Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) will establish an office of anti-racism as its president promises to implement the recommendations of the institution’s Task Force on Anti-Racism (TFA).
The task force was established in July 2020 amidst global protests about race-based state violence. Today (Oct. 7), the task force presented its final report with 64 recommendations to address systemic racism. The recommendations function as both a call to action and a guide that will help the KPU community take ongoing, meaningful steps to transform the institution.
“This is a bold report which inspires an equally bold response,” says Dr. Alan Davis, KPU president and vice chancellor. “I will do all I can to ensure that KPU will support the implementation of these recommendations.”
The office of anti-racism will streamline all KPU anti-racism related work. Reporting to the president, it will offer support and consultation services to senior leadership, committees, and departments, and provide guidance on all strategic planning processes and institution-wide initiatives. The office will be headed by an associate vice-president for anti-racism, which on an interim basis will be Dr. Asma Sayed, task force chair and Canada Research Chair in South Asian Literary and Cultural Studies.
KPU will also establish immediately an implementation committee with expertise in race, racism and anti-racism, policy, and institutional transformation to ensure that the recommendations of the task force are implemented over the next two to three years and on an ongoing basis.
Among the recommendations that KPU will be undertaking immediately, Dr. Davis highlights:
- Institutional awards recognizing Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) excellence.
- An annual KPU symposium sharing internal and external research, scholarship on racism and anti-racism.
- Maintaining a rich, informative and engaging anti-racism website.
- Research fellowships for employees to explore racism and anti-racism.
- Scholarships for students to work on racism and anti-racism projects.
- Exploring ways to expand the number of BIPOC employees.
Over the course of two years, the TFA conducted surveys, workshops, panel discussions, research literature reviews, data analysis and consultations in and beyond KPU.
“The TFA affirms that historic and ongoing racism exists within and beyond KPU, that it is systemic, and that it negatively impacts all aspects of the university’s operations and activities,” the report concludes.
In addition to setting out six recommendations for immediate implementation, the report made recommendations in ten other areas, including curriculum, leadership, hiring, and student engagement.
“I am hopeful that the findings in the report, as challenging as they are, will lead KPU in a good direction,” says Dr. Sayed. “Through ongoing education and training, policy development, and recognition of BIPOC excellence and contributions, we can work to meaningfully address and dismantle systemic racism.
“Implementation of recommendations in the report will begin a new chapter in our journey towards building an anti-racist and inclusive institution. The report is a call for action for each and every member of KPU community to be part of this journey.”
The TFA report says anti-racism work needs to challenge the colonial context within which universities have historically operated so its report and recommendations should work in alignment with a parallel process underway that commits KPU to systemic transformation of its relationship with Indigenous Peoples. A document regarding that transformation should be published early next year.
In addition to the work of the Task Force on Anti-Racism, KPU is developing an Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization action plan, and signed the Scarborough Charter to take meaningful and concrete action to address anti-Black racism and promote Black inclusion in Canadian higher education.