Introducing Dr. Ingrid Waldron

ARMS is delighted to feature the most recent work from our newest member, Dr. Ingrid Waldron.

About Dr. Waldron

Dr. Ingrid Waldron was born in Montreal, Quebec, to Trinidadian parents. She is Professor and HOPE Chair in Peace and Health in the Global Peace and Social Justice Program in the Department of History, Faculty of Humanities at McMaster University. She also teaches in the Gender and Social Justice Program in the Faculty of Humanities.

Dr. Waldron was a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Women’s Health in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She holds a PhD from the Sociology and Equity Studies in Education Department at the University of Toronto, an MA in Intercultural Education: Race, Ethnicity and Culture from the Institute of Education at the University of London, and a BA in Psychology from McGill University.

She is the founder and director of the Environmental Noxiousness, Racial Inequities and Community Health Project (The ENRICH Project), the co-founder and co-director of the Canadian Coalition for Environmental and Climate Justice (CCECJ), and the co-founder of Rural Water Watch. She is currently a consultant for the National Environmental Justice Strategy, which is being led by Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Dr. Waldron’s research interests include the impacts of racism and other forms of discrimination on the health and mental health of Black, Indigenous and racialized communities, racial trauma, racial disparities in health and mental health related to COVID-19, dementia, and other illnesses, and the social, political, and health and mental health effects of environmental racism and climate change inequities in Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities.

Dr. Waldron partners with racialized communities, community-based organizations, health agencies, government, and academics to conduct qualitative and mixed methods research, and to develop legislation, policies, services, programs, and documentary film and other multimedia tools and resources to address health and mental health disparities and promote health equity and environmental and climate justice. For example, Dr. Waldron’s research and advocacy work led to the creation of several services, legislation, and resources. Her research on Black women’s experiences with mental illness in the Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada led to the creation of Nova Scotia Health’s Sisterhood Initiative, the first health service exclusively for Black women in Nova Scotia. Her research and advocacy on environmental racism in Black and Indigenous communities in Canada led to her co-developing with former politician Lenore Zann the first federal private members environmental racism/justice bill in Canada An Act Respecting the Development of a National Strategy to Assess, Prevent and Address Environmental Racism and Advance Environmental Justice (Bill C-226). On June 13, 2024, the bill was approved at Seante, becoming the first environmental racism/justice law in Canada.

Dr. Waldron is the author of the 2018 book There’s Something in the Water: Environmental Racism in Indigenous and Black Communities (Fernwood Publishing), which was turned into a 2020 Netflix documentary of the same name and was co-produced by Waldron, actor Elliot Page, Ian Daniel, and Julia Sanderson, and directed by Page and Daniel. Her second book, From the Enlightenment to Black Lives Matter: Tracing the Impacts of Racial Trauma in Black Communities from the Colonial Era to the Present will be published on November 25, 2024. It traces the history of racial trauma experienced by Black communities in Canada, the US and Britain from the colonial era to the present.

Dr. Waldron has provided expertise on race and gender discrimination, health, and mental illness in prisons, environmental racism, environmental justice, and climate justice for international and national organizations, including the UN High Commissioner in Geneva; the World Health Organization in Geneva; Environment and Climate Change Canada; David Suzuki Foundation; Canadian Climate Institute; Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change; Ethnocultural Services, Atlantic Region Correctional Service Canada; and Atlantic Region Employment Equity and Diversity Committee, Atlantic Regional Headquarters, Correctional Service Canada. She has also been a board member for several organizations, including Research Canada, Urban Alliance on Race Relations, Across Boundaries – An Ethno-Racial Mental Health Agency, the Health Association of African Canadians, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, and Ecology Action Centre.

Dr. Waldron is the recipient of several awards, including the Society for Socialist Studies Errol Sharpe Book Prize and the Atlantic Book Award for Scholarly Writing for her book There’s Something in the Water: Environmental Racism in Indigenous and Black Communities, as well as Research Canada’s Leadership in Advocacy Award (Individual Category), Dalhousie University’s President’s Research Excellence Award – Research Impact, the Dalhousie Faculty of Health Early Career Research Excellence Award, 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women Award, Top 25 Women of Influence Award, the Anne Goodman Award for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace and Peace Education from Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, Environmental Defense’s Green Champion Award, Clean 50’s Clean 50 Award for Education and Thought Leadership, and Springtide Collective’s Advocate of the Year Award.

Report: Improving Access to Mental Health Services Among Black Youth in Hamilton, Ontario

We are excited to share Dr. Waldron’s final report on experiences of mental illness and access to mental health services among Black youth in Hamilton, Ontario.

The report discusses what issues need to be considered to improve access to mental health services and other mental health initiatives for Black youth.  The study focuses on the unique challenges, experiences, and perspectives related to mental health issues, including the influence of race, culture, gender identity, socioeconomic status, and other social factors.  Some insights from the study’s participants recommend increasing awareness and education, enhancing service accessibility and affordability, reducing stigma, and promoting community-based and culturally competent services.

To learn more, please click here to view.

Book Preview: From the Enlightenment to Black Lives Matter: Tracing the Impacts of Racial Trauma in Black Communities from the Colonial Era to the Present.

Lastly, we are thrilled to promote the cover and description of Dr. Waldron’s forthcoming book, which will be published on November 25, 2024.

You can pre-order the book starting on October 26, 2024 here: https://bookstore.emerald.com/from-the-enlightenment-to-black-lives-matter-hb-9781803824420.html

Please click here to view the book description.

Dr. Waldron’s Social Media

Ingrid Waldron’s Book From the Enlightenment to Black Lives Matter: Tracing the Impacts of Racial Trauma in Black Communities from the Colonial Era to the Present: From the Enlightenment to Black Lives Matter – Ingrid R.G. Waldron (emerald.com)

Ingrid Waldron’s Book There’s Something in the Water: Environmental Racism in Indigenous and Black Communities: https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/there8217s-something-in-the-water

Ingrid Waldron’s Twitter: @ingrid_waldron

Ingrid Waldron’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waldroningrid/

Ingrid Waldron’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ingrid-waldron-ph-d-2908a725/

The ENRICH Project’s Website: www.enrichproject.org

The ENRICH Project’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enrichproject/

The ENRICH Project’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheENRICHProject

CCECJ Twitter: @theccecj

CCECJ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theccecj

CCECJ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waldroningrid/

CCECJ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ccecj/