Confident Conversations About Race and Racism

Dr. Gabrielle Russell serves as the Assistant Director and Education Lead at the National Centre for Cultural Competence (NCCC) at the University of Sydney, bringing extensive experience from various sectors, including non-government organizations, politics, business, church, and higher education. She is dedicated to enhancing cultural competence from a non-Indigenous perspective, focusing on transformative learning and collaboration. With a longstanding commitment to human rights and social justice, Gabrielle's previous work emphasized Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social justice and policy issues. She has developed education and advocacy programs addressing racism, Whiteness, colonization, Indigenous theology, and inculturation. Her PhD research, titled From Pumpkins to Property Management: Developing the Organisational Capacity of the Jubal Aboriginal Corporation (2011), explored community enterprise development in Northern NSW. Gabrielle's current teaching and research interests include race and racism, critical pedagogies, service learning, and cultural competence, with ongoing projects aimed at preparing students for service learning in Aboriginal community-controlled organizations and creating online modules to promote cultural competence learning.