A Bison at the Centre of Human Rights Education
In the early ’90s, Isha Khan walked through the University of Manitoba’s sprawling Fort Garry campus, uncertain of where her path would lead. A philosophy student with an affinity for religious studies, she felt a strong pull toward advocacy and social justice, though what form that passion would take was still unclear.
“I always cared about human rights, even if I didn’t know how to name it back then,” Khan [BA/94] says.
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Khan had attended a private girls’ high school, and UM opened her eyes to a wider world.
“I came from a pretty privileged life. So, coming into UM and this big mosaic of people from all over the city, it was a really dynamic time in my life,” Khan says.
The university buzzed with ideas and identities Khan hadn’t encountered before. She remembers her early hopes of “changing the world,” sparked by an environment that challenged and expanded her perspective.
As Khan matured, so did her understanding of change. After earning her BA, she went on to complete a law degree at the University of Victoria and began practicing labour and employment law in Calgary. But by 2007, she felt a pull back to Winnipeg—a return rooted in a sense of purpose and belonging.
“My roots are here. I’m really connected to this land,” Khan says. “I love being on the prairies. I love being around lakes. I like the social justice and social fabric of this province.”
More than just home, Winnipeg represented a legacy of social movements that aligned with her work and values. “The Two-Spirit movement, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls movement, the labour movement, the suffrage movement. So many of these important struggles for rights and dignity also have strong roots here, and I think UM holds a lot of that,” Khan says.
Back in Winnipeg, Khan joined United Way before moving to the Manitoba Human Rights Commission, where she spent 10 years and eventually became executive director. In this role, she successfully advocated for changes that made a tangible impact on Manitobans’ daily lives, from the implementation of audible signals at every crosswalk in Winnipeg to the addition of a third gender option on provincial birth certificates.
Her call to lead the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) came unexpectedly. Established in 2014 as Canada’s first national museum outside of Ottawa, with a mission to capture the stories, struggles and triumphs of human rights movements across Canada and the world, the CMHR has become a cornerstone of national reflection and dialogue.
“As a lawyer, I never thought I’d work in a museum,” Khan says.
But the opportunity came to intrigue her. The chance to shape conversations on human rights through storytelling and education was a natural fit.
“The museum’s job is to capture the collective memory of Canada,” Khan says. “I think about museums as truth tellers.”
Confronting truths, however, is not always easy. Khan’s tenure as CEO, which began in 2020, came amid intense scrutiny of the museum’s own history with anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism, as well as issues of representation. She took the helm during a period of upheaval, compounded by the challenges of COVID-19, and her task was as much about rebuilding trust as it was about addressing systemic issues.
“I was taking on this role in a time of crisis,” Khan says. “And then I spent the next couple of years trying to stabilize a workplace, but also a place that has stature in the province, likely because it talks about human rights—something people all have their own ideas about, including what it means and how it should be approached.”
For Khan, this work demands redefining success beyond the typical metrics.
“There’s still so much lack of understanding of what human rights really are, of what it means to truly value the inherent dignity of others,” Khan says. “When people ask, ‘How do you know you’ve succeeded in building equity?’ I have to look for those small moments where people connect, where we pause to consider someone else’s perspective.”
Khan’s vision for the museum goes beyond the walls of the building itself. Her work, she explains, is to use the museum as a bridge between people, creating a shared space where visitors—whether they arrive out of curiosity or conviction—can find meaning.
“I want people to see themselves here.”
Point of View // ISHA KHAN ON EMBRACING LEADERSHIP TO AMPLIFY VOICES
As a woman of colour in a leadership position, Isha Khan acknowledges how perceptions shift with titles.
“You put three initials after your name—CEO—and suddenly you’re viewed as a different person than you were before,” Khan says. “I don’t think I’m that different at all. I just think that I have access to influence in ways that I didn’t, and so rather than fighting it, I’m just trying to own it and use it to make a difference.”
By embracing her role, she aims to use her influence to amplify voices and stories that might otherwise go unheard.
“As a leader, I often feel like people want to centre me and my voice,” she says. “But it’s not really about me—it’s about all of us coming together as a community to listen to those who too often go unheard and remembering their voices and stories as we build our future together.”
At the University of Manitoba, Bisons are at the centre of health care, finance, Reconciliation and so much more. Wherever there’s a challenge, you’ll find UM alumni leading the charge. Explore the Bisons at the Centre campaign and meet other alumni who—like Isha Khan—are shaping Manitoba and beyond.