Delia
In August 2020, the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences Faculty Executive Council approved The Disruption of All Forms of Racism Policy (DAFR), the first anti-racism policy to be passed by any Faculty or post secondary institution in Canada. In November 2023 the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences Faculty Executive Council approved revisions to the DAFR Policy.
The DAFR Policy constitutes a formal recognition of racial harassment, racial discrimination, racial vilification, and racism. It is an affirmation of a) the histories of dispossession, enslavement, genocide, and their legacies; b) ongoing settler colonial projects; and c) the humanity, rights, dignity, and safety of Black, Indigenous, and racialized minority learners, staff, and faculty.
However, while the Policy is an important structural intervention, it represents a point of departure and not an end point.
In conversations about anti-racism, I often hear “I don’t know what to do/what should I do”?
This very question can place an added weight of expectations, responsibilities, and burdens associated with addressing issues related to racial (in)equity, racism, and racial justice on Black, Indigenous, and racialized minoritized persons. I mention this, because this question can be an expression of defensiveness/resistance, which can result in inaction.
You may be familiar with the phrase: the “only way out” is through… Some of the next steps associated with disrupting and dismantling racism(s) involve the active process of challenging one’s own biases and prejudices, as well as actively engaging in the work of disrupting systemic racism by dismantling the policies/social relations/attitudes/practices that promote and/or sustain racial inequality.
In response we have drafted a number of documents to guide and support you in your efforts to enhance your racial literacy and efforts to disrupt/challenge/eliminate the structural arrangements/policies/social relations/attitudes/practices that promote and/or sustain racial inequality and perpetuate racism.
Marcia
I spend a lot of time thinking about how anti-racist and social justice change will happen in our faculty and in the health care system. We have done a lot of work to offer educational opportunities and resources, and there are many more options to enhance your racial literacy online, at conferences and in the arts. However, as we know from every single behavioral health intervention ever, education alone is not enough. Like many aspects of organizational culture, racism is deeply embedded not just in policies, procedures and practices but also in the more invisible aspects like the stories that get told, the coded language that gets used, and the disapproval and even backlash people face when they try to speak up.
These parts of the invisible organizational culture are not things we can change from the Dean’s Office or the Office of Anti-Racism. These require us all to show commitment and leadership in meaningful action. The tools attached are meant to guide your work at the Unit, Department or College level as you seek to build your anti-racism strategies, hire more diverse candidates with anti-racism expertise, and build your own and your team’s racial literacy.
In November I launched a group coaching program to support Faculty Leaders in their anti-racism and social justice work. In 2024 the Office of Anti-Racism will be launching a council or community of practice to support you as you take action across Rady’s Units, Departments and Colleges. If we are going to have a New Year’s Resolution, let it be this: that we all develop a further understanding of our individual and collective anti-racism and social justice responsibilities, and begin (or for some continue) taking visible and meaningful action.
Resources
In November 2023, Dr. Marcia Anderson (Vice-Dean, Indigenous Health, Social Justice and Anti-Racism) launched a group coaching program to support Faculty leaders in their social justice and anti-racism work.
In 2024 the Office of Anti-Racism will launch an Anti-Racism Community of Practice- stay tuned for a formal announcement, name and dates.
This work requires all of us to understand and act on our responsibilities as members of the RFHS community.
We hope that the attached tools will help you on the next steps in your Units, Departments and Colleges. The toolkit contains the following resources:
- Anti-Racism Strategy Template
- Anti-Racism Resource List
- Rady Equity, Access and Participation Strategy
- Anti-Racism and Social Justice Terms of Reference Review
- Anti-Racism and Social Justice Syllabus Statement
- Guide for the Implementation of Anti-Racism and Social Justice Syllabus Statement
- Suggested Anti-Racism Competencies for Job Descriptions
- Rady Performance Conversation Review with Anti-Racism and Equity
- Guideline to Anti-Racism and Equity on Performance Conversation Review
These materials can be found on the Office of anti-racism website.