
Academic
Primary Author, Peer-Reviewed Article
Pathways to Resilience for Muslim Youth in Canada
IRSS (Forthcoming 2020)
Primary Author, Peer-Reviewed Article
Primary Challenges Faced by Muslim Youth in Canada
IRSS (Forthcoming 2020)
Book Review, Al Rashid Mosque: Building Canadian Muslim Communities (Earle Waugh)
Canadian Ethnic Studies Journal, University of Calgary (2020)
Co-Editor and Introduction Co-Author (with Professor Andrew Gow)
Critiquing Secularism, Special Edition Volume (September 2019)
Past Imperfect History Graduate Student Journal, University of Alberta
Primary Author, Peer-Reviewed Article & Policy Report
Jewish Responses to Anti-Semitism in Canada: Lessons for Anti-Muslim Hatred
Tessellate Institute and IRSS, (2018)
Primary Author, Peer-Reviewed Article
Jewish Responses to Anti-Semitism in Canada: Theoretical Foundations for Comparison with Anti-Muslim Hatred
Tessellate Institute and IRSS, (2018)
Editor and Co-Author, Historical Pedagogical Resource
Building Acceptance: A Resource about Coexistence, Cooperation and Early Multiculturalism in Medieval Spain
Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council (2016)
Primary Author, Peer-Reviewed Article
The Absent Hagiography: Investigating Mary Magdalene’s Disappearance in Islam
On Religion. (2016)
Selection of Press Publications & Interviews
- Self-Care Isn’t Enough, We Need Community Care to Thrive, MASHABLE (May 24, 2019)
- This Viral Facebook Post Urges People to Re-Think Self-Care, FLARE Magazine (April 16, 2019)
- Alumni Horizon Award: For Building Interfaith Bridges, New Trail Magazine, (September 2018)
- Edmonton Islamic Advocate Combats Rise in Islamophobia, Edmonton Journal (August 13, 2018)
- Breaking Bread and Bridging Gaps at Edmonton Interfaith Potluck, Edmonton Journal (June 17, 2018)
- Letter to the Editor, “Bad Behaviour”, National Post (June 9, 2018)
- Ramadan in Canada’s North, where the Fasting is at least 19 Hours Long, The Star Edmonton (May 16, 2018)
- What is Islamophobia & How to Combat it, Webinar, Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (April 26, 2018)
- Teach Religion in Public Schools to Combat Discrimination and Violence, Edmonton Journal (April 11, 2018)
- Remembering the Quebec Mosque Shooting, Inspirit Foundation (February 6, 2018)
- Letter to the Editor, “We disagree”, Calgary Sun (February 5, 2018)
- “12 Days of Feminists: Nakita Valerio on the Effervescent Community Leader Nasra Adem”, FLARE magazine (Dec. 8, 2017)
- Feminism is Entirely Compatible with Islam, UAlberta Folio (November 22, 2017)
- Response to Quebec’s Bill 62 Niqab Ban, 630 Ched, Ryan Jespersen Show (Oct. 24, 2017)
- “As a Muslim Woman, the Edmonton Attack Left Me Scared and Sad for My Safety”, FLARE magazine (Oct. 10, 2017)
- Hearing the Call, Adamant Eve, CJSR Radio (August 16, 2017)
- Anti-Muslim Groups Should Provoke Louder Response From Our Leaders, Calgary Herald (June 24, 2017)
- Taking the Bull by the Horns: Edmonton Activist Talks Religion, Visibility and Social Justice, The Griff Magazine, Macewan University (April 5, 2017)
- Jewish Exodus From Morocco, UAlberta Arts Buzz and OIS (February 21, 2017)
- Hub Mall Letter Writing Event Opposes Travel Ban, The Gateway (February 3, 2017)
- Hear the Call, Women’s March on Washington YEG Speech (January 20, 2017)
- These Women Responded to Disturbing Anti-Muslim Hate by Giving Flowers to Hijabis, Buzzfeed Canada (December 8, 2016)
- Flowers Handed Out to Women in Hijab in Response to Hate Crime at U of A LRT Station, Global News (December 7, 2016)
- Islamophobia and Self-Defense, CTV News Edmonton (August 2016)
- International Women’s Day: Celebrations Highlight How Much Further We Have to Go, CBC News (March 8, 2016)
- Nakita the Valiant, Edmonton Women’s Magazine (March 4, 2016)
- Nakita Valerio Strengthens Edmonton Communities Through Bridge-Building, Edmonton Journal (December 21, 2015)
- Q & A on Head Scarves with Edmonton Student, Edmonton Sun (October 9, 2015)
- Veil That Divides My Canada, Edmonton Journal (October 8, 2015)
Conferences/Panels/Public Talks
Public speaking events are too numerous to list here but include academic conference presentations, panel discussions, keynote speeches, and training workshops on the following subjects:
- Moroccan History (General, Jewish, Interfaith)
- Andalusian History
- Islamophobia, Anti-Muslim Hatred
- Islamophobia’s Intersections & Crosscurrents
- Islam (General, Communities of Interpretation, History)
- Islam and Women
- The Hijab
- Islam, Muslim Women and Secularism
- Secularism (History, Genealogies)
- Religious Literacy
- Anti-Semitism
- Islamophobia, Anti-Semitism and Racialization
- Hatreds in a Canadian Context
- The Holocaust
- Feminism
- Writing
- Marketing
- Building Your Own Business
- Freelancing
For speaking engagements or trainings, email hello@thedrawingboardcanada.com
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