Celebrating Black@UTM
Dear colleagues,
I’m writing to celebrate the recent progress of Black@UTM and to preview some ways you can get involved in this work going forward. Black@UTM – part strategic action group, part online community space, all parts amazing – works to promote Black excellence, empowerment and belonging on our campus. Its senior team reports into my office to match their connection to priorities of the Strategic Framework: Black belonging matters campus-wide; its leaders need a campus-wide platform.
What’s Happening?
This year, among many other accomplishments, Black@UTM has:
- Launched the vibrant Black@UTM webspace to promote Black-centred resources, stories, and events, including a recent screening of the film Short Drop, produced by UTM alumna Mary-Rebekah Reyes. The site also brings together a growing collection of interviews to celebrate some of the different ways that Black faculty, staff, students, and alumni make their mark at UTM and beyond.
- Developed our Black Inclusion and Excellence Dashboard that describes progress in realizing the 56 commitments of U of T’s Anti-Black Racism Task Force. The first round of dashboard updates features submissions from 33 departments and highlights a range of change-making work: from SEE @ UTM to the Black Research Network to the Black Excellence Public Art Installation.
- Founded the Black Leadership Table that hosts monthly meetings for UTM Black-identifying staff. The table opens mentoring, networking, and professional development opportunities for Black staff who hope to build thriving careers, both in their current roles and beyond.
- Created the Black Opportunities Fund that provides up to $20,000 to support staff, faculty, and other new UTM projects that celebrate Black excellence and promote anti-racist action. The first call for applications launched in December and welcomes submissions through Jan. 17, 2024.
- Hired two Black@UTM staff members. Supported by generous funding from U of T’s Provost, Martin Kengo and Eileen Waweru started their new roles last month as our Manager and Coordinator, respectively, of Black Initiatives. They have made an impact already and continue to show in practice a truth that bears repeating: resourcing anti-racist work matters.
- Many other Black@UTM members do their work as volunteers through, e.g., the Operational Group against Anti-Black Racism. UTM will create new ways to recognize the significance of their insight, experience, and expertise on anti-Black racism and other similar work shortly, not as a side-of-the-desk project but as core contributions towards the university’s mission.
What’s Next?
The work of building a Black-inclusive community at UTM is a collective responsibility, as our Strategic Framework puts it – and it matters as urgently now as ever. So, I’ve shared below a few ways that you can get involved with this work in the new year.
- Help inform your department’s update for the Black Inclusion and Excellence dashboard. Share recent progress in implementing Anti-Black Racism Task Force recommendations. We will circulate a formal call for dashboard submissions in mid-February 2024, emphasizing then the significance of these updates for institutional priorities: accountability goes together with positive change.
- Review U of T’s commitments to anti-racist action. This includes recommendations of the Anti-Black Racism Task Force and Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in Canadian Higher Education. It also includes other anti-oppressive efforts with which this work intersects, including reports of U of T’s groups on Anti-Semitism and Anti-Asian Racism.
- Explore the Black@UTM webpage where you’ll find upcoming events to attend and resources to access. There, you can also connect directly with the Black@UTM team and subscribe to receive updates on more opportunities to get involved in the future. You’re always welcome to share Black-centred achievements, events, or story ideas with the team to post for promotion on the website.
Thanks, everyone, with special thanks to Black@UTM for their leadership. We have a great opportunity to extend their positive momentum in the new year – and to keep working together to make UTM a home where everyone can belong and flourish.
Alexandra Gillespie
Vice-President and Principal
University of Toronto Mississauga