1 00:00:11,700 --> 00:00:14,820 Hi my name is Alan Wong and I'm a teacher 2 00:00:14,850 --> 00:00:17,970 at Vanier College which is a CEGEP in 3 00:00:17,970 --> 00:00:22,140 Montreal, Quebec. I teach basically english 4 00:00:22,140 --> 00:00:25,680 composition and literature to 17 to 20 5 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:29,070 year olds students who are transitioning 6 00:00:29,070 --> 00:00:31,950 from high school to university. It's a 7 00:00:31,950 --> 00:00:35,220 special system in Québec that involves 8 00:00:35,700 --> 00:00:39,090 basically prep work for university or some 9 00:00:39,090 --> 00:00:41,460 career diploma programs for people who 10 00:00:41,460 --> 00:00:48,420 want to enter the workforce immediately. So, 11 00:00:48,420 --> 00:00:52,770 I've been an activist in Montreal at the 12 00:00:52,770 --> 00:00:57,000 intersection of anti-racist work and LGBTQ 13 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:01,980 plus activism primarily. And so with my own 14 00:01:01,980 --> 00:01:04,440 particular identity I became interested in 15 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:07,440 doing this work because I identify as a 16 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:11,220 gay or queer Asian man cisgendered, I use 17 00:01:11,220 --> 00:01:15,420 he/him pronouns and my own identity really 18 00:01:15,420 --> 00:01:18,750 informs my anti racist work partly because 19 00:01:18,750 --> 00:01:21,240 of my own experiences with 20 00:01:21,270 --> 00:01:23,160 microaggressions throughout my life. 21 00:01:23,700 --> 00:01:27,060 Sometimes slightly more overt forms of 22 00:01:27,060 --> 00:01:31,440 racism being called certain names like a 23 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:35,760 lot of racialized people in Canada but I 24 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:39,090 also have grown up. And as my 25 00:01:39,090 --> 00:01:43,860 friends many other BIPOC people so that 26 00:01:43,890 --> 00:01:46,290 sort of the injustices that they have 27 00:01:46,290 --> 00:01:49,350 faced over their lifetimes and in 28 00:01:49,350 --> 00:01:52,500 institutional settings has really informed 29 00:01:52,530 --> 00:01:56,910 the way I approach my activism and my 30 00:01:56,910 --> 00:02:00,210 teaching, which is usually focused on 31 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:04,950 racism anti-racism work and LGBTQ+ 32 00:02:04,980 --> 00:02:08,640 gender identity, sexuality related work as 33 00:02:08,640 --> 00:02:14,400 well. So, I am really informed or 34 00:02:14,430 --> 00:02:18,660 really I'm really influenced by critical 35 00:02:18,660 --> 00:02:20,790 race thinking, critical race theorists, 36 00:02:21,750 --> 00:02:25,290 intersectionality as a theory, and queer 37 00:02:25,290 --> 00:02:29,730 theory in sort of various forms from 38 00:02:29,730 --> 00:02:32,910 different theorists that i've studied over 39 00:02:32,910 --> 00:02:39,570 time and i've read over time. Given 40 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:41,460 everything that's been happening in 2020 41 00:02:41,490 --> 00:02:45,390 with COVID-19 with various issues related 42 00:02:45,390 --> 00:02:48,150 to the climate crisis, and of course a lot 43 00:02:48,150 --> 00:02:52,470 of different issues related to racism in 44 00:02:52,470 --> 00:02:54,810 general white supremacy. But specifically 45 00:02:54,810 --> 00:02:57,300 Black Lives Matter and 46 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:04,950 police brutality. It's difficult to 47 00:03:05,370 --> 00:03:08,730 stay away from news items that are 48 00:03:08,730 --> 00:03:12,090 sensationalized, media representations that 49 00:03:12,090 --> 00:03:15,390 focus only on one particular perspective, 50 00:03:16,050 --> 00:03:19,020 or one particular aspect of the issue. And 51 00:03:19,020 --> 00:03:21,750 I feel like a lot of people start falling 52 00:03:21,750 --> 00:03:23,460 through the cracks because their issues 53 00:03:23,460 --> 00:03:26,190 become more specific, based on the 54 00:03:26,580 --> 00:03:28,410 individualized experiences they have or 55 00:03:28,410 --> 00:03:30,180 the intersecting experiences they have 56 00:03:30,180 --> 00:03:32,910 between the different identities they 57 00:03:33,450 --> 00:03:37,650 claim and affiliation with. So I feel that 58 00:03:38,100 --> 00:03:40,080 intersectionality, having an intersectional 59 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:43,980 perspective on what's going on is really 60 00:03:43,980 --> 00:03:48,510 important because it really impacts all 61 00:03:48,510 --> 00:03:51,000 sorts of minoritized people in a lot of 62 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:54,090 different ways. And without that nuanced 63 00:03:54,090 --> 00:03:57,300 perspective there are a lot of people who 64 00:03:57,300 --> 00:03:58,980 might have one side of their identity 65 00:03:58,980 --> 00:04:01,500 addressed but the other side is not 66 00:04:01,500 --> 00:04:05,070 addressed, or the sort of wholeness of 67 00:04:05,070 --> 00:04:06,720 their identity is not taken into 68 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:09,900 consideration. And then we end up taking 69 00:04:09,930 --> 00:04:12,600 maybe a step forward but at the same time 70 00:04:12,630 --> 00:04:16,440 we are sort of negating possible other 71 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:19,170 aspects, possible other problems that might 72 00:04:19,170 --> 00:04:21,840 be affecting certain people. So then we're 73 00:04:21,840 --> 00:04:25,290 taking a step back at the same time. So, 74 00:04:25,290 --> 00:04:28,080 it's almost like we're not making as 75 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:32,280 much headway as we could be in terms of 76 00:04:32,370 --> 00:04:34,020 encompassing all of the people and 77 00:04:34,020 --> 00:04:36,150 including all the people that we could be. 78 00:04:36,570 --> 00:04:38,430 And it's especially important in these in 79 00:04:38,430 --> 00:04:40,560 these times because we're so isolated from 80 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:43,590 each other and the lack of support 81 00:04:43,890 --> 00:04:46,560 that certain people might be feeling 82 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:48,780 because they are 83 00:04:49,290 --> 00:04:52,350 home alone and don't have any people 84 00:04:52,350 --> 00:04:54,180 around them, or they might be in oppressive 85 00:04:54,180 --> 00:04:56,700 situations at home. It's important to be 86 00:04:56,700 --> 00:04:59,520 able to reach out and to be able to 87 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:02,700 empathize with other people, be able to converse 88 00:05:02,700 --> 00:05:07,170 in dialogue with other people. Despite all 89 00:05:07,170 --> 00:05:09,990 of the things and all of the events that 90 00:05:09,990 --> 00:05:11,370 are happening right now, the challenges 91 00:05:11,370 --> 00:05:19,020 that we are facing. For me as a racialized 92 00:05:19,020 --> 00:05:21,900 educator in the CEGEP system, and in my 93 00:05:21,900 --> 00:05:25,200 college in particular, it's really 94 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:30,840 challenging being a minoritized person 95 00:05:30,870 --> 00:05:34,020 racially, there are in my department 96 00:05:34,020 --> 00:05:38,040 specifically, there are six people of 97 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:39,540 color or people that I would count as 98 00:05:39,540 --> 00:05:42,270 people of color out of a 99 00:05:42,540 --> 00:05:44,790 department of 7075 teachers. We are the 100 00:05:44,790 --> 00:05:46,890 largest department. We have one of the most 101 00:05:46,890 --> 00:05:49,650 diverse student populations, yet, there 102 00:05:49,650 --> 00:05:52,620 just aren't that many teachers of color 103 00:05:53,010 --> 00:05:55,980 who reflect the population that we're 104 00:05:55,980 --> 00:05:59,670 teaching in a substantial way. And I could 105 00:05:59,670 --> 00:06:01,530 say the same thing for our humanities 106 00:06:01,530 --> 00:06:04,110 departments for our social sciences, 107 00:06:04,350 --> 00:06:08,760 departments, communications, and also at 108 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:12,090 the just in terms of faculty and teaching, 109 00:06:12,090 --> 00:06:15,510 but also in terms of the support staff, 110 00:06:15,510 --> 00:06:17,430 and the professionals. There aren't that 111 00:06:17,430 --> 00:06:19,980 many of the administrators too, there aren't 112 00:06:19,980 --> 00:06:24,090 that many at all who I would say would be 113 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:27,240 racialized people, BIPOC people. So to 114 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:31,680 have this primarily white institution 115 00:06:31,770 --> 00:06:34,830 where the majority of the students, or at 116 00:06:34,830 --> 00:06:37,500 least I would say 50% of the students are 117 00:06:37,500 --> 00:06:41,700 racialized in some way. It's kind of 118 00:06:43,020 --> 00:06:47,670 disturbing, or discomforting in a lot of 119 00:06:47,670 --> 00:06:52,200 respects. It feels like, we, we've come so 120 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:54,780 far in our thinking, but we in 121 00:06:54,780 --> 00:06:57,030 practice, it hasn't really been taking 122 00:06:57,030 --> 00:07:01,200 place. So, as a racialized teacher, 123 00:07:01,200 --> 00:07:03,090 too, it does, it does feel kind of lonely. 124 00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:07,890 To a certain degree, I did end up creating 125 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:11,640 a committee or starting a committee that 126 00:07:11,730 --> 00:07:16,590 is just BIPOC teachers and staff from our 127 00:07:16,620 --> 00:07:18,600 college to talk about the issues that 128 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:21,780 affect us as both employees of this 129 00:07:21,780 --> 00:07:26,490 institution and as basically caregivers 130 00:07:26,490 --> 00:07:31,830 or mentors of the students that are in our 131 00:07:32,070 --> 00:07:35,730 institution, as well. So that's kind of 132 00:07:35,730 --> 00:07:38,430 where I'm at in terms of my experience. 133 00:07:38,430 --> 00:07:41,310 It's been 10 years since I started working 134 00:07:41,370 --> 00:07:46,440 at Vanier and not a whole lot has changed 135 00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:47,850 in those 10 years in terms of 136 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:51,570 representation among our faculty and our 137 00:07:51,570 --> 00:07:59,400 support staff, and professional staff. So 138 00:07:59,490 --> 00:08:03,990 my involvement in community organizing in 139 00:08:03,990 --> 00:08:07,650 relation to anti-racist work begins 140 00:08:07,650 --> 00:08:12,870 probably maybe mid 90s, when I was a 141 00:08:13,170 --> 00:08:15,060 student, a master's student at the 142 00:08:15,060 --> 00:08:17,400 University of New Brunswick. It really 143 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:21,540 began with, you know, if I were to reach 144 00:08:21,540 --> 00:08:23,670 back into time, really began with 145 00:08:24,750 --> 00:08:27,780 volunteering in campus radio, because the 146 00:08:27,780 --> 00:08:30,990 campus radio stations are very political 147 00:08:31,230 --> 00:08:34,770 places. And even though I was at McGill 148 00:08:34,770 --> 00:08:38,880 for my bachelor's and certainly there was 149 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:43,590 some awareness of race issues around 150 00:08:43,590 --> 00:08:47,130 racism and anti-racism. I was still kind 151 00:08:47,130 --> 00:08:49,590 of green. I was still trying to figure out 152 00:08:49,590 --> 00:08:52,770 who I was, I was coming out as a gay man. 153 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:55,620 So, there were a lot of I was 154 00:08:55,620 --> 00:08:58,290 distracted by a lot of other issues that 155 00:08:58,770 --> 00:09:01,530 weren't necessarily focused on my race. 156 00:09:01,830 --> 00:09:05,490 Even though I certainly had interest in 157 00:09:05,490 --> 00:09:07,680 literature, because I did a degree in 158 00:09:07,680 --> 00:09:10,920 English literature at McGill. And I tried 159 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:14,460 to read some more about the experiences of 160 00:09:14,490 --> 00:09:17,160 Asian Canadians, Asian Americans, 161 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:22,230 African Americans, Black people in Canada, 162 00:09:22,740 --> 00:09:26,280 and Indigenous people in particular. So, I 163 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:28,020 started sort of forming my ideas around 164 00:09:28,020 --> 00:09:29,970 that time, but I didn't really act upon it 165 00:09:29,970 --> 00:09:33,210 until I was doing campus radio. Where I 166 00:09:33,210 --> 00:09:37,380 would have radio shows that addressed a 167 00:09:37,380 --> 00:09:39,870 lot of these topics, spoken word shows 168 00:09:40,620 --> 00:09:43,350 that had an interview components where I'd 169 00:09:43,350 --> 00:09:46,170 be interviewing people. It was a very 170 00:09:46,170 --> 00:09:50,040 charged political atmosphere, and I was 171 00:09:50,070 --> 00:09:51,870 also one of the few people of color there. 172 00:09:51,870 --> 00:09:57,030 So, I really started becoming politicized 173 00:09:57,030 --> 00:09:59,970 by the people around me and that fed in 174 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:03,570 into my interest in knowing more about 175 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:06,960 anti-racist work. And I joined the 176 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:09,000 committee also at University of Brunswick, 177 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:11,670 that was basically a Diversity Committee. 178 00:10:11,670 --> 00:10:13,980 So we're using that word was just kind of 179 00:10:13,980 --> 00:10:18,420 very generic. But that was a way for 180 00:10:18,570 --> 00:10:20,640 us, the people on the committee who were, 181 00:10:20,940 --> 00:10:23,370 you know, some staff members and students 182 00:10:23,370 --> 00:10:25,950 from university New Brunswick and St. 183 00:10:25,950 --> 00:10:28,320 Thomas University which shared the campus 184 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:30,600 with us to talk about these kinds of 185 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:32,640 issues and to see what kind of things we 186 00:10:32,640 --> 00:10:35,760 could do. Unfortunately, I only I was only 187 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:37,290 on the committee for a year because then I 188 00:10:37,980 --> 00:10:40,770 moved back to Montreal, to continue my 189 00:10:40,770 --> 00:10:44,370 schooling, in communications. And that was 190 00:10:44,370 --> 00:10:47,400 another step in my in my education, 191 00:10:47,730 --> 00:10:49,500 because the communications diploma that I 192 00:10:49,500 --> 00:10:54,660 did. I took courses on that focused on 193 00:10:54,660 --> 00:10:58,020 race and communications, related issues. 194 00:10:58,050 --> 00:11:01,890 And then my activism really started 195 00:11:01,890 --> 00:11:04,740 taking off after that I joined gay and 196 00:11:04,740 --> 00:11:09,060 lesbian Asians in Montreal, and eventually 197 00:11:09,060 --> 00:11:11,370 became the coordinator of that group. And 198 00:11:11,370 --> 00:11:14,160 through that started becoming more aware 199 00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:17,370 of intersectionality as a theoretical 200 00:11:17,370 --> 00:11:20,340 construct, and is a sort of on the ground 201 00:11:20,790 --> 00:11:28,770 kind of method of applying activism. So, I 202 00:11:29,550 --> 00:11:33,990 as again, as a gay Asian man, leading this 203 00:11:33,990 --> 00:11:36,600 gay Asian group, this LGBTQ+ Asian 204 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:38,910 group, started to make connections with 205 00:11:38,910 --> 00:11:42,600 other groups that were from different 206 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:46,980 racialized communities. So there was an 207 00:11:46,980 --> 00:11:50,430 African Caribbean Black group called 208 00:11:50,430 --> 00:11:53,280 "Arc en ciel d'Afrique", which has now 209 00:11:53,280 --> 00:11:57,480 become Massimadi. There was a Latin 210 00:11:57,480 --> 00:12:00,270 group, which didn't last that long, so I 211 00:12:00,270 --> 00:12:01,680 can't really remember the name of it. 212 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:04,320 There was "Halam", which was a Middle 213 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:09,000 Eastern Arab LGBTQ+ group. So, we 214 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:12,510 started coalitioning together, trying to 215 00:12:12,510 --> 00:12:16,320 find ways to work together, to speak to 216 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:18,780 these issues we were facing as both 217 00:12:18,780 --> 00:12:23,280 racialized and LGBTQ+ people in 218 00:12:23,280 --> 00:12:26,640 Montreal. My work with these different 219 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:29,100 groups and with the coalition 220 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:33,000 that basically led to an area that was 221 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:35,490 more comfortable with, which was basically 222 00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:38,850 event organizing. I have always had a 223 00:12:38,850 --> 00:12:42,120 really good time organizing events. It was 224 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:44,760 fun for me, and I was also pretty, pretty 225 00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:46,710 good at it. So, it started with this group 226 00:12:46,710 --> 00:12:49,560 called "Ethno Culture, which former 227 00:12:49,560 --> 00:12:53,130 president of Halam, the Arab group started as 228 00:12:53,130 --> 00:12:56,400 a way for people to connect who belong to 229 00:12:56,640 --> 00:12:58,650 different ethno cultural communities who 230 00:12:58,650 --> 00:13:02,850 identified as LGBTQ+. And then 231 00:13:02,850 --> 00:13:07,050 that led to the formation of another event 232 00:13:07,050 --> 00:13:10,590 called Clulel which is focused more on 233 00:13:10,620 --> 00:13:12,420 racialized people rather than people who 234 00:13:12,420 --> 00:13:16,230 are necessarily ethno cultural. So ethno 235 00:13:16,230 --> 00:13:19,560 cultural meaning, you know, the Italian, 236 00:13:19,560 --> 00:13:23,580 for example. Like white diversity in terms 237 00:13:23,580 --> 00:13:27,960 of culture. So, we focus more on racialized 238 00:13:28,470 --> 00:13:32,430 people, BIPOC people specifically. And so 239 00:13:32,430 --> 00:13:34,740 for that event was became a pretty big 240 00:13:34,740 --> 00:13:38,340 event after a few years. So I was on the 241 00:13:38,340 --> 00:13:41,430 coordinating team throughout the three, 242 00:13:41,460 --> 00:13:44,490 three or four years that we ran. It was 243 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:46,620 basically a one to two week events every 244 00:13:46,620 --> 00:13:49,290 summer that was focused primarily on the 245 00:13:49,290 --> 00:13:50,910 arts, but there was also a 246 00:13:50,910 --> 00:13:53,430 major political component. So we would 247 00:13:53,430 --> 00:13:57,330 show we would have an exhibit that of 248 00:13:57,360 --> 00:14:01,710 works by BIPOC, LGBTQ+ artists.We 249 00:14:01,710 --> 00:14:05,520 would have some performance nights that 250 00:14:05,550 --> 00:14:08,820 were focused on BIPOC LGBTQ+ 251 00:14:08,820 --> 00:14:11,190 performers, and then we would have panel 252 00:14:11,190 --> 00:14:14,550 discussions, presentations that were very 253 00:14:14,550 --> 00:14:17,640 much politically oriented, talking about 254 00:14:17,700 --> 00:14:22,560 the issues that we as a sort of mixed 255 00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:28,650 racialized community would experience and, 256 00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:34,530 and face every, every day, basically. So 257 00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:38,370 that was sort of the peak of my activism 258 00:14:38,370 --> 00:14:41,370 in terms of doing community work. And then 259 00:14:41,430 --> 00:14:45,180 as I started teaching full time and 260 00:14:45,420 --> 00:14:50,130 transitioning to that aspect of my 261 00:14:50,160 --> 00:14:53,160 existence, focusing more in my career. I 262 00:14:53,190 --> 00:14:56,100 transposed that sort of mindset I had when 263 00:14:56,100 --> 00:15:00,780 I was doing activism to my teaching 264 00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:04,770 practices, my pedagogical practices. Very 265 00:15:04,770 --> 00:15:08,760 much focusing on representation in the 266 00:15:08,760 --> 00:15:11,790 literature that I taught. As one who grew 267 00:15:11,790 --> 00:15:17,340 up not exposed to any authors that looked 268 00:15:17,340 --> 00:15:21,630 like me, or had some sort of connection to 269 00:15:21,630 --> 00:15:27,150 me culturally, or racially, or in terms of 270 00:15:27,150 --> 00:15:28,980 my sexuality, because I knew pretty young, 271 00:15:29,070 --> 00:15:33,030 I was gay. So, having no access to those 272 00:15:33,030 --> 00:15:36,570 kinds of readings, until I basically got 273 00:15:36,570 --> 00:15:40,800 to university.I needed to, I felt the 274 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:44,670 need to be able to expose my students to 275 00:15:44,700 --> 00:15:47,520 the kinds of works that maybe they never 276 00:15:47,550 --> 00:15:49,410 encountered in high school, because 277 00:15:50,190 --> 00:15:53,880 teachers didn't think of representation to 278 00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:57,660 that extent. So that's kind of where 279 00:15:57,660 --> 00:16:01,830 my work has gone. And I've been doing a 280 00:16:01,830 --> 00:16:03,840 lot of work on committees, such as the 281 00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:07,050 committee I mentioned, where it's BIPOC 282 00:16:07,350 --> 00:16:11,430 staff, faculty, professionals. But also I 283 00:16:11,430 --> 00:16:12,900 sit on the Women and Gender Studies 284 00:16:12,900 --> 00:16:15,090 committee. I also sit on the Indigenous 285 00:16:15,090 --> 00:16:18,060 Studies committee, I sit on a lot of 286 00:16:18,060 --> 00:16:23,430 committees. And I also am the coordinator 287 00:16:23,430 --> 00:16:25,890 of the Open Door Network, which is a 288 00:16:26,250 --> 00:16:30,600 collective of LGBTQ+ teachers and 289 00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:33,180 staff members at Vanier, as well. So 290 00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:36,720 there's a number of committees I related 291 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:40,080 to my own identity in different ways, or 292 00:16:40,110 --> 00:16:43,200 that are connected to me in terms of my 293 00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:45,300 ideas around social justice. Particularly 294 00:16:45,300 --> 00:16:49,440 with the Indigenous Studies committee. And 295 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:52,470 I also have organized a whole bunch of 296 00:16:52,470 --> 00:16:54,600 events since I've been here, as well. Every 297 00:16:54,600 --> 00:16:56,490 year I'm involved in some sort of event 298 00:16:56,490 --> 00:16:59,220 coordination. Like this year, I'm the 299 00:16:59,220 --> 00:17:00,780 coordinator of the International Women's 300 00:17:00,780 --> 00:17:04,110 week event. So, I always make sure when 301 00:17:04,110 --> 00:17:06,120 that whatever event I'm involved with in 302 00:17:06,120 --> 00:17:07,890 terms of either organizing or 303 00:17:07,890 --> 00:17:10,320 participating in the organizing that 304 00:17:11,010 --> 00:17:16,620 there is some variety or representation of 305 00:17:16,620 --> 00:17:20,490 LGBT, not just LGBT class, but also BIPOC 306 00:17:21,390 --> 00:17:22,170 individuals. 307 00:17:25,019 --> 00:17:28,919 So, my advice to teachers and students who 308 00:17:28,949 --> 00:17:31,739 are looking to improve the environments, 309 00:17:31,769 --> 00:17:33,869 at their institutions, or even in their 310 00:17:33,869 --> 00:17:38,369 communities, is kind of twofold. I think, 311 00:17:40,199 --> 00:17:44,999 as far as interacting or dealing with 312 00:17:45,029 --> 00:17:50,039 people who are giving microaggressions on 313 00:17:50,039 --> 00:17:54,989 a regular basis, or are doing things that 314 00:17:55,379 --> 00:17:59,759 are, you know, racist to you in some way, 315 00:18:00,539 --> 00:18:03,749 that offends you in some in some way. Try 316 00:18:03,749 --> 00:18:06,899 to meet them where they are, instead of 317 00:18:06,929 --> 00:18:09,059 automatically attacking them. Because 318 00:18:11,039 --> 00:18:14,399 oftentimes, people are just ignorant, 319 00:18:14,669 --> 00:18:16,529 they haven't been exposed to certain 320 00:18:16,529 --> 00:18:20,009 things, a lot of people might not have 321 00:18:20,009 --> 00:18:23,489 received sort of the kind of education in 322 00:18:23,489 --> 00:18:25,169 one setting that someone might receive in 323 00:18:25,169 --> 00:18:28,169 another setting. Based on the exposure 324 00:18:28,709 --> 00:18:31,379 that they might have to different kinds of 325 00:18:31,379 --> 00:18:34,769 people, or even just having teachers who 326 00:18:34,769 --> 00:18:37,109 just, you know, teach a certain way and 327 00:18:37,109 --> 00:18:40,199 teach certain subjects a certain way. And 328 00:18:40,199 --> 00:18:42,659 so, that information has been inculcated 329 00:18:42,719 --> 00:18:46,859 by these students, or these these 330 00:18:46,859 --> 00:18:50,519 individuals in general. And sometimes if 331 00:18:50,819 --> 00:18:52,649 just through conversation and dialogue, 332 00:18:53,009 --> 00:18:57,329 sometimes you can bring people on side and 333 00:18:57,569 --> 00:19:01,079 convince them or make them realize that 334 00:19:01,079 --> 00:19:03,989 what they're talking about is not 335 00:19:03,989 --> 00:19:06,749 okay. Of course, there are people who know 336 00:19:06,749 --> 00:19:09,269 that what they're saying is not okay. And 337 00:19:09,749 --> 00:19:12,749 it's, there's no point in trying to 338 00:19:12,749 --> 00:19:16,589 convince people like that, too that are very 339 00:19:17,069 --> 00:19:18,989 stubborn and firm in their position. 340 00:19:19,769 --> 00:19:22,079 Because they know they're racist, 341 00:19:22,079 --> 00:19:24,419 and they're fine with being racist. 342 00:19:24,899 --> 00:19:27,029 And so, it's just going to be an exercise 343 00:19:27,029 --> 00:19:29,399 in frustration for you and it's going to 344 00:19:29,429 --> 00:19:32,159 affect your own mental health. So self 345 00:19:32,159 --> 00:19:35,339 care in that respect is is very important. 346 00:19:35,699 --> 00:19:39,539 Know, which battles you can actually 347 00:19:39,959 --> 00:19:44,009 accomplish something and know which ones 348 00:19:44,009 --> 00:19:47,489 are just too futile to waste your time and 349 00:19:47,489 --> 00:19:49,919 energy on. So, the second thing I would say 350 00:19:49,919 --> 00:19:55,589 is, try and approach change, social 351 00:19:55,589 --> 00:19:59,549 change as something that is doable for 352 00:19:59,549 --> 00:20:01,319 yourself. So don't think you have to do 353 00:20:01,319 --> 00:20:03,359 something grandiose, don't think you have 354 00:20:03,359 --> 00:20:06,959 to go out there and necessarily protest in 355 00:20:06,959 --> 00:20:08,969 the streets. If, because if you're not 356 00:20:08,969 --> 00:20:10,559 comfortable with that, if that's something 357 00:20:10,559 --> 00:20:13,199 that just makes you, you know, jittery 358 00:20:13,649 --> 00:20:16,469 throughout the entire march, for example, 359 00:20:17,339 --> 00:20:20,519 or through the entire protests, then it's 360 00:20:20,549 --> 00:20:23,639 not going to be healthy for you. And you 361 00:20:23,639 --> 00:20:26,579 want to be able to do things that you feel 362 00:20:27,689 --> 00:20:32,459 are benefiting others, but are also not 363 00:20:32,459 --> 00:20:35,639 harming you in particular ways. So if you 364 00:20:35,639 --> 00:20:41,309 write letters to organizations, or to, you 365 00:20:41,309 --> 00:20:42,899 know, for example, prisoner support 366 00:20:43,739 --> 00:20:47,339 projects, you know. That's one way you can 367 00:20:47,339 --> 00:20:50,369 do small things you can promote 368 00:20:50,369 --> 00:20:55,139 events, by you know, sharing them on 369 00:20:55,169 --> 00:20:59,699 social media. You can write emails to 370 00:20:59,699 --> 00:21:03,569 people, to you to express your 371 00:21:03,569 --> 00:21:07,049 concerns about certain issues, to express, 372 00:21:07,079 --> 00:21:10,019 you know, maybe to corporations, what you 373 00:21:10,019 --> 00:21:13,169 feel they've been doing wrong, if they 374 00:21:13,169 --> 00:21:15,779 have done something wrong. There's all 375 00:21:15,779 --> 00:21:17,879 sorts of things you can do that are within 376 00:21:17,879 --> 00:21:20,429 your own wheelhouse. And there's certainly 377 00:21:20,429 --> 00:21:23,129 enough people who do go to protests and to 378 00:21:23,129 --> 00:21:26,579 do bigger things, who might enter politics 379 00:21:26,609 --> 00:21:31,409 in a more overt or meaningful way. And 380 00:21:31,439 --> 00:21:33,989 that's fine for them. If it's not fun for 381 00:21:33,989 --> 00:21:36,929 you there, you know, do the little things 382 00:21:36,929 --> 00:21:39,569 that you can to make a difference. Because 383 00:21:39,989 --> 00:21:42,749 if everybody does something, then things 384 00:21:42,749 --> 00:21:46,019 will happen. So don't feel like you 385 00:21:46,049 --> 00:21:49,049 can't do something, just because you're not 386 00:21:49,049 --> 00:21:53,489 comfortable doing big things. Now, in 387 00:21:53,489 --> 00:21:57,869 terms of what I would tell, administrators 388 00:21:57,899 --> 00:22:01,199 of institutions. What I would tell 389 00:22:01,199 --> 00:22:03,659 institutions in general: it's 390 00:22:03,659 --> 00:22:08,969 important to be able to listen to people 391 00:22:08,969 --> 00:22:14,099 of color BIPOC, to anybody who is sort of 392 00:22:14,099 --> 00:22:17,429 minoritized in particular ways. To really 393 00:22:17,429 --> 00:22:19,109 listen to what the issues are, that are 394 00:22:19,109 --> 00:22:21,209 affecting them and not just actively 395 00:22:21,209 --> 00:22:23,939 dismiss them. It's important for senior 396 00:22:23,939 --> 00:22:26,789 administrators to be active in creating 397 00:22:26,789 --> 00:22:30,479 policies that will help improve the 398 00:22:30,479 --> 00:22:32,699 environment make make environments less 399 00:22:32,699 --> 00:22:35,849 toxic, add institutions, educational 400 00:22:35,849 --> 00:22:37,709 institutions in particular. So that 401 00:22:37,919 --> 00:22:40,919 everyone can feel welcome that they can 402 00:22:40,919 --> 00:22:42,809 feel like they belong, that they feel like 403 00:22:42,809 --> 00:22:44,939 there's a community that they belong 404 00:22:44,939 --> 00:22:46,979 to, and not just an institution that 405 00:22:46,979 --> 00:22:49,919 they're attending. Certainly hiring 406 00:22:49,919 --> 00:22:53,159 policies, improving representation is one 407 00:22:53,159 --> 00:22:56,459 way of going about doing that. Another way 408 00:22:56,459 --> 00:23:00,329 is basically to have senior administrators 409 00:23:00,329 --> 00:23:03,029 first of all go through some sort of anti 410 00:23:03,029 --> 00:23:04,589 oppression training, anti-racist 411 00:23:04,589 --> 00:23:08,459 training. So that they understand at the 412 00:23:08,459 --> 00:23:14,189 top level what is problematic. Because 413 00:23:14,189 --> 00:23:16,919 the system really does begin at the top, 414 00:23:17,129 --> 00:23:18,569 right? So, if you're going to try and 415 00:23:18,959 --> 00:23:21,569 defeat systemic racism, you need to go 416 00:23:21,569 --> 00:23:25,499 where the policies are created and where 417 00:23:25,529 --> 00:23:29,219 the day to day sort of directives are, and 418 00:23:29,219 --> 00:23:32,699 decisions are made. In order to be able to 419 00:23:32,969 --> 00:23:38,099 hit the system at its core and be able to 420 00:23:38,759 --> 00:23:41,909 change things in a meaningful way 421 00:23:41,909 --> 00:23:44,189 throughout the entire institution, the 422 00:23:44,189 --> 00:23:47,129 entire college, university, school. Now, I 423 00:23:47,129 --> 00:23:48,749 know that sounds kind of counterintuitive, 424 00:23:48,749 --> 00:23:52,799 because usually we talk about bottom up in 425 00:23:53,009 --> 00:23:57,359 for making social change. Starting from 426 00:23:57,359 --> 00:23:59,399 the ground up and working our way 427 00:23:59,399 --> 00:24:04,409 to the top. But, it can be a head 428 00:24:04,559 --> 00:24:06,659 banging, head splitting kind of 429 00:24:06,659 --> 00:24:11,069 experience. Because it can be very slow. 430 00:24:11,069 --> 00:24:12,569 And ultimately you have to reach to the 431 00:24:12,569 --> 00:24:14,669 top anyway. So, why not start with a top? 432 00:24:14,969 --> 00:24:19,349 and have them sort of trickle down to the 433 00:24:19,619 --> 00:24:22,019 senior managers and then to the deans and 434 00:24:22,019 --> 00:24:24,749 to the department coordinators and then 435 00:24:24,749 --> 00:24:29,369 down to the actual teachers or employees, 436 00:24:29,399 --> 00:24:34,439 other staff members who on their own, 437 00:24:34,739 --> 00:24:40,409 might not be as willing to engage in these 438 00:24:40,409 --> 00:24:44,189 issues. Or have maybe already been 439 00:24:44,189 --> 00:24:45,659 converted, so you're just preaching to the 440 00:24:45,659 --> 00:24:47,849 converted and then there are others who 441 00:24:48,029 --> 00:24:51,389 will never be converted, quote on quote, to 442 00:24:51,389 --> 00:24:53,669 your side who are your peers who are your 443 00:24:53,669 --> 00:24:56,039 colleagues. So, sometimes you need that top 444 00:24:56,039 --> 00:25:00,449 down to be able to make The change 445 00:25:00,449 --> 00:25:03,779 actually happened effectively. So that is 446 00:25:04,169 --> 00:25:07,379 something I would tell people who 447 00:25:07,379 --> 00:25:10,709 work in institutions to do is and senior 448 00:25:10,709 --> 00:25:13,409 managers in particular administration is 449 00:25:13,409 --> 00:25:17,369 to really try and make an effort. Like a 450 00:25:17,369 --> 00:25:20,429 really sincere effort, not lip service, to 451 00:25:21,599 --> 00:25:24,269 engage with the different kinds of 452 00:25:24,689 --> 00:25:27,869 training and workshops that help them be 453 00:25:27,869 --> 00:25:31,349 better managers for minoritized people as 454 00:25:31,349 --> 00:25:33,299 well as for the general population.