These four working groups – Student Experience, Pedagogy, Employment Equity and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research – will each be mandated to create transformative change in a different layer of our University life. They will enable us to move quickly to implement new initiatives that will make our campus more welcoming and inclusive.
The working groups will be overseen by a steering committee co-chaired by myself and Noel Badiou, the Director of the Human Rights Office.
This focused and action-oriented approach (which reshapes the Action Committee previously announced) will allow us to work in a more agile and targeted fashion as we rapidly design and implement new anti-racism and inclusion policies, initiatives and practices. In so doing we will fulfill the commitment made by the President in his recent statement to the Senate to enact a wide range of meaningful changes at uOttawa this fall.
I wish to thank the many enthusiastic and highly qualified individuals who put forth their names as candidates to sit on these anti-racism committees. Your dedication is inspiring and your civic-mindedness and commitment to promoting racial equality and social justice will be of great value to our community even if – due to the high number of applications received and the limited number of places available – you were regrettably not placed on a working group.
I am confident that this more targeted approach to combatting racism and promoting equity, diversity and inclusive excellence at uOttawa will be efficient and effective.
More details will follow as these working group come together and begin their work. Stay tuned to this page for further updates.
I encourage each of you to give this vitally important work your full support.
Finally, with Black History Month now behind us, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the tremendous work done by our student ambassadors. Together with Student Life they developed a series of annual events celebrating Black History that will now extend beyond just the month of February. Please stay tuned for further announcements so you don't miss these exciting events.
Best wishes,
Boulou Ebanda de B’béri
Special Advisor, Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence