Jan. 20, 2021

In the fall of 2020, the Office of the Associate Vice-President, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Wilfrid Laurier University hosted a two-part virtual roundtable series. These conversations brought together leading thinkers from across Canada to discuss the challenges of pursuing equity, diversity and inclusion in academia. Recordings of these events are now available.

Both events were moderated by Barrington Walker, associate vice-president, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and professor of History.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and the Challenges Facing Universities

Recorded Oct. 15, 2020

This roundtable asked panelists to consider how institutions have responded to escalating demands for change coming from both inside and outside, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and continental-wide civil unrest.

Featured panelists:

• Tamari Kitossa, associate professor of Sociology (Brock University)
• Minelle Mahtani, senior advisor to the provost, Racialized Faculty; associate professor at the Institute for Social Justice (University of British Columbia)
• Carl James, senior advisor, Equity and Representation; professor, Faculty of Education; Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora (York University)
• Arig al Shaibah, associate vice-president, Equity and Inclusion; adjunct faculty, Department of Sociology (McMaster University)

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion: A Dialogue with Human Rights and Decolonization

Recorded Nov. 13, 2020

This session asked panelists to think about how we might put EDI in conversation with the long-standing Human Rights and anti-colonial struggles that have historically taken place on and beyond our campuses. Can EDI, within a Canadian context, become a more dynamic field of reference, one that can respond to criticisms by fostering an anti-oppressive and anti-colonial ethos of critical reflection, knowledge generation and practice?

Featured panelists:

• Sheila Cote-Meek, vice-president, Equity People and Culture (York University)
• Malinda Smith, vice-provost EDI; professor of Political Science (University of Calgary)
• Stephanie Simpson, associate vice-principal, Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion (Queen’s University)
• Wesley Crichlow, associate dean equity chair, President’s Equity Taskforce; professor of Criminology and Justice (Ontario Institute of Technology)