A message to the Faculty of Graduate Studies community on racism
Dear Faculty of Graduate Studies community,
Many of you have been following the news, and are aware of the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, and Chantal Moore; as well as the protests that these murders have inspired across the world. I, and the Faculty of Graduate Studies, want to express our appreciation and support for the crucial work being done by Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Colour (BIPOC) groups worldwide. We would like to echo Dr. Barnard’s statement that we stand with our BIPOC colleagues, staff, students, and community members in combatting racism in all forms.
As media is flooded with images of trauma and police brutality, we must consider the ways in which we contribute to the systems that allow this violence to happen. As many BIPOC individuals have pointed out, it is an immense privilege to remain ignorant of the effects of racism. Let us take this opportunity to do the important work of educating ourselves about historical and modern racism, and our roles in perpetuating racism culturally and systemically. Important resources can be found at University of Manitoba Libraries.
The Faculty of Graduate Studies aims to foster an environment of equity, inclusion, and anti-racism. We acknowledge the roles that we play in perpetuating systemic racism; however, we resolve to take on the lifelong transformative work of unlearning our biases and adopting anti-racist beliefs and practices.
Sincerely,