Current protests and resistance against anti-Black racism are inspiring collective action around the world.
These protests have also resurfaced wider conversations about racism and have encouraged people to educate themselves on anti-racism work.
Racism is a violent and unrelenting presence in our institutions, systems and our country. It has extremely harmful, physical, emotional and mental impacts on the communities affected. It affords privileges to the dominant group at the expense of the oppression and exclusion of others. Overall, racism hinders progress of society at large.
It is impossible to look at the current climate or at our country’s history of slavery, colonization and race based discrimination and deny that racism is a toxic legacy which continues to marginalize certain groups of people. From violent attacks to subtler insults and microaggressions that lie beneath the surface, racism is something that deeply impacts the experiences and day-to-day lives of our staff, faculty, students and other members of the UBC community.
Yet it is not enough to acknowledge that racism exists; we must all do our part and pair meaningful words with equally meaningful action. Anti-racism work is not a one time action, but a life-long commitment.
As one way to reflect this commitment, this page will be updated regularly with new resources, articles and events to help everyone stay updated on community efforts to tackle racism on campus and beyond.
Statements
Listen, Change, Do More., UBC Equity & Inclusion Office
Together against Racism and Injustice, Office of the President, UBC
UBC Committee on Systemic Racism, Office of the President, UBC
Educational Resources
Events and Workshops
One Hour @ UBC are free online lectures conceived especially for these unusual times.
In this new three-part series developed by UBC’s Equity & Inclusion Office in collaboration with Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour (IBPOC) Connections, UBC professors and instructors examine historical and contemporary race and racisms themes in pandemic, anti-Black and anti-Asian contexts.
All lectures are hosted live using Zoom, a free web application. Each online class includes a lecture and time for questions, answers and discussion.
DATES: June 24, July 13 and July 30
TIME: 1–2pm Pacific Time
COST: Free
To register, you will need to login to your Registration Account, or create an account with Extended Learning.
June 24
The Critical Legality of Racism: America’s Obsession with Stop-and-Frisk and Chokehold Law
ADEERYA JOHNSON, PhD Student
July 13
Race Thinking In/As Health: Canada’s Historical Geographies For and Beyond COVID-19
JOHN PAUL (JP) CATUNGAL, PhD
July 30
Histories of Race and Contagion: Revisiting D’Arcy Island through COVID-19
RENISA MAWANI, PhD
Led by the co-creative directors of media arts collective Love Intersection, David Ng and Jen Sungshine, this online Through the Lens workshop focuses on art and activism into relationship, and explores the intersection of queerness with race and other overlapping identities.
David and Jen will outline the challenges and joys of collaborative filmmaking practice, and share strategies for building social trust while upholding artistic integrity and creative activism.
Join us for a virtual engagement with Eternity Martis as she discusses her book They Said This Would Be Fun: Race, Campus Life and Growing Up.
Martis’ work provides a clear-eyed, powerful depiction of racism on Canadian campuses, opening up a timely dialogue on what it means to be an IBPOC individual in academia. Hosted by Minelle Mahtani, UBC’s Senior Advisor to the Provost on Racialized Faculty.
Brought to you in partnership between the Ignite Book Club and IBPOC Connections, an initiative supported by the UBC Equity & Inclusion Office.
BIPOC Student Leaders at the EIO invite self-identifying Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) students to attend our Virtual Get Connected event on July 8th, 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
This is an opportunity for us to be together in solidarity and to recognize the ways the anti-Black, anti-Indigenous and anti-Asian racism are reinforced through white supremacy. Special guest, acclaimed singer-songwriter and winner of CBC’s Searchlight Competition, Desirée Dawson, will also be offering us music and breathing exercises to support our healing and celebrate the strength of our communities at this time.
We also recognize that with recent events, particularly the violence and systemic anti-Blackness experienced by Black folk, this has been a time of both inspiring social change and deep grief for Black communities.
To honour this, the first hour (5:30 pm -6:30 pm) will be for all BIPOC students, and the last half hour (6:30 pm - 7:00 pm) will be an intentional space for Black students.
Community Spotlight
The Black Caucus is a forum for Black faculty, staff, students and members of the community. The Black Caucus provides a community of support to its members while advancing a discourse on Blackness in Canada, advocating for institutional change and holding UBC accountable to its commitment toward justice, equitable representation, and meaningful inclusion.
IBPOC Connections strives to enhance the experiences and outcomes of faculty and staff who identify as Indigenous, Black and/or People of Colour at UBC. Focused on community, belonging, and engagement, IBPOC Connections creates a space where IBPOC faculty and staff can come together to be in good company, to have candid conversations, and to collaborate and coordinate.
If you have concerns with respect to human rights and discrimination, contact our human rights advising team. If you need support with conflict engagement, education and training, or unit-level planning, data, and evaluation related to equity, diversity, and inclusion, submit a request for a consultation with our office.