Carl James holds the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora in the Faculty of Education and Distinguished Research Professor at żě˛ĄĘÓƵ. His work focuses on how social systems shape the educational experiences and outcomes of Black and other racialized youth — and how those systems can be transformed. Through research, advocacy, public scholarship, and policy advising, he works in close collaboration with his community to advance more equitable education systems designed for all students to succeed.

Seeing youth success beyond the classroom

In his first summer after entering university, Carl began working as a youth worker in downtown Toronto, where he saw firsthand how young people’s lives beyond school — family responsibilities, housing conditions, and economic realities — shaped their educational paths and future opportunities.

He initially turned to social psychology to understand what motivates students, particularly Black students, to succeed. Over time, however, he realized that success could not be understood in isolation. Family, community, and the school system itself play a critical role in shaping outcomes. This realization led him to sociology — a discipline that allowed him to keep community at the centre of his work.

One early interaction continues to shape his approach. A fellow student once challenged him by asking, “What is sociology actually going to do for us?” That question sharpened Carl’s commitment to ensuring that research does more than describe inequity — it helps to change it.

Rather than placing responsibility solely on students to “work harder,” Carl argues that meaningful equity requires society to work harder — by addressing the structural barriers that limit opportunities outside of the classroom.

COVID-19 as a lens on inequity

In 2021, Carl became Co-Chair of the . The role built on his long-standing research into education and inequity and offered a stark reminder of how crises expose and deepen existing disparities.

His findings were clear. Black and other racialized students were disproportionately affected by the pandemic — not because of individual choices, but because of the social and economic conditions shaping their lives.

Many lived in high-density housing, relied on public transportation, and had parents working in frontline jobs that could not move online. These realities increased exposure to the virus while reinforcing harmful narratives that framed racialized communities as inherently “high-risk,” rather than structurally vulnerable.

School closures further strained families. Parents were suddenly expected to support learning at home while juggling work, caregiving responsibilities, and financial stress. The loss of school-based food programs increased food insecurity, while limited access to computers and reliable internet left some students disconnected from school altogether — raising the risk of disengagement and dropout.

At the postsecondary level, the effects carried forward. Many students entered university already feeling behind. Remote learning limited opportunities to build relationships, access support, and develop a sense of belonging. Some delayed or withdrew from their studies entirely, compounding financial pressures on themselves and their families.

As Carl emphasizes, COVID-19 revealed how racism intersects with class, language, gender, and immigration status — and how the consequences of disruption extend well beyond the height of the pandemic.

“COVID-19 highlighted that racism is not just simply racism.”

The inequalities shaping the lives of Black and other racialized youth existed long before the pandemic. COVID-19 simply made them more visible — and more severe.

When recommendations meet resistant systems

As part of the task force, Carl authored Racial Inequity, COVID-19 and the Education of Black and Other Marginalized Students, which outlines nine recommendations for addressing educational inequities. These include reforming education policy, strengthening partnerships between schools and community organizations, engaging parents without shifting teaching responsibilities onto them, improving curriculum accessibility, collecting and using data to advance equity, and better preparing educators to support student well-being.

Yet Carl is realistic about the limits of recommendations when systems themselves resist change.

“We can always make recommendations, but if the system is not ready for that big change — if those systemic issues are not dealt with — then the recommendations become just simply that: recommendations.”

Although COVID-19 has faded from everyday conversation, its effects continue to shape students’ educational and career paths. As Carl notes, we must continue to take into account the long-term impacts of the pandemic and the ongoing role of racism in shaping young people’s trajectories.

Black History Month — and the importance of systems

For Carl, Black History Month is not only about commemoration — it is an opportunity to examine the systems that shape present-day realities. He emphasizes the importance of understanding Canada’s racial history, including colonialism, the experiences of Indigenous peoples, and the fact that Black people are not recent immigrants, but were originally brought to Canada through enslavement, not immigration.

These histories are not peripheral. They are central to understanding how race operates in Canadian institutions today, including schools.

“We need to think of the social, political, and cultural situation of Black people beyond just a month — and beyond just Black people. If we’re thinking of Black people, we should also be thinking of other racialized groups, and how race operates more widely in our society.”

A path toward change

When asked to describe his work in one word, Carl offers two — change and path. Change speaks to the possibility of transformation. Path speaks to movement — how people navigate shifting conditions that shape opportunities, risks, and possibilities over time.

“People are constantly moving and travelling. You can be travelling along a path, but the weather might change — it might be icy and –10 degrees, or it might be sunny and warm. What matters is that we pay attention to these changes and adapt as we continue to walk our paths.”

Carl’s work makes one thing clear — to understand the path, we must understand the systems that shape it. And for real change to occur, those systems must be ready to change as well.

“How we deal with change is important — but so is paying attention to the context of that change.”

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The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) has elected six żě˛ĄĘÓƵ faculty members as part of the Class of 2022. Recognition by the RSC is the highest honour an individual can achieve in the arts, social sciences and sciences.

Celia Haig-Brown, Steven Hoffman, Linda Peake and Jianhong Wu were elected to the rank of Fellow, and Sandra Rehan and Sapna Sharma to the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. All were elected by their peers for their outstanding scholarly, scientific and artistic achievement.

“żě˛ĄĘÓƵ is delighted to see that Professors Haig-Brown, Hoffman, Peak, Rehan, Sharma and Wu have been recognized by the Royal Society of Canada for their outstanding achievements in education, health care, law, environment, and science,” said Amir Asif, vice-president research and innovation. “These exceptional researchers embody our vision to address complex societal challenges through transdisciplinary research and enhance our impact on the social, economic, culture and overall well-being of the communities we serve.”

Elected to the ranks of the Royal Society of Canada are:

Celia Haig-Brown
Faculty of Education – Fellow, Academy of Social Sciences

Celia Haig-Brown, an Anglo-Canadian scholar, has spent her career committed to respectful and reciprocal research and practice working closely with Indigenous collaborators from Secwépemc territory to the Naskapi Nation. Her 1988 book, based on testimonies of Indian residential school survivors, has served as the basis for two films and a 2022 version with Indigenouscontributions. Her next Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)-funded film: Rodeo Women: Behind the Scenes is in post-production.

Steven J. Hoffman
Global Health, Law, and Political Science – Fellow, Academy of Social Sciences

Steven J. Hoffman is a world-leading authority on global health law and the global governance of health threats that transcend national borders. He has achieved important intellectual breakthroughs by combining law and epidemiology to address challenges faced by the numerous governments and United Nations agencies that rely on his advice. He is a leading voice in public health, a champion for evidence-informed policymaking, and a frequent contributor to news media.

Linda Peake
Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change – Fellow, Academy of Social Sciences

Linda Peake’s award-winning research integrates feminism and anti-racism into theorizations of urban everyday life, inspiring scholarship in human geography and urban studies, as well as promoting equity and diversity in the academy. Her original body of work on women as gendered urban subjects has invigorated critiques of canonical knowledge production, utilizing methodologies that engage with subaltern knowledge production and marginalized communities, and creating the field of comparative feminist urban research.

Jianhong Wu
Faculty of Science – Fellow, Academy of Science

Jianhong Wu, a renowned mathematician, has made foundational contributions to the global dynamics and bifurcation theory. His novel mathematical models have pioneered several research fields. His disease modelling research provides critical insights of mechanisms behind complex patterns and accurately forecasts disease trends. His leadership has profoundly contributed to the paradigm shift toward using interdisciplinary modelling extensively in health planning and firmly establishing Canada as a global leader in mathematical epidemiology.

Sandra Rehan
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science – RSC College

Sandra Rehan is an international leader in the molecular ecology and behavioural genetics of bees. Rehan’s research combines comparative genomics and socio-demography to provide critical insights into the diversity, decline and sustainability of wild bees. Rehan is advancing our understanding of the causes of wild bee declines by developing comprehensive wild bee population genomic and disease ecology models. These results will ultimately be used to implement critical conservation strategies.

Sapna Sharma
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science – RSC College

Sapna Sharma has transformed the understanding and study of how lakes worldwide respond to climate change, including rapid ice loss, warming water temperatures, degrading water quality, and changing fish distributions. She reinvigorated the field of winter limnology using big data and cutting-edge statistical analysis. She is a remarkable science communicator, generating millions of media impressions by clearly conveying complexresearch and as founder of SEEDS, an outreach program for refugees.

The newest appointees will be inducted to the RSC on Nov. 25. The ceremonies will be held in person in Calgary, Alberta. .

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