Environmental and Racial Justice Leader Named 2023 Ashley Fellow At Trent University

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Chúk Odenigbo, an equity leader at the forefront of racial and climate justice, has been named the 2023 Ashley Fellow at Trent University announced on Monday. 

Photo courtesy of Trent University.

The 2023 Ashley Fellow is co-hosted by Trent University’s Lady Eaton College (LEC) and Peter Gzowski College, colleges that are home to living-learning communities that focus on Indigenous leadership and environmental sustainability and leadership and civic engagement, respectively according to a press release.

“Chúk has received national recognition for his work as a sustainability leader, a changemaker, and a keen representative of the Francophone community in Canada. His visit provides incredible opportunities for students in all colleges to learn and engage with new ideas,” said Dr. Melanie Buddle, Gzowski principal. 

As Ashley Fellow, Odenigbo will visit Trent’s Peterborough campus from Jan. 23 to Feb. 3. He will sit in on lectures, visit classrooms and offer mentorship sessions for students. During his visit, Odenigbo will also deliver two public lectures on social justice:

"When I think about Ashley Fellowship at Trent University, I think of the idea of acting as a future ancestor," said Odenigbo. "As a young person in Canada holding multiple intersecting identities, the Ashley Fellowship means a lot to me because it allows me to be visible for other young people who are still figuring themselves out. [It is] an honour, to have been given the opportunity to interact and share with the next generation of young changemakers."

A Franco-Albertan from Calgary, Odenigbo is passionate about the interactions between culture, health and the environment. This passion has led him to his current role as founding director and director of Ancestral Services for Future Ancestors Services Inc., a youth-led, Indigenous and Black-owned, social enterprise that advances climate justice and equity. 

Beyond his work with Future Ancestors Services, Odenigbo is also co-founder of The Poison and The Apple, a bilingual non-profit organization that seeks to change the ways that Canadians interact with nature and make the outdoors diverse and welcoming spaces for all. 

“An important quality for the Ashley Fellow to embody is a desire to learn and a passion to share knowledge,” said Dr. Christine Freeman-Roth, LEC principal. “Through his research into medical geography, Chúk will be able to shed light on public health policies and strategies and is looking forward to learning more about Indigeneity and amplifying Black knowledge.” 

Odenigbo is enthusiastic regarding the appointment and looking forward to leading discussions around the impact of linguistic justice on climate change and environmentalism; questions of race and equity; defining and valuing Black knowledge in the context of the spread of disease and public health; and environmental racism.

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