A message to the Laurier community in support of Black History Month

Dear Laurier community,

Black History Month is an opportunity to reflect on the intersectional identities and histories of Black people across the African Diaspora and their contributions around the world. We are grateful to the many faculty, staff and students at Laurier who have planned events, panel discussions and special features to celebrate our Black colleagues and facilitate learning and dialogue throughout the month and we encourage you to take part in these activities.

The launch of Black History Month is also a time to reflect on the university’s role in creating the conditions for Black thriving, combatting anti-Black racism, and building a university community where all members feel a powerful sense of belonging. We at Laurier are holding ourselves accountable as we work toward racial equity and justice. We acknowledge there is still much work to be done. Anti-Black racism persists and we must continually fight hate and work with intention on addressing systemic inequities. This requires the commitment of our university community.

As we look back on the last year, Laurier launched the Inclusive Excellence cohort hiring initiative in the spring of 2021, and the university is on track to hire no fewer than six new Black faculty members. In November, Laurier joined over 40 other universities and colleges across Canada in signing the Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion. The charter outlines guiding principles for institutions as they take action to address systemic racism.

At the end of the last academic term, the Strategic Planning Committee for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (SPC-EDI) drafted an institutional strategic plan based on input and feedback from students, faculty and staff who shared their own experiences and insights. This draft plan will be shared with the university community this winter and will inform how Laurier builds a more inclusive and just community. We are grateful for the candor of our community members who shared their lived experiences to inform the strategic plan and take very seriously their input.

Throughout this month, as we celebrate Black history and the contributions and cultures of Black people in Canada and beyond and highlight the work of Laurier’s Black faculty, students, staff and alumni, we encourage you to commit to further education and action. This is a time for us all to commit to ending anti-Black racism and to focus on Black inclusion.

Deborah MacLatchy, PhD
President & Vice-Chancellor

Barrington Walker, PhD
Associate Vice-President: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

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Black History Month programming reflects Laurier’s commitment to embed Equity, Diversity and Inclusion principles across all of its campuses. If you would like to support EDI-related initiatives at Laurier, consider making a donation to these funds, which support Laurier’s Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and initiatives organized by the Office of the Associate Vice-President Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.