Gabriel Allahdua, a migrant worker activist, has been chosen the first “activist in residence” at the University of Guelph.
His position will be in the university’s Grounded and Engagement Theory Lab.
“It’s an emerging approach in our areas of study, and our goal is to advance it,” said Monique Deveaux of the philosophy department and co-founder of the lab.
“We hope to foster community, knowledge sharing and research collaboration by engaging in research methods that centre the voices of members of justice-seeking communities.”
Collaboration is at the heart of the way the lab conducts its research, Deveaux said. Researchers and students listen to those in communities engaged in struggle, such as the migrant worker community.
“We want him to help us plug into the communities we are looking at in our research. He’s also going to help us establish a network in Ontario that’ll bring researchers together with activists working on common issues around migrant workers and justice for migrant workers.,” she said.
Allahdua is from St. Lucia, has a general agriculture diploma from the Guyana School of Agriculture and was a beekeeper before enrolling in Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program in 2012. He worked in Leamington’s greenhouse sector for four years before seeking permanent residency and turning his full attention to activism.
Now he’s an organizer with Justice for Migrant Workers and an outreach worker with The Neighbourhood Organization, which provides services to migrant workers.
Allahdua has also written an autobiography, Harvesting Freedom, about his experience as a migrant worker. It is scheduled for release March 7.
