Grenfell Campus recognized International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in a significant way this year.
The campus’s Internationalization Working Group launched an anti-racism campaign and invited experts to participate in a thought-provoking conversation.
The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination recognizes that injustices and prejudices fuelled by racial discrimination take place every day.
Observed annually on March 21, it commemorates the day police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in 1960.
The International Working Group contracted visual arts student Grace Prince who, through a series of consultations with various student groups, created an image with the message, No Place for Racism.
A website was also launched to house resources and information.
“[EDI-AR] programs and policies allow us to weigh things equitably, not just equally.”
The accompanying panel discussion featured Dr. Paul Banahene Adjei, interim associate vice-president (Indigenous research) and associate professor at the School of Social Work; Angela Gomez, international student programming co-ordinator at Grenfell Campus; Laurabel Mba, public speaker and advocate for equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism (EDI-AR); and Dr. Ajay Parasram, associate professor at Dalhousie University.
“Racism is an inherent power structure that exists as sort of a hierarchical system with Blackness at the bottom and as close to whiteness at the top,” said Ms. Mba. “As close as one gets to that inherent power in the ideology of racism, there is a kind of safety that exists for those at the top.”
Racism is often thought about through the most extreme examples, like the Ku Klux Klan or genocide, says Ms. Mba.
“Because of that, people look at the world around them and feel like racism does not exist.”
Canadian laws and policies and many other countries are all predicated on racial assumptions, the panel suggested, and racialized people continue to experience frequent instances of racism.
They also said the need for EDI-AR programs and policies cannot be understated.
“These programs and policies allow us to weigh things equitably, not just equally,” said Ms. Mba. “It is essential for the work that we do. If we only have a homogeneous-looking crew around decision-making tables, there are so many that get left behind in policy creation and service revision. It is important that we see ourselves in EDI-AR and advocate for it to continue to exist because at any time it could be you that needs this equitable medium.”
EDI-AR isn’t about advancing the careers of a handful of people, Dr. Parasram suggested.
“It is about trying to make institutions do what they claim they are trying to do in a better way and address problems,” he said.
A role we all must play
Allies have to recognize that this work belongs to everyone, the experts said, and that we have a collective responsibility to make our world a better place to live.
Are you wondering how you can be a better ally to racialized groups and Indigenous people? Check out the advice from Dr. Parasram below.
- Do the administrative labour. Plan the event, make the calls, find the funding.
- Educate yourself. Read, watch, reach out to those with lived experiences, and understand your own history.
- Reject nationalism and patriotism. It is too powerful a weapon to be used constructively and is often used to stop conversation and debate.
- Embrace solidity instead of unity. Even though you don’t fully understand or agree with a group, recognize the value of what they are working to accomplish.
- Put your bodies on the line. Attend protests and help to keep people safe. Volunteer to be march marshals.
- Get involved with projects without centring your own expertise. Cook meals, offer to provide childcare, create spaces and time for racialized people to take on leadership roles.
- Recognize that the system of white supremacy that has benefitted white people also harms white people. No one wants oppression. Dismantling unfair systems of advantage means that everyone benefits.
