Biological Sciences strongly supports the anti-racism statement made by the Faculty of Science

The Department of Biological Sciences strongly supports the anti-racism statement made by the Faculty of Science’s interim dean, Bernhard Mayer.  In Canada, there is ample evidence that individual and systemic racism persists against Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) in our communities. Equity, diversity and inclusion are a cornerstone of the strategic plan for the Faculty of Science. We are committed to taking measurable actions against racism, beginning with further educating ourselves on how our behaviours and practices within our own disciplines uphold and reinforce systemic racism. We are currently engaged in conversations with faculty, staff and students about how to address these issues, and plan to make concrete changes including:

·       We will offer more workshops for faculty, staff and students on topics such as implicit bias, microaggressions, and bystander intervention. This will help raise awareness on how common behaviours in academic settings harm BIPOC members, as well as how to properly intercede when one witnesses these harmful practices. We will set goals for participation in these workshops and implement strategies to meet these goals.

·       We will form a working-group to develop specific measures to increase BIPOC undergraduate student, graduate student, and faculty representation in our department, such as identifying potential changes to our current recruitment strategies and admissions policies

·       Inspired by social media movements such as #BlackBirders, #BlackMarineBiologist, and #BlackBotanists, we will launch a “Diversity Matters” seminar series to shine the spotlight on the work by BIPOC biologists.

·       We will regularly confront our own contributions to racism by hosting a series of student, staff and faculty discussion groups on this topic, which will provide us with opportunities to listen and learn. Specific topics for discussion can be generated from comments from BIPOC members of our departmental community and from non-BIPOC members who have witnessed racism. We will encourage our community to share comments using the Faculty of Science anonymous online form, which will be available shortly through the Science Community page. Our aim is to unburden BIPOC students, faculty and staff from continually fighting for justice, and at the same time learn better ways to act and progress as a department and as a society.

Together, let’s do better and take action against anti-Black and all forms of racism and violence toward the BIPOC communities.

Sincerely,

The Department of Biological Sciences Executive Team