Who Is Doing and Witnessing This Work: Representation and Post-Secondary Education

There were two things that really struck me this week. The first was seeing an educational non-profit had hired a white, cis, woman with no formal education or experience in diversity and inclusion work to work on diversity and inclusion modules.  The second was knowing that under 200 people showed up to an important and moving Orange Shirt Day event at my school. Both of these things are connected in that they speak to the very real and immediate need for higher education to look at who is doing the work of diversity and inclusion and also who is witnessing that work.

There has been a lot of discussion about the importance of reviewing who is doing diversity work at universities and colleges. It is well known that often Black and Indigenous hires are the ones who are asked to serve on diversity and inclusion committees. Sara Ahmed in On Being Included speaks to how the mere act of having a committee and putting someone deemed “diverse” on the committee is the act of the diversity in higher ed, and it never goes much further than this. Bodies in committees, bodies embodying the diversity of the committee- these are token things that do not really enact change and make educational institutions and spaces open and accessible in a comprehensive manner. We need to think of ways to do this better and with real ethical meaning. 

Having someone work on diversity modules without a diversity lens is problematic, no it isn’t problematic, it’s tragic, and it’s unacceptable. I was sent some resources in preparation for an accessibility workshop I am registered for on Tuesday. One of the resources was from the UK and as I went through it, as a queer woman, I right away could tell that not a single queer person had worked on this resource. Why? Because there were pages and pages of other things about accessibility, and barely one page about LGBT issues, naming and trans pronouns, and a myriad of other things that should have been there. This is a lack of representation on the page and in the resource as a result of not having representation in the process.

The Orange Shirt Day talk was powerful and not enough people were there to witness what needed to be heard. I was so disappointed that so few showed up (keeping in mind that there are 1000 times that many employees at my institution). Yes I know we are in a pandemic, and yes I know there are competing responsibilities, but it is still an indication that we need more representation out there. I made a commitment to myself that going forward I would do more than I already do to promote events in my department. I also know that I need to do more than just promote events and this is just one of the ways I support inclusion in my work.

In my support of faculty I always encourage instructors to think about inclusion comprehensively and to perform a critical audit for gaps. But the important part of this is that folk will not see the gaps if they are not aware of the gaps. The gaps exist because they did not realize they were there in the first place; the gaps exist because only 200 people came to an invent that more should have been at; the gaps exist because a non-profit hired someone with a financial and HR background to work on diversity and inclusion modules. There needs to be more collaboration and conversation, but not simply conversation for the sake of conversation, real listening that leads to action. Those modules that the non-profit created were really heteronormative and white before and the intersectional gaps needed filling. If you have a mandate for inclusion and diversity then you need that representation around the table. 

Whenever I would have conversations about inclusion and diversity with my former Dean, she wisely would say to me “well look at who is missing at the table and not so much who is at the table.” So my reflection piece for you all this week is to look at who is missing at the table and ask yourself why that is. And also go to events that are put on by your Indigenous Centre, your Accessibility Centre, your Equity and Inclusion Office. Seriously you need to hear what they have to say and it will only help to better support your students, your faculty, and your staff.