By: Lucaiah Smith-Miodownik, News Writer and Tam Nguyen, Interviewer

On September 28, two SFU staff were honoured as recipients of the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian (ABC) Women Awards: Dr. June Francis, professor in the Beedie School of Business, and Dr. Yabome Gilpin-Jackson, SFU vice-president of people, equity, and inclusion. They were recognized as “pioneers of progress and promise” at the fifth iteration of the ABC awards. 

According to their website, the award’s goal is to “support the accomplishments of Black Canadian women” for “their social, educational, political, and professional accomplishments.” Criteria for nominees include supporting efforts and organizations surrounding Black women and girls, as well as demonstrating “leadership through role modeling and/or volunteer activities.” 

The Peak corresponded with Gilpin-Jackson. In her eyes, the award “was special because the entire project is ensuring the documentation and celebration of Black Canadian achievements, which often get erased.” She added that “Black history is Canadian history.” Gilpin-Jackson said the most significant part of the ABC awards was being able to serve as a panellist for the Building Black History Education Curriculum symposium.

“This was an opportunity to share our stories and advocate for a Black history curriculum for K–12 and beyond that truly highlights the diversities of experiences and identities and upholds the dignity of Black/African Canadians,” Gilpin-Jackson continued.

In a another interview with The Peak, Francis spoke about what this recognition meant to her: “Any group that chooses to pay attention to your work and say good things about it is always appreciated.”

On what “progress and promise” looks like, Gilpin-Jackson mentioned two projects she’s worked on: SFU’s People Plan and the Equity Compass frameworks. According to SFU’s website, the former focuses on “transforming the faculty and staff experience” through qualitative data collection on how the university can better support its employees. One goal listed is to “offer early actions to promote well-being, mental health, and psychological health” of staff and faculty. The Equity Compass is designed as a guide for the school’s focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion. One objective is to embed “an equity lens into governance, policy, and leadership” by making “systemic equity-centered recommendations” when reviewing “existing institutional policies.”

Gilpin-Jackson also mentioned the Demographic and Diversity Data Survey, naming it an “incredibly important” initiative. The survey’s site is designed to help “SFU better understand and meet regulatory and institutional commitments to faculty, staff, and students.”

Francis is the chair of BC’s anti-racism committee, which collects also demographic data with the goal of “dismantling systemic racism in all provincial government programs and services.” As a professor, Francis approaches her teaching with a “decolonial lens.” She said “we need to think about things like, ‘What’s the racism embedded in the way algorithms are generated? What’s the way in which technology more broadly works to create and imbed racism?’” She added that she tries “to make space particularly for people who have historically not had the space to shine.”

Francis is also one of the co-founders and “chair of the Board of Directors at the Hogan’s Alley Society” (HAS), a non-profit organization working to “daylight the presence of Black history” in BC. Hogan’s Alley, located in the Strathcona neighbourhood of Vancouver, was “known largely for its African Canadian population.” The neighbourhood was once a “cultural hub” for music and food that attracted musicians like Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, but was destroyed by the construction of the Georgia Viaduct. In September 2022, HAS signed an agreement with the City of Vancouver to “recognize and address the harm” caused to Black communities through the destruction of Hogan’s Alley.

When asked about advice for Black women aspiring to lead in academia or business, Gilpin-Jackson said, “Please do not apologize for who you are and show up to contribute fully. The world needs all of us, now more than ever to address the challenges of our times.” Francis echoed this sentiment: “You do your best work when you bring your authentic self and your passion to it.”

Both women shared their commitment to change-making: “You have to institutionalize change because if you don’t deal with the systems, if you just look at the veneer of it, you’ll never change [ . . . ] and the systems at SFU haven’t changed,” said Francis. As for Gilpin-Jackson, she said she has “learned to focus on what matters and to do the work,” even when change can be slow. 

For information on the recipients’ stories, readers can check out the accompanying books on the ABC website or @100_abcwomen on Instagram.