By: Olivia Sherman, News Writer
On July 18, the BC Human Rights Commissioner endorsed two special approval applications, which gave SFU the approval to hire 15 new Black faculty members. According to the university, this decision is a step toward supporting the Black community at SFU and upholding promises made in the Scarborough Charter of Anti-Black Racism, which SFU signed in 2021.
The endorsement of these special approval applications is significant, as they are part of a greater effort to promote equity within the SFU community. These new faculty members are being chosen under “limited and preferential hiring,” with aims to remove the systemic barriers many Black academics face. Preferential hiring gives minority candidates preferential treatment in hiring.
Black students and faculty alike face many unique difficulties that make being a minority in scholarly circles feel isolating. Microaggressions and ostracizing behaviours, the burden of educational discussions about race, lack of representation, and discrimination, can all make Black academics feel burnt-out and bullied. By providing support and dialogue opportunities for Black academics, these issues can be lessened.
The decision to hire these 15 new Black faculty members at SFU aligns with the principles of The Scarborough Charter of Anti-Black Racism, which over 50 academic institutions across Canada have signed. The charter signing campaign is part of an effort to promote an “equitable and inclusive university community” for SFU’s Black members, including faculty, students, and staff.
The student activism leading up to this motion is also significant. In 2021, former SFSS presidents Gabe Liosis and Osob Mohamed brought forward a motion at SFU’s senate meeting, advocating for Black students and staff, Black History Month, and the hiring initiative for 15 new Black faculty members. The motion was passed “unanimously.” The Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry (SOCA) have been avid supporters of this decision, and have been advocating for support systems for Black students and faculty since their official founding in 1997.
Dr. June Francis has been a tireless advocate for these changes as well. Francis is an associate professor of marketing in the Beedie School of Business, and is also special advisor to the president on anti-racism.
In a past statement to The Peak, Francis said, “By voting in favour of this motion, the Senate of SFU is finally responding to what decades of Black students, staff, and faculty have been calling for — a university where Black intellectual lives matter.”
