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U of C, MRU among Canadian universities to sign charter on anti-Black racism

The 22-page Scarborough Charter requires those signing it to respect certain principles as they develop their own action plans to foster Black inclusion

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The University of Calgary and Mount Royal University are among 46 post-secondary institutions across Canada that signed a charter Thursday to fight anti-Black racism on campus.

The 22-page Scarborough Charter requires those signing it to respect certain principles as they develop their own plans to foster Black inclusion. Those commitments include addressing the under-representation of Black faculty members and students and including a Black and African studies curriculum.

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Malinda Smith, the U of C’s vice-president of diversity, equity and inclusion, said there are few Black scholars in the faculties of Canadian universities.

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Statistics Canada census data from 2016 and data from a 2019 Universities Canada report indicate six per cent of undergraduate students, 6.1 per cent of graduate students and three per cent of PhD graduates are Black, while 1.9 per cent of professors at universities and 0.8 per cent of universities’ leaders are Black. Black people account for 3.5 per cent of Canada’s population.

“There’s a significant under-representation. I’m the only Black senior leader at the University of Calgary,” Smith told the Canadian Press. She added that universities need to deal with barriers and biases that may prevent Black scholars from being hired.

“We have to recognize systemic racism, and we have to recognize racial biases.”

Dr. Malinda Smith, co-chair for the City of Calgary’s anti-racism hearings, makes opening remarks before day three of the hearings on Thursday, July 9, 2020.
Dr. Malinda Smith, co-chair for the City of Calgary’s anti-racism hearings, makes opening remarks before day three of the hearings on Thursday, July 9, 2020. Gavin Young/Postmedia

In a news release Thursday, the U of C said the principles in the charter would shape institutional actions to combat racism and foster Black inclusion and shape the development of equitable policies and initiatives.

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“We need to be the hub where diverse members of our community can come together, teach, learn, create and share a plurality of perspectives and approaches to knowing,” U of C president Ed McCauley said in the release.

In a statement, MRU said it is committed to anti-racism work on campus and in the community.

“We recognize there is absolutely more work to be done and will continue to engage with the campus community,” the university said. “We believe that working collaboratively with the other signatories of the Scarborough Charter will help combat Anti-Black Racism to advance a more diverse and equitable post-secondary sector.”

MRU added it is currently working to hire an associate vice-president of equity, diversity and inclusion — similar to Smith’s role at the U of C.

Mount Royal University in Calgary was photographed on Thursday, June 24, 2021.
Mount Royal University in Calgary was photographed on Thursday, June 24, 2021. Photo by Gavin Young/Postmedia

The U of C and MRU signed the charter in a virtual ceremony Thursday, alongside other major post-secondary institutions, including the University of Alberta, the University of Toronto and McGill University.

The schools that signed on to the charter represent less than a quarter of the 96 publicly funded universities and 139 publicly funded colleges in Canada. However, charter committee chair Wisdom Tettey said more schools are expected to sign on in the near future.

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The document was drafted by an advisory committee in the wake of social unrest in the summer of 2020 following the murder of Black man George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer.

“There was an opportune moment for us to say, ‘Well, there are a lot of statements being issued, but this may be the time for us to come together and do this together,'” Tettey told the Canadian Press.

The committee asked universities and colleges for their feedback to refine the charter and met with several organizations and groups, including Universities Canada and the parliamentary Black caucus.

Last June, more than 1,300 students, alumni and faculty members signed an open letter to the U of C urging the university to take anti-racism action, making several requests for specific actions which parallel those adopted in the Scarborough Charter.

At MRU, students rallied in September 2020 to demand mandatory anti-racism courses at the school. Earlier this year, racialized staff at the university spoke to Postmedia about a “toxic environment” involving experiences of racism and systemic barriers to career advancement.

— With files from The Canadian Press

jherring@postmedia.com

Twitter: @jasonfherring

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