Systemic Racism on Campus: Translating words into Transformative Action
By: Rupinder Grewal with Dr. Gerald Walton
We are finally wrapping up an academic school year unlike any other that we have experienced here at Lakehead and across the country. This dreary winter semester complete with lockdowns and a university-wide cyberattack made for a uniquely stressful academic reality. The ongoing worldwide protests for justice, including Black Lives Matter, Indian Farmers’ Protests, and Anti-Asian hate crimes, also added to this crisis fatigue. Fortunately, the buds and blooms of this time of year offer an antidote to what otherwise feel like dismal prospects, allowing us to reflect on what can be learned from all of it.
As a first-generation graduate student in the Master of Education program at Lakehead, I know how important it is to address anti-racism on campuses across Canada. At Lakehead, Indigenous Education and Social Justice Education are offered as specializations in the program. In the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, anti-racism statements were posted in droves by Canadian universities, including Lakehead, uOttawa, and the University of Waterloo. These are perfect examples of reactive practices that ultimately fail to provide Black, Indigenous, and racialized students with concrete programs and initiatives developed on principles of equity. From my perspective, such anti-racism statements offer little to nothing in terms of strategies that build authentic dialogue between faculty, students and administrators about racism and white privilege.
BIPoC students like myself are, as one might predict, the ones who are constantly at the forefront of denouncing acts of racism at universities across Canada and are left with a massive burden of doing this work. For example, several Asian-identified scholars wrote a recent article on arresting the rise of anti-Asian hate in Canada. It’s fine that those who are targeted become involved in pushback against oppression–the problem is that such constant work is mentally exhausting. An additional problem is that those who are not targeted and who enjoy such privilege are not burdened with engaging in the work of social justice.
Meanwhile, at the university level, publishing broad anti-racism statements is simply a strategy to manage optics, to give the impression that post-secondary institutions are “on it.” Such a ploy demonstrates that universities are apparently not complaisant in upholding these discriminatory attitudes and behaviours but, rather, have the courage to speak out for social justice. In my view, statements are easy to make but taking action is much more challenging–and sometimes, taking action costs money.
There have been many recent panel discussions across universities on anti-racism at the University of Toronto, the University of Ottawa, and even new funding programs being offered. However, this is and should only be the beginning. In a post-pandemic world, we cannot allow the workload of equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization (EDID) to fall only or even mainly on the shoulders of students and faculty who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Colour; university administrators, too, need to jump into the fray beyond the simplicity and ease of issuing statements that sound inspiring but offer little else. Even if conversations are happening on higher administrative levels regarding strategic plans and task forces, are BIPoC staff, faculty, and students consulted? Who are the people at the table making these key decisions?
As a woman of colour who recently moderated one of these panels, I quickly recognized the importance of upper administration support to address these issues. Discussions on what needs to happen next is critical; however, one of my greatest fears is that we end up preaching to the choir – and that others, specifically those with unrecognized privilege, will lash back. I realize that if we do not take that first step of speaking up, nothing will ever change. Having had many conversations with white colleagues and faculty, it is clear to me that we are still stuck in the same cycle. In matters of racism, prejudice, and hostilities experienced by minorities on a routine basis, what I have noticed is a heightened environment for speaking out about systemic racism on campus. One example that readers might be familiar with is the Scholar’s Strike, where racialized scholars and their supportive white colleagues came together to speak about anti-racism in academia.
To create an environment where BIPoC students and faculty feel empowered to speak up regarding racism issues without the fear of being penalized, more white students and faculty need to demonstrate what speaking up looks like within their faculties. It is not about leaving the work to other marginalized people. Working for inclusivity sometimes means going against the status quo and speaking out against lacklustre strategies that do little except manage optics. Creating space for student voices to be heard and responding by making necessary changes is a crucial step in this process. Students can continue holding panels and demand change all they want; however, if it is not being heard by people who can implement those changes – what is the exact point of it all?
Lakehead University needs to allocate resources and funding for programs and courses focused on Black history, social justice, critical race and ethnic studies. They must make scholarships more accessible for students undertaking EDID and anti-racism work, prioritize hiring BIPoC faculty and incentivize work in this area, among other equity initiatives. The necessary changes needed will address policy and actively alter curriculum, pedagogical approaches, recruitment, and retention in higher education. Universities need to take actionable steps and recognize that simply using an “equity lens” is not enough because this implies that anti-racism and equity are a temporary framework – not put at the core of all decision-making processes. Instead of making grand gestures that are tokenistic in nature, incorporating diverse voices into the decision-making process should be a permanent practice at Lakehead and all post-secondary institutions. All of the recommendations put forth by BIPoC staff, faculty, and students over the last decade must be implemented starting now.