Zahra J. Brown, M.A, B.A.
Zahra is a Jamaican-Canadian citizen who bears multiple overlapping identities. She is a Black, lesbian, cisgender woman, who is often misgendered because of her gender expression. Zahra is hard of hearing and has mild cerebral palsy.
Zahra is a York University graduate who earned a B.A in Women’s Studies and M.A in Critical Disability Studies. Her thesis “Ableism, Intersectionality, Power and Knowledge: The Complexities of Navigating Accommodations in Postsecondary Institutions” is available online for viewers to download and read on York University’s YorkSpace.
Zahra has a passion for public speaking and is an advocate for social justice. She takes interest in mental health, accessibility, human rights, disability, race, gender, and sexuality. Her critical thinking, feminist skills and public speaking have earned her opportunities to train, reflect, and present on social media, in colleges, universities, non-profit organizations, conferences, and church youth conferences.
As a former Humber College employee, 2016-2019, Zahra gained unparalleled experience of co-facilitating several human rights trainings for work-study students, while also establishing herself as a respected public speaker.
In 2021, Zahra was an independent contractor, as an accessibility consultant for City of Toronto, where she developed a report of the Impact of COVID-19 on People with Disabilities in Toronto, which highlighted key issues and accessibility barriers people with disabilities experienced. She provided recommendations for the City of Toronto based on her research.
In 2023, Zahra was a member of delegation team appointed to travel with the moderator of The Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC) to the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) in April. This trip allowed Zahra to learn about the PCT, their relationship with Indigenous communities, and their decision to include LGTBQ+ peoples in the life of the church. Through her participation as a member, Zahra was able to connect the gap of disability and religion by challenging ableist biblical texts and pastoral theology.
In 2024, Zahra was one of the breakroom circle facilitators at the ACT Now! Second National Conference on Black Mental Health and Wellbeing. Her circle's topic was "Healing in the intersectionality for Black Youth, Young People and Black Communities living with disabilities and Mental Health." She shared how the intersectionality of homophobia, ableism, racism, shame, religious homophobic teachings can negatively impact mental health and how family support is a significant piece in the healing process.
