A Guide to King’s and Brescia’s Joint Anti-Racism Working Group Report: All you Need to Know

Today, Western University affiliates Brescia and King’s University College released their joint Anti-Racism Working Group (KB-ARWG) report for all students, staff, and faculty to read.

The KB-ARWG group has been working on this project since the summer of 2020, when they were created. Their mission is to take steps “towards creating blueprints for positive change” in response to a call for an improved racial climate on campus.

The project is divided into two parts; the first is the current report.

The report conducted a qualitative study of interviews with various members of both institutions, with responses from students, staff, faculty (contract and full-time), professional officers, and senior administrators.

The second part, projected to be completed in 2022, will build off these findings and amplify “the narratives shared by Black, Indigenous, racialized, and minoritized students and employees.”.

The structure of the report allows for a thorough analysis and is accessible to all. Students need not worry about a potential lack of understanding; footnotes provide definitions, supplement learning with statistics, and give additional sources to support the report’s topic and findings.

The findings of the report are not surprising for many in our community: 

1)    “Yes, racism is an issue”

2)    There is a “Lack of diversity”

3)    “Expressions of racism” vary

4)    There is a “Lack of inclusivity”

5)    There is a “Denial of racism”

6)    There is an overwhelming lack of confidence in “Reporting and discussion of racism”

7)    “The costs of racism” are explored through responses from the survey and are very real

8)    There is “Support for anti-racist actions”

Within the findings, there was at times a significant gap between the affiliates; however, most stayed consistent throughout both institutions:

1)    The data showed both affiliates recognized racism as an issue; however, King’s faculty and students were more aware than Brescia’s. Further, while Brescia’s administrators and staff were more aware, King’s senior administrators and professional officers were not.

2)    “At King’s, 40% of student respondents report they are not taught by faculty of colour, while at Brescia, 73% of students state that they are not taught by faculty of colour.” Here, the gap between the affiliates is shocking. Further, the group reported that “senior leadership across Canadian institutions is almost exclusively white.”.

3)    Both campuses reported the same expressions of racism, from covert to overt, such as slurs, microaggressions, intellectual put-downs, etc.

4)    Like the last finding, both campuses reported similar forms of lack of inclusivity through underrepresentation, misrepresentation, etc.

5)    The data on denial of racism was consistent within the study. A fifth of participants was unsure racism was an issue. Another fifth denied it was “and that racial grievance has no basis”.

6)    “Fewer than a third of the participants in each role (students, faculty, staff, administrators) felt there were safe institutional channels to report racism” and “A significant percentage of the participants were unsure if such channels existed”.

7)    Again, the costs of racism are consistent; throughout the study, quotes from the data collection reveal the impacts it has on Black, Indigenous, and racialized community members.

8)    Finally, the more hopeful of findings, “The majority of community members at both institutions support anti-racist actions such as awareness-raising about racism, curricular change to reflect the history and achievements of people of colour, and hiring for diversity.”. 

From these findings, eight recommendations were formed by KB-ARWG to help move towards positive change. Here they are in full:

1.     Acknowledge the prevalence of individual and institutional racism, and create channels for reporting and discussing racism for both students and employees.

2.     Build a bold, durable, functional, and effective equity framework, with anti-racism as a core element.

3.     Fully involve senior administrators in anti-racism as a project.

4.     Build anti-racism into recruitment, hiring, retention, and promotion of faculty.

5.     Audit curricula and pedagogies; create inclusive curricula and use culturally-sustaining pedagogies.

6.     Decolonize the curriculum, and launch an intentional and focused Indigenization program under the leadership of Indigenous scholars, Elders, and organizations.

7.     Educate and sensitize faculty, administrators, and staff in every unit that serves students and employees.

8.     Audit and modify budgets, documents, policies, and practices to reflect awareness of implicit bias and to remedy exclusions.

The remainder of the report goes on to further delve into the findings and provide readers with statistics of each institution.

So, what does this mean for our students?

This report is heavy; this may seem overwhelming between the quotes, statistics, and content, and students may be unsure of where to start.

First and foremost, take care of yourself. Self-care is critical when dealing with topics of this nature. It is okay not to be a superhero 24/7. It is not up to you alone to solve this issue; this is the report's purpose – to progress our social climate effectively and safely as a team. Below are some resources to help in this process:

1) Check out Brescia’s website for health and wellness options, as well as a resource toolbox https://brescia.uwo.ca/student_life/health_and_wellness/get_help.php

2) Go to the Baines Peer Support Space located in St. James, Room 157 with a satellite space for Residence students in Clare Hall, Room 261 (formerly, the second floor south study room)

3) Stay connected with friends, family, pets, teachers, peers, Sophs (Orientation leaders), etc. We are all here to help you!

Second, educate yourself. Suppose some topics or findings in this report are confusing or you do not understand why this is important. In that case, there are some great resources to help begin your journey.

Look at the reference section of the report and take your pick; these reports, studies, and works are a significant first step. Further, read Black, Indigenous, and racialized authors and works. Please recognize these texts/works are heavy and deal with various subject matter that may disturb or trigger some audiences. Before you read a book, look it up to ensure it is safe for you to read. To start:

Fiction

1)    Bone Black by Carol Rose GoldenEagle

2)    Five Little Indians by Michelle Good

3)    Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubegshig Rice

4)    Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead

5)    The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

Non-Fiction

1)    Saga Boy by Antonio Michael Downing

2)    The Skin We’re In by Desmond Cole

3)    A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott

4)    Peace and Good Order by Harold R. Johnson

5)    From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle 

Poetry and other forms

1)    Eat salt / gaze at the ocean by Junie Désil

2)    Burning Sugar by Cicely Belle Blain

3)    NDN Coping Mechanisms by Billy-Ray Belcourt

4)    If I Go Missing by Brianna Jonnie with Nahanni Shingoose

5)    77 Fragments of a Familiar Ruin by Thomas King

We are at university to learn, think critically, and make the world a better place. With education comes the responsibility to monitor your own biases, actions, and thoughts to be a positive social change. Use your education, privilege, and heart to help those around you.

If you have comments, questions, concerns, or anything of the sort, please feel free to reach out to the Editor by email (Brescia.buzz@bucsc.ca) or Instagram DM @bresciabuzzzz.

The report can be found in your uwo email inbox or at this link for further reading: https://brescia.uwo.ca/communications/media_relations/media_releases/2021/presidents_of_kings_and_brescia_release_report_on_campus_racial_climate.php