The Faculty Association of the University of Calgary is standing in solidarity with our members and members of the community who are raising their voices to fight racism and discrimination in our communities and within the Academy. The Faculty Association denounces anti-Black racism and police violence. In addition, our Association acknowledges that racism is much deeper than that which is explicit or results in violence; racism is systemic and pervasive and requires action from everyone at all levels.
On June 10th, voices from around the world participated in the Black Lives Matter Movement using the hashtags #shutdownSTEM and #shutdownacademia on Twitter. This social media trend, which pointed an uncomfortable spotlight on the academy, facilitated and highlighted a very important conversation that we need to be having on racism, specifically anti-Black racism, within the Academy and the research that we do. As academics, we might pride ourselves in the diversity of thought, ideas, and voices that we represent. Despite this, we need to do better and to do more.
Participating in social media trends is meaningful but it is not a tangible action toward long-term inclusion and equity at our University and our society. We need to listen, reflect, and begin making plans and taking actions that increase the diversity, equity, and inclusivity of our campus community. As a University we can and should be leaders in facilitating the conversations and acting against racism.
The Faculty Association is committed to working with the Administration and the broader campus community to develop a plan for how the University will address issues of racism and discrimination in all forms, including police violence, anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism, and the inclusion of those who are under-represented on our campuses and in our scholarly activities.
