Culturally Speaking

Presented by the Black Heritage CommitteeJoin us this Black History Month for a moving evening of film screenings that celebrate Black brilliance across generations. The evening will share powerful films by Black filmmakers that explore real stories of resilience, culture, family, and vision. Each film offers a unique lens on Black life—past, present, and future.

The films will be followed by a panel discussion with Brian Lanier speaking of the Lanier Family’s legacy and filmmakers Cheryl Foggo, Kamika Guerra-Walker, Nenritji Suwa and on their inspiration and journey of the films. The discussion will be moderated by the Black Heritage Committee’s Lana Bentley. 

Location: Railway Orientation Centre

In response to fire safety, Calgary built nineteen schools of sandstone construction prior to the First World War. While these buildings were unique to Calgary, the communities they served, the neighbourhoods that grew around them went on to define Calgary as a city. Join speaker Darrel G. Babuk on March 11, 2026 to learn about this uniquely Calgarian building type that influenced an urban growth pattern.

Speaker: Darrel G. Babuk, M. Arch., Retired Architect AAA, President Boreas Studios Incorporated

Biography: From a railway family, Darrel grew up living in Canadian prairie railroad stations. As a student at Crescent Heights High School, he worked for WG Milne, Architect maintaining drawing and letter files. Studying architecture at Montana State University, he was elected to lead the national office of the American Institute of Architecture Students in Washington, DC. After interning in Calgary, he eventually opened a practice in that Chicago worked with clients such as the Chicago Public School Board and the Chicago Transit Authority. His specialty became working with historic projects and their communities. Currently retired as an Architect, Darrel’s building heritage and conservation practice, Boreas Studios Incorporated, whose focus is promoting and preserving the heritage of Alberta’s built environment.

In an era where artificial intelligence shapes decisions across policing, healthcare, finance, hiring and everyday digital life, it is imperative to look beyond the surface of the systems we increasingly trust. Join University of Calgary Professor of AI & Law, Dr. Gideon Christian, for a timely and thought-provoking exploration of hidden bias in AI technologies. This engaging presentation will unpack how AI systems can reproduce and amplify existing bias and inequalities. Together, we will examine the assumptions embedded in data, interrogate the structures that shape technological design, and chart a path toward a more accountable and inclusive digital future. This is more than a conversation; it is a call to awareness and action in the digital age. This is not the time to merely imagine a more equitable technological future; it is time to be part of the conversation and to help shape the responsible development of AI technologies in our communities.

Speaker: Dr. Gideon Christian is an Associate Professor and University Research Chair in AI and Law at the University of Calgary

Biography: Prior to joining the University of Calgary, Dr. Christian was technology lawyer with the federal Department of Justice where he deployed technology in high profile litigation involving the Government of Canada. His research interests are in artificial intelligence and law, legal impacts of new and emerging technologies among other areas. Dr. Christian’s research seeks to identify elements of racial bias in laws, policies and in emerging technologies. He has appeared before the House of Commons Committee on Citizenship and Immigration (CIMM) as an expert in the use of AI in immigration decisions. He was named by the Calgary Herald as one of the top 20 Compelling Calgarians in 2024. He was the recipient of the 2026 Canadian Bar Association (Alberta) and Law Society of Alberta Distinguished Service Award in Legal Scholarship — the most prestigious legal award to a legal academic in Alberta.