Mayor Jyoti Gondek talks about the need to continue to have conversations about racism and to work together to unpack systemic racism. She is very proud of our youth who are engaging in such conversations to provide ideas to have Calgary be an anti-racist city. She shares some raw moments when she felt broken. She voices how “we can be better than this” when it comes to being welcoming and inclusive.
Dr. Jyoti Gondek was sworn in as Calgary's 37th mayor and the first woman to be elected to this role on October 25, 2021. Prior to being elected as mayor, she served as city councillor for Ward 3 from 2017 to 2021. She holds a Ph.D. in urban sociology, and an M.A. in organizational sociology. Throughout her career, Mayor Gondek has taken a big picture approach to pressing challenges. Often, she has found processes and policies exist simply because they have never been questioned. She has come to understand that by probing and chipping away at issues, we move forward with improvements that have meaning in our everyday lives.
