Department of Health Sciences Statement on Anti-Racism and Discrimination.
The Department of Health Sciences at Carleton University, Canada, stands in solidarity with members of Black, Indigenous and other racialized minorities calling for justice against historic and ongoing state-sponsored violence.
We are committed to educating ourselves and fighting oppression and discrimination while providing a space free of prejudice for our students and all members of the community. We will work to address racism, racist violence, and discrimination through ongoing conversations and awareness-building.
Addressing the issues of racism and inequality will require significant commitments and ongoing efforts by many organizations….and by each of us as individuals. We are dedicated to working with our community to develop solutions that ultimately help bring an end to these longstanding injustices.
To this end we affirm:
- To recognize that racism and discrimination is a public health crisis and publicly affirm our identity as an anti-racist academic department;
- To explicitly identify, discuss and challenge issues of race and the impact(s) they have on our organization, its systems, and its people;
- To also challenge ourselves to understand and correct any inequities we may discover;
- To ensure our anti-racism commitment is reflected in all teaching, supervision and advising in the department; and,
- To implement strategies that dismantle racism and discrimination within all aspects of our department, university, and society.
To provide action to our statement, we will:
- Initiate a task force as soon as possible to examine departmental practices;
- Solicit feedback from students, faculty, and staff on challenges and strengths of our current practices (e.g. in recruitment, retention, and recognition);
- Provide representation with the Faculty and University on their strategic initiatives;
- Develop, by the end of 2020, a strategic plan for how our unit will meaningfully address systemic racism and increase equity, diversity, and inclusion over the next 1, 5, and 10 years.
Resources:
- Why “I’m not racist” is only half the story | Robin DiAngelo
- Report: Black Experiences in Healthcare | Sinai Health
- Racism and Mental Health | Royal College of Psychiatrists
- Guide to Allyship | Stephanie A. Dixon
- From Structural Injustice to Embodied Harm | Nancy Krieger
- Racism and Public Health | Canadian Public Health Association