Equity & Diversity Resource Bank
The following is a compilation of educational materials and resources focused on equity and active anti-racism. It also provides connections to educational initiatives with an anti-oppression mandate, as well as to Queen’s- and Kingston-based support resources for Black students and community members. This is only a small step in the process of combatting systemic racism on campus and in our wider communities.
We are immensely grateful to Abiola Akinyemi (Law '22, Equity and Diversity Co-Commissioner 2020-2021) for her labour in consulting on and assisting with this project, and for the contributions she has made in this respect.
Resources
Wellness/Mental Health Resources
Student Wellness Services: Queen's SWS is able to connect BIPOC students with wellness-related supports, including one-on-one and/or group counselling with the following practitioners:
- Dr. Arunima Khanna - Available for one-on-one counselling for minority students.
- E.L. Adams - Clinical and educational psychologist in the Kingston community, also available for appointments made through SWS.
Appointments with either practitioner can be booked by e-mailing counselling.services@queensu.ca.
- Lisa Doxtator - Offers wellness and cultural programming, as well as one-on-one and group counselling, for Indigenous students. Meetings can be arranged by e-mailing lmd9@queensu.ca.
For students living outside of Ontario:
- EmpowerMe - For mental health and support services, available to all Queen's students (an alternative to accessing Ontario-based practitioners' services).
- Therapy Assistance Online (TAO) - A self-directed mental health tool available to Queen's students and accessible online.
For on-campus, peer-to-peer support:
- Graduate Peer Support Centre - Confidential peer-to-peer mental health support, available on campus at Queen's (housed in the JDUC). According to the SGPS website, peer volunteers are trained in active listening, intervention strategies and resource referral. Note that the Centre is currently closed due to COVID-19 precautions in place on campus.
A broader list of support resources, including more information on the Academic Assistance Program and Indigenous Recruitment and Support, is also available on the Supports page of the LSS website.
Educational Resources (Queen's-based)
HREO (Human Rights & Equity Office): The Queen's HREO website houses various resources available for self-education on anti-racism, both as a general topic and specifically within the Queen's community.
The Publications page of the HREO website includes various brochures and infographics breaking down topics pertinent to racism at Queen's, as well as archives of annual reports done by the Equity and Human Rights branches of the HREO, and informational series of publications titled "Achieving Equity", and past copies of the "Equity Matters" newsletter. Some examples include the following:
- "What do I do if I experience/witness racism?" infographic - Includes contact points for support for students that have experienced racism on campus, as well as response-related action items for students witnessing racist incidents.
- "Unconscious Biases" infographic - Explains what unconscious biases are and how to begin to counteract them, including explanations of different types of biases prevalent within academic communities as well as associated statistics.
- Unconscious Biases - Behavioural Checklist
The HREO also curates Together Are We, a discussion blog with pieces about equity, diversity and inclusion. The blog's "About" page describes its mandate as being a "safe and collaborative space where dialogue and discussion can occur".
Race and Racism at Queen's: This page, also by the HREO, contains definitions of racism, racial discrimination and harassment, as well as examples for identification of such behaviour on campus. It also identifies examples of work done in this area at Queen's, and links to more on-campus resources.
Queen's University Human Rights & Equity Office Training (see "Power, Privilege and Bias" module in particular - Queen's login required)
"What a Pandemic Teaches Us About Racism" by Lavie Williams, Anti-Racism and Inclusion Advisor
Advisory/Advocacy Resources (Queen's-based)
HREO (Human Rights & Equity Office): The Queen's HREO also operates several branches dedicated to advocacy and support for equity-seeking groups at Queen's. These services include:
- Human Rights Advisory Services - The Human Rights and Equity Office at Queen’s offers appointment-based consultations regarding human rights issues arising at Queen’s, as well as advocacy for practices and policies responding to the needs of equity-seeking communities. Advisors are able to explain policies and procedures, make referrals, speak to people on your behalf and attend meetings as a support person. Appointments can be requested by e-mailing hrights@queensu.ca
- Equity Services - The HREO’s Equity branch’s mandate is “to work with Officers of the University, the Senate Education Equity Committee and the Council on Employment Equity to ensure that equity is achieved throughout the University in accordance with the Report on Principles and Priorities adopted by the Queen's Senate in 1996.”
- Initiatives - Includes Queen’s’ Human Rights Legislation Group, which provides information to academic and non-academic units at Queen’s regarding the evolving landscape of human rights legislation and how to avoid breaches thereof. The page notes that interested individuals can e-mail hrights@queensu.ca for information on meeting attendance or access to resources.
- Inclusive Queen’s Equity, Diversity and Anti-Racism page - Lists organizations and contacts at Queen’s whose work intersects with on-campus equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives. The page also lists various clubs and university bodies dedicated to anti-racist work.
- University Council on Anti-Racism and Equity - According to the Inclusive Queen’s page, this organization “coordinates, monitors, and reports on the progress of university-wide initiatives to address racism and promote equity, diversity, and inclusion”. Vacancies on the committee are filled before the end of the second semester of every school year.
- Queen’s Coalition against Racial and Ethnic Discrimination - According to QCRED’s website, its mission statement is “to be an anti-oppressive non-hierarchical coalition of students, staff and faculty that work to create an anti-racist climate on the Queen’s University campus”. QCRED offers a number of programs designed to support visible minority students, staff and faculty at Queen’s, including a Faculty Mentorship Program, the Queen’s Peer Connection Program and an Each One, Teach One biweekly event at the Four Directions Centre. The QCRED website also links to a number of community partners also working to foster equity at Queen’s and in the Kingston community.
- Cultural Supports at Queen’s - This page provides a summary of cultural clubs operating at Queen’s, as well as contact information for cross-cultural counselling available to Queen’s students.
Provincial/National Community Resources
Black Law Students’ Association of Canada - The Black Law Students’ Association of Canada is a national association committed to mentorship and community-building. It is comprised of various chapters across law schools in Canada. BLSA Canada hosts a yearly national conference as well as the Isaac Moot, and offers mentorship opportunities as well as various scholarships.
LSO Resources - The Law Society of Ontario has compiled a collection of equity-focused resources on their website, spanning a multitude of topics within this field. Among other resources, it provides access to various reports and writings on inequity in the legal profession, statistics relating to race and diversity in Canada, tools for measuring such statistics and legislation pertaining to human rights.
Contacts at Queen's
Helen Connop, Manager of Education and Equity Services (Queen’s Law): helen.connop@queensu.ca
Under Ms. Connop’s direction, the Education and Equity Services office provides supportive counselling and referral/advisory services to students of historically marginalized backgrounds, and facilitates requests for academic relief. The Office also provides networking opportunities with alumni who are willing to connect on EDI initiatives, and liaises with the Human Rights and Equity Office as well as other relevant campus resources. Funding assistance to students from equity-seeking groups is also available.
Ms. Connop also acts as a resource person and advisor for the LSS Equity & Diversity committee, as well as equity-seeking clubs at Queen’s Law. 2019-2020 examples of initiatives implemented in partnership with the Education and Equity Services Office include:
- Co-sponsorship with Disability and Mental Health Law, annual Wellness Day on March 6th, 2019. Wellness Day was created as a way to promote wellness and mental wellbeing amongst law students at the Queen's Faculty of Law
- Co-sponsorship of Wellness Day event with Disability and Mental Health Law Club on March 4th, 2020.
- Co-sponsoring speaker event with OutLaw - Talking Trans: Trans and Gender-Nonconforming Identities and the Law, February 8th, 2019
- Funding three students’ attendance at the 2019 Out on Bay Street event in Toronto on Sept. 13th and 14th, 2019
- Co-sponsoring speaker event with OutLaw on February 3rd, 2020, to have lawyer Marcus McCann give a talk regarding sex-positive legal frameworks
- Funding ten students’ attendance to attend the 13th Annual Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers Conference on Feb. 8th, 2020
- Funded two students to attend the Black Law Students’ Association of Canada National Conference on Feb. 13th, 2020
Lavie Williams, Anti-Racism and Inclusion Advisor (HREO): ltw@queensu.ca
May be contacted for connections to anti-oppression and anti-racism initiatives, processes and services at Queen’s, and participates in the implementation and monitoring of institutional inclusion and anti-oppression strategies.
Fikir Haile, Equity & Diversity Commissioner for the SGPS: equity@sgps.ca
The Equity & Diversity Commissioner of the SGPS is responsible for organizing events and developing infrastructures that facilitate improved engagement with EDI issues affecting graduate students.
Teri Shearer, Deputy Provost (Queen’s): deputy.provost@queensu.ca
According to Inclusive Queen’s, the Deputy Provost oversees EDI initiatives at Queen’s, “is available to meet with students, staff, and faculty to discuss matters of inclusivity on campus, and is interested in hearing about the experiences of Queen’s community members from diverse backgrounds”.
Recommended Materials
The tragic death of George Floyd has sparked a very much-needed conversation on racism and police brutality.
These resources reflect on both implicit and explicit forms of anti-Blackness.
Self-Education and Allyship
Educational Tools (non-Queen's-based)Call It Out: Racism, Racial Discrimination and Human Rights (30-minute interactive e-Course through OHRC) Learning About Racism (5-module e-Course certification through the Canadian Race Relations Foundation) |
Allyship ResourcesWays To Be Involved in the Fight Against Racism and Support #BlackLivesMatter Outside of Protesting by Aysha Qamar Opportunities for White People in the Fight for Racial Justice: Moving From Actor to Ally To Accomplice (from whiteaccomplices.org) Addressing Anti-Black Racism in Education Recognizing and Dismantling Your Anti-Blackness by Janice Gassam Asare |