Marium Tolson-Murtty's year started with an exciting email announcing her as a 2026 Top 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women honouree.
"This organization, run by trailblazers themselves, recognizes the accomplishments of Black women across Canada from various industries, whether it's education, entrepreneurship or STEM," says Tolson-Murtty, director of human rights, conflict resolution and mediation.
Marium Tolson-Murtty named 2026 Top 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women honouree. (KYLE ARCHIBALD/University of Windsor)
"It is just amazing to be recognized along with so many amazing individuals from all different backgrounds and from all across the country."
For more than 20 years she has been working on campus, Tolson-Murtty has long been a recognized leader in anti-racism and conflict resolution. In 2020 she was seconded to serve as an initiatives against anti-Black racism officer in the president's office.
She is especially proud of helping produce the 2021 Anti-Black Racism Task Force report, which included more than 40 recommendations for the institution to address pertaining to anti-Black racism on campus.
"That was a great opportunity which was extremely challenging, but I was able to garner the trust of the individuals because the committee was made-up of faculty, students and staff at the university.
"We've completed at least 90 per cent of the recommendations put forth."
Tolson-Murtty became director of anti-racism organizational change until her title evolved to director of human rights, conflict resolution and mediation in the office of vice president, people, equity and inclusion.
"I was able to step into this role and essentially help build a new office environment on campus to address full force issues pertaining conflict resolution, mediation, addressing anti-racism, accessibility issues and employment equity.
"Ensuring that we are a great place for all of our campus community stakeholders, our faculty, students, staff and alumni."
The proud alumna has three UWindsor degrees and is currently working on completing a PhD in education. For her masters she looked at factors influencing Black students in Windsor and their pursuit of post-secondary education - stemming from what their experiences were in the kindergarten to Grade 12 system.
"For my dissertation, I want to look at now that they're in post-secondary, how is that self-efficacy in terms of feelings of inclusion and belonging help to help or hinder their performance in university," says Tolson-Murtty.
"Just looking at those experiences of self-worth, inclusion, belonging and goal completion in terms of university completions."
The life-long Windsorite's accomplishments extend beyond campus. She is also president of the Hour Day Study Club, one of the oldest women's organizations in Canada founded by female descendants of the Underground Railroad in 1934.
"It was about cultural uplift. It was about social justice. It was about ensuring that our children are being well educated," she says.
"The Hour Day Study Club really came from the idea that if you want to become proficient in something, you must spend at least one hour a day on that particular subject matter."
The group has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarship funds in the last 15 years alone.
"I'm also extremely proud to be part of other various organizations in the community too like the Black Council of Windsor, Essex, Family Fuse, and here on campus being part of the alumni board and helping to establish the University of Windsor Black Alumni Weekend."
In 2022, she was named Canada's top 100 Black women to watch. She says her ultimate goal is to ensure people look at equity as a standard practice.
"Equity is the air that we breathe and should be second nature, an embedded everyday practice."
