Addressing Anti-Black Racism and Advancing Racial Justice in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta

On June 3, 2020, I made a statement of commitment as your Dean to advancing racial justice in the Faculty of Education. More specifically, I made a commitment to the following:

• Hiring black faculty members and, in all future hires, paying attention to multiple histories of qualifications and capacities to know, research and teach in areas of literacy, math, mental health, disability, or queer/transgender histories as they intersect with racialization and colonization.
• Checking in with and supporting Black and Indigenous students, staff and faculty members.
• Requiring significant training in Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity for all members of faculty hiring committees and for those serving as members of the Diversity, Equity and Respect (DER) committee.
• Supporting the formalization of the proposed Anti-Oppressive Education course as required for all students in our undergraduate teacher education program.

In what follows, I outline the work to date in expanding and actioning these commitments.

Addressing Anti-Black Racism:

Since June 2020, Maryanne Doherty (Associate Dean Undergraduate Programs and Services), Doug Gleddie (Associate Dean Graduate Studies) and I have been meeting with a collective of Black students in the Faculty of Education who are helping us consider various actions to address anti-Black racism, recognizing that among racialized students, Black students have unique histories and contemporary experiences with racism. These students have articulated 10 Calls to Action which I include below:

1. At least (minimum) one faculty event yearly for Black History Month open to staff and students (e.g., brown bag lunch, roundtable, showcase of Black contributions to education and other facets of society, etc.).
2. Mandate yearly and mandatory anti-oppression training for all faculty, staff, and students with a specific component on anti-Black racism, facilitated by a member of the Black community with expertise in diversity training and facilitation.
3. More opportunities for Black and non-Indigenous students to build relationships with Indigenous students.
4. Faculty-level orientation for students with specific supports and resources outlined for Black and Indigenous students, and students in the International Cohort in Secondary Education.
5. Dean to advocate at the university level for a Black Studies course or certificate; initiate the process for having this available at the university.
6. Have at least one specific scholarship fund for Black students administered by the Faculty.
7. Improved recruitment, visibility, and representation of Black students in the faculty in all programs.
8. Hire and retain at least one new Black faculty member that centres Black scholarship and pedagogy. Replace Black faculty members who were lost over the last couple of years. Provide evidence that a hiring search for Black faculty was done.
9. Implement a systematic process for consistent collection of race-based data, particularly in graduate and undergraduate admissions process, faculty hiring, and scholarships and awards adjudication.
10. Confidential and accessible process for students, faculty, and staff to report incidents of racism in our faculty and on campus; follow up and appropriate action should be taken by the Dean.

Through regular meetings with these amazing students, members of the Faculty leadership team have been actively seeking to move these Calls to Action forward where possible and appropriate, recognizing that some require institutional commitment, and that current university-wide policies and processes must be considered for others. Having said that, there are specific efforts underway within the Faculty to take up these Calls to Action, including:

• A series of events have been organized by the Faculty of Education for Black History month (see the Dean’s Message in the January 29 Faculty newsletter for more information).
• In the midst of an institutional hiring freeze, permission was recently sought and received from the Provost for a targeted hire of a Black scholar in the School and Clinical Psychology Programme who brings expertise in the areas of racial justice, human rights, and/or diversity.
• The Faculty of Education has requested that race-based data be collected by the Registrar’s Office in admissions processes and in scholarship and award processes.
• As a member of the newly formed College of Social Sciences and Humanities, the Faculty of Education is exploring the possibility of a collaborative certificate in Black Studies.
• Efforts in USS, ATEP and the Office of the Associate Dean Graduate Studies to ensure that Black, Indigenous and Students of Colour are aware of the supports available to them, including mental health supports, and that they understand Faculty and institutional processes for reporting incidents of racism.
• In alignment with the CRC requirement that search committees participate in unconscious bias training through the modules created by the Tri-Council for this purpose, the Faculty of Education is seeking to ensure all members of faculty hiring committees complete this training.

The Faculty of Education, together with the Diversity, Equity and Respect Committee, are creating opportunities for faculty and staff to participate in anti-oppressive education at annual retreats, lunch and learns, and other campus-wide events.

Advancing Racial Justice:

More broadly, and following the June 3rd statement of commitment, several initiatives are underway or have been implemented over the last several months:

1. Establishment of the Student Panel for Advancing Racial Justice composed of 32 Black, Indigenous, and Students of Colour from undergraduate and graduate programs across the Faculty. Since October, the Advisory Panel has met three times to develop a statement of purpose, share experiences, discuss actions for advancing racial justice within and beyond the Faculty, and to plan for Black History Month.
2. Appointment of Angela Wolfe as the Special Advisor: Indigenous Initiatives and Advancing Racial Justice in the Faculty of Education. Angela served in this role from September 1-December 1 providing important support and counsel to members of the Faculty Leadership team and to the Student Advisory Council. Angela has since left the Faculty to take up an exciting opportunity at UBC.
3. Organized and hosted a virtual lecture in November delivered by Dr. Jerome Cranston titled Clapping Black at Systemic Racism in Education. The event was attended by 130 participants from the Faculty, University and broader community.
4. Prioritized a new Tier-1 Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Wisdom Traditions in Teacher Education. Members of the CRC selection committee underwent unconscious bias training and have also made recommendations to the University of Alberta for stronger EDI practices in CRC search processes. A nomination from the Faculty is being prepared for the CRC Secretariat for the April deadline.
5. Contributed to the creation of a Media Statement on Anti-Racism from the Association of Canadian Deans of Education (ACDE) .
6. Continued support for the creation of a mandatory anti-oppressive education class as part of the undergraduate program renewal process. This course will be piloted in Fall 2021 and will move through appropriate approval processes.