Rai Reece

Dr. Rai Reece is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology within the Faculty of Arts at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). Her academic journey includes an Honours BA, MES, and PhD in Women’s Studies, all from York University. As a scholar-activist, she critically examines carceral processes in Canada through the lens of anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism, colonial violence, and misogynoir.

Dr. Reece's educational background is rooted at York University, where she earned:

• Honours BA
• MES (Master of Environmental Studies)
• PhD in Women’s Studies

Her research spans abolition & activism, anti-Black racism, Canadian Black feminism, and carcerality. She employs community-based ethnography to explore the intersections of punishment, misogynoir, and white settler capitalism. A central focus is on how community-based pedagogy can serve as a tool for social activism while critically examining its limitations.

Dr. Reece's recent publications (2019-2025) reveal consistent engagement with carceral systems, racial justice, and Black feminist praxis. Her work bridges critical race theory, decolonial studies, and community activism within Canadian contexts, notably examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Black Canadian women and transformative carceral education through the Walls to Bridges program.

Dr. Reece has been recognized with several prestigious awards:

• Humber College Research Excellence Award (2018)
• 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women (2020)
• TMU Faculty of Arts New Faculty Teaching Award (2022)
• TMU Viola Desmond Faculty Award (2023)

As an educator, she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses including SOC 105, SOC 490, and specialized topics in racism and colonialism. She supervises graduate students in Communication & Culture and Policy Studies programs while conducting anti-racism facilitations across municipal, provincial, and federal levels. Her community engagement includes leadership in the Walls to Bridges program, which creates transformative learning spaces between incarcerated and campus-based students.

Dr. Reece actively contributes to multiple community initiatives as Coordinator of Walls to Bridges at TMU, Co-National Director of Walls to Bridges, member of the Racialized Women’s Faculty Group, Pivot Prison Law Committee, Women’s HIV/AIDS Initiative, Chair of HIV Legal Network’s Board, and Black Health Matters National Advisory Committee.