President’s Task Force on Anti-Black Racism
When it comes to combating systemic racism in society, Concordia needs to lead by example.
Background
Since its founding, Concordia has aimed to provide broad, equal access to opportunity. Living up to those ideals means applying the spirit of unbiased inquiry that informs our academic mandate to every aspect of our operations.
The murder of George Floyd in May 2020, preceded by those of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery earlier in the month, amplified international cries in support of Black Lives Matter. These events sparked worldwide demands for action to tackle anti-Black racism that is systemic in institutions.
Here at Concordia, an open letter circulated in June 2020 demanding action. The university listened. Since that time, Interim Provost Anne Whitelaw has been working closely with members of the Black Caucus of Concordia and other stakeholders to design the structure and membership of the task force.
The task force co-chairs, leadership team and sub-committees will undertake the important work of addressing anti-Black racism at Concordia.
Mandate
The task force's mandate is to oversee wide-ranging anti-racism efforts across Concordia in order to help the university better serve as a diverse and welcoming place with deep connections to the community.
The task force will direct and coordinate the work needed to generate recommendations that will address systemic anti-Black racism based on the experiences of faculty, staff and students.
The task force will work in conversation with the Indigenous Directions Leadership Council and ultimately with Concordia's Equity Office to make recommendations that address systemic racism intersectionally.
Milestones
November 30, 2020: The task force will finalize the sub-committees’ membership, define their terms of reference and present a workplan to the interim provost.
April 2021: Concordia’s interim provost will receive a progress report on the work of the sub-committees that identifies immediate action items.
April 2022: Concordia’s president will receive a comprehensive set of recommendations and action plans to combat anti-Black racism at Concordia.
Task force composition
Co-chairs
The task force is headed by two co-chairs of a 15-person leadership team.
- Angélique Willkie, associate professor, Contemporary Dance, Faculty of Fine Arts
- Annick Maugile Flavien, founding coordinator, Black Perspectives Office
Leadership team
The 15-person leadership team includes undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, union representatives, a representative of the Black Caucus of Concordia and the heads of the eight subcommittees.
- Undergraduate and graduate students: Harvin Hilaire, undergraduate student; Lisa Ndejuru, graduate student
- Alumni and union representatives: Evan Pitchie, Concordia alumnus; Linda Dyer, Concordia University Faculty Association; Jacqueline Peters, Concordia University Part-Time Faculty Association; Sarah Mazhero, Concordia Student Union
- Black Caucus of Concordia (BCC) representative: Jamilah Dei-Sharpe, BCC coordinator
- Leads of the eight sub-committees
Sub-committees
In order to address the multiple manifestations of racism experienced by Black members of the Concordia community, the task force has identified eight sub-committees that will explore and make recommendations on specific issues.
The lead of each of the sub-committees will sit on the task force leadership team and support the co-chairs in advancing the work of the task force.
Each sub-committee lead will work with an institutional support person who will be able to answer questions about existing policies and practices and identify resources that will help the sub-committee in its deliberations and in making recommendations.
