In the spring of 2020, the brutal police killings of unarmed Black people, most notably the asphyxiation death of 46-year-old George Floyd, led to civil unrest and global condemnation. In the weeks that followed, businesses and non-profit organizations the world over, including universities and governments, were called upon by protestors, Black leaders, students and academics to address anti-Black racism and white supremacy.

York President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton together with Sheila Cote-Meek, vice-president of equity, people and culture (EP&C), responded to the call for action. In messages to the community issued in the Spring of 2020, they committed to a series of actions to combat anti-Black racism, including increasing the number of Black scholars, enhancing financial support for Black students, refining the community safety model, unconscious bias training, and developing an equity strategy.

From June 2020 to January 2021, Lenton and Cote-Meek met with more than 200 Black members of York University’s communities to discuss their experiences with anti-Black racism and gather recommendations for change. In August, York Professors Carl E. James and Andrea Davis joined as advisors on the work. James, who is professor in the Faculty of Education and senior advisor on equity and representation to the University, is a national thought leader on anti-Black racism in schools. Davis, professor in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) and special advisor to the dean of LA&PS on an anti-Black racism strategy for the Faculty, is a leading academic in Black diasporic studies.

On Feb. 24, two documents were released to the University community for review and input. The documents, Addressing Anti-Black Racism: A Framework for Black Inclusion and Draft Action Plan on Black Inclusion distill the information gained from the months of consultations and reviews into a series of themes and actionable steps. Community members are encouraged to submit their feedback on the draft action plan. A University town hall with Lenton, Cote-Meek, James and Davis is planned for March 18 and the York community will have an opportunity to ask questions about the framework and action plan.

“The framework and action plan spell out what the University needs to do to see forward movement on dismantling anti-Black racism at the University,” says Cote-Meek. “The framework is a culmination of the consultations that we undertook with Black faculty and instructors, staff, students and alumni. It is organized into nine thematic areas that capture what came out of the consultations.”

Cote-Meek observes that themes articulated in the framework cover a range of areas that need to be addressed. “For example, addressing the underrepresentation of Black faculty members in Faculties, and Black staff in managerial roles is identified in the framework,” says Cote-Meek. “Another important area is ensuring that Black community members feel a sense of safety on campus.”

She notes that increasing funding for Black students, graduate students and doctoral fellows and hiring more Black scholars, areas articulated in the framework and action plan, are underway. There is more to be done and Cote-Meek acknowledges that both documents represent a starting point not the end of work. She is optimistic about progress because both the framework and action plan are underpinned by York University’s strong foundation in, and commitment to social justice. Success of the framework and action plan will take time, she says, and will be measured against the nine themes.

As the framework and action plan’s special advisors, James and Davis agree with Cote-Meek that measurement will be important in ensuring success of the anti-Black racism initiatives. Both are firm in their observation that the framework and action plan represent just the beginning of a long journey to rectify the grief caused by anti-Black racism and inequality. They point out that for the academy to grow and thrive, anti-Black racism and inequality must be addressed.

It is critically important that the academy address the long-standing racial disparities that undermine how it functions, asserts Davis. For too long, too few Black academics have been a part of the University and Black scholars, academics and staff are not reflected in the administrative ranks. It is important, she says, that students see themselves reflected in their instructors. “As a York University senator for the last five years and Chair of my department, one of the things I consistently pushed back against was a kind of easy assumption that because our student body is diverse, with a visible representation of Black and racialized students, that this means the University is not racist and we don’t need to do anything further,” says Davis. “Students are choosing us and therefore that means we are an ‘equitable place’.”

However, says Davis, the truth is that long entrenched anti-Black racism and inequality is a hallmark of academia. “What encourages me about the framework is the acknowledgement that structural, systemic racism, and anti-Black racism specifically, exists in universities, and it exists at York.”

The curriculum, adds James, “has not reflected the diversity of our students; and our teaching practices and activities within the departments and faculties have not been attentive enough to the concerns and needs of our students, and our Black faculty and staff.”

“In some ways,” says Davis, “this may be entirely rhetorical, but there is something especially important about having a contract in writing in the framework and action plan and being able to hold the University accountable to its own words and promises.”

The main question for James is not “why is this important,” but “why now?” He continues, “What brought us to this point? What have we not been doing all along? What do we need to start doing? Are we paying attention to what we might not have been doing and should have been doing? And in all the University does, we must be conscious not to use Black people as props or supporting cast members in conveying the message of diversity.”

For Davis, the death of George Floyd was a turning point. “It was the tragedy of the moment. I think that it took the public, humiliating and catastrophic depiction of Black pain and Black death to bring us to this point. It is history repeating history. As a University, we were continuing along and we did not pay attention to the everyday patterns of hurt, the painful experiences our students, faculty and staff face. It was that moment of horror that forced everyone to pay attention to the deficiencies in our relationships and our way of thinking.”

James asserts that it is important for the academy to be held to account for the longstanding culture of inequity. The eight minutes it took for George Floyd to die brought a reckoning to the world, says James, and to academia in particular because of the important role that universities play in advancing change.

“The death of George Floyd was not a singular event,” says James. “The change that needs to happen requires a commitment.” The framework he says, represents an important start in the hard work that lies ahead.

Both James and Davis say that it will take time and effort for the entire York University community to bring about the kind of cultural transformation laid out in the framework and progress will be difficult. “People may hear different ideas, including things they might not want to hear, but we must demonstrate a readiness and willingness to change,” says Davis.

“It is good to see the commitments on paper in the framework because I speak often about the cruelty of hope or the cruelty of optimism,” says James. “So, I am thinking here that these commitments would be cruel if they are not followed up with real action. The hiring of Black faculty is a signal of progress, and the recent announcement of the support program for Black postdocs means that there is some start to the promise. But without really putting in place these things our hopes will be destroyed.”

By Jenny Pitt-Clark, YFile editor

The following is an important message to the York University community from Rhonda L. Lenton, president and vice-chancellor, and Sheila Cote-Meek, vice-president, Equity, People and Culture:

La version française suit la version anglaise.

Dear Colleagues,

Equity and inclusion are embedded in York University’s founding principles. Last spring, York reaffirmed its solidarity with those experiencing anti-Black racism and its commitment to fighting racism of all forms. From the many important conversations that have taken place at York since then, we have heard clearly that the University needs a strong, accountable and action-oriented plan to remove the barriers Black community members face.

Today, we are sharing Addressing Anti-Black Racism: A Framework on Black Inclusion and the accompanying Draft Action Plan on Black Inclusion – For Further Consultation, two documents that will guide the University’s approach to combatting anti-Black racism, both on and off our campuses. The Framework and Draft Action Plan were developed based on feedback received through a series of consultations with Black community members at York, including faculty, instructors, staff, students and alumni.

We are deeply grateful to our community members for their willingness to share their experiences, concerns and questions. The objectives identified in the Framework and the Draft Action Plan are a direct reflection of the recurring themes that emerged during our consultations: representation, safety, knowledge creation, mental health supports, community engagement, data collection, education and training, decision-making and accountability.

Community members shared their feedback on an earlier draft of the Framework, and a key takeaway was the pressing need to outline specific actions that would help us collectively realize the framework and track our progress, which resulted in the decision to create an accompanying Action Plan. Both documents were reviewed during our consultations and incorporate the feedback we received.

We encourage all York community members to review the Framework and Draft Action Plan, and to share your feedback on both documents using the form on our website. We also hope you will join us at a virtual town hall on March 18, where we will continue these important discussions with the broader York community. An invitation for the town hall will be sent out to community members in early March.

We acknowledge the University’s role in dismantling the deeply ingrained structures of power and privilege that allow anti-Black racism to thrive, and we recognize that meaningful transformation requires collective action centred around the input and lived experiences of Black students, staff, faculty, instructors, alumni and other stakeholders with whom we work.

The University remains committed to addressing systemic anti-Black racism and to providing equitable access to learning, teaching, research and professional environments that are respectful and inclusive for all.

Sincerely,

Rhonda L. Lenton,
President and Vice-Chancellor 

Sheila Cote-Meek,
Vice-President, Equity, People, and Culture

Lancement du cadre et de l’ébauche d’un plan d’action pour lutter contre le racisme anti-Noirs

Chers collègues,

L’équité et l’inclusion font partie intégrante des principes fondateurs de l’Université York. Au printemps dernier, York a réaffirmé sa solidarité avec les personnes victimes de racisme anti-Noirs et son engagement à lutter contre le racisme sous toutes ses formes. Depuis, de nombreuses conversations importantes ont eu lieu à York. Elles ont mis en évidence la nécessité d’élaborer un plan robuste, concret et responsable afin d’éliminer les obstacles auxquels les membres de la communauté noire sont confrontés.

Nous diffusons aujourd’hui deux documents qui orienteront l’approche de l’Université dans sa lutte contre le racisme anti-Noirs sur ses campus et au-delà : un document-cadre intitulé Lutte contre le racisme anti-Noirs : un cadre pour l’inclusion des personnes noires et l’Ébauche d’un plan d’action sur l’inclusion des personnes noires – Pour consultation plus approfondie. Le document-cadre et l’ébauche du plan d’action intègrent les commentaires recueillis durant plusieurs consultations auprès de la communauté noire de York, notamment auprès des membres du corps professoral, du corps enseignant, du personnel, du corps étudiant et des diplômés.

Nous tenons à exprimer notre profonde gratitude aux membres de la communauté qui ont bien voulu partager leurs expériences, leurs préoccupations et leurs questions. Les objectifs définis dans le document-cadre et dans l’ébauche du plan d’action sont le reflet direct des thématiques qui sont ressorties des consultations : représentation, sécurité, création de savoirs, ressources de santé mentale, engagement communautaire, collecte de données, information, prise de décisions et responsabilisation.

Les membres de la communauté ont eu l’occasion d’émettre leurs commentaires sur la version initiale du document-cadre; l’un des points clés concernait le besoin pressant de définir des actions spécifiques afin de mettre en œuvre le cadre à l’échelle collective et de faire un suivi de nos progrès. Il a été décidé de créer un plan d’action s’y rattachant. Les commentaires reçus lors de nos consultations ont été intégrés dans les deux documents.

Nous encourageons tous les membres de la communauté de York à prendre connaissance du document-cadre et de l’ébauche du plan d’action et à nous faire part de leurs commentaires à l’aide de ce formulaire. Nous espérons également que vous vous joindrez à notre conversation communautaire virtuelle du 18 mars durant laquelle nous poursuivrons ces importantes discussions avec la communauté de York. Une invitation à cette conversation sera envoyée aux membres de la communauté au début du mois de mars.

Nous reconnaissons le rôle qui incombe à l’Université dans le démantèlement des structures de pouvoir et de privilège profondément ancrées qui permettent au racisme anti-Noirs de prospérer. Une transformation significative requiert une action collective centrée sur l’apport et les expériences vécues des membres noirs du corps étudiant, du personnel, du corps professoral, du corps enseignant, des diplômés et des autres parties prenantes avec lesquelles nous travaillons.

L’Université poursuit sa lutte contre le racisme anti-Noirs systémique et continue à fournir un accès équitable à un milieu de travail, d’apprentissage, d’enseignement et de recherche respectueux et inclusif pour tous.

Sincères salutations

Rhonda L. Lenton,
présidente et vice-chancelière 

Sheila Cote-Meek,
vice-présidente de l’équité, des personnes et de la culture