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Anti-Racism Framework

Anti-Racism Framework

I am sharing an update on the Strategic Plan deliverable I’m leading, which falls under our commitment to build globally relevant connections and the initiative for an open and representative community.

Back in Fall 2020, BCIT faculty, staff, and students participated in a community-wide Thought Exchange on how BCIT can better address racism in our community. Hundreds of participants generated over 300 thoughts, all of which were rated and ranked according to how the ideas resonated with the participants. Thank you to everyone who participated. We have used the feedback and ideas received in building out the new BCIT Anti-Racism Framework, and we’re very excited to share this Framework with you this Spring.

Our sincere thanks to the members of the BCIT Anti-Racism Working Group who participated in a series of facilitated weekly dialogues throughout the summer and fall. Their work was instrumental in identifying areas of strength in existing resources and highlighting four priority action areas that fall into four categories: Education and Awareness; Data Collection; Human Resources; and Inclusive Learning Environments. 

We could not have done this without the incredible contributions of the following members of the Anti-Racism Working Group: Tanya Buschau (Respect, Diversity and Inclusion Office), Shruti Chamoli (Human Resources), Karl Chen (Marketing and Communications), Yasmin Gardy (Executive Student Council), Ricky He (School of Energy), Zaa Joseph (Indigenous Initiatives & Partnerships), Sandra Matsuba (Library), Wendy McLeod (Respect, Diversity and Inclusion Office), William Oching (School of Construction and the Environment), Todd Odgers (BCIT International), Cynthia Petrie (Stakeholder Relations), Judy Phipps (School of Business + Media), Tami Pierce (Indigenous Initiatives and Partnerships), and Kory Wilson (Indigenous Initiatives and Partnerships). The Working Group, alongside the BCIT Respect, Diversity and Inclusion Office (RDI), also worked closely with Consultants from the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue to help develop the Framework.

Since Fall 2020, we have collaborated with various BCIT departments on a number of initiatives to fulfill the priorities identified in the Framework:

  • Judy Phipps and the Broadcast & Media Communications department, RDI, and the BCIT Alumni Association have partnered to present “Moving Forward – Let’s talk Anti-Racism”, a set of exclusive interviews featuring two high-profile BCIT alumni that will air on March 15. A follow-up session titled “Diversity Circles Anti-Racism Dialogue”, led by Diversity Circles, will then go live on March 24, and will celebrate and discuss the project and continue the conversation.
  • Several new education and awareness initiatives have launched including a monthly newsletter from the RDI Office. Each edition features a theme related to Diversity and Inclusion, and guest authors from our community. If you are interested in subscribing or contributing to our newsletter, please contact respect@bcit.ca.
  • New Respectful Workplace Training was released in the Employee Learning Centre in January, and Unconscious Bias training is expected to be available this spring. A new workshop on dealing with Microaggressions will also be available through the RDI Office this month.
  • Ongoing assessments of barriers faced by the BCIT community related to diversity and inclusion, including a planned Institute-wide survey, focus groups, and stakeholder consultations will be continued.
  • February celebrates Black History Month and Pink Shirt Day and the RDI Office and Diversity Circles are hosting the following workshops:

Do you have a great idea to promote Anti-Racism at BCIT?
We encourage all staff, faculty, and students to participate in and promote the anti-racism initiatives identified in the Framework. Please email your suggestions to respect@bcit.ca.

Thank you,

Shereen Tayles
Associate Director, Respect, Diversity, and Inclusion

Commitment: Globally relevant connections
Initiative: Open and representative community
Deliverable: Anti-Racism Framework
Deliverable lead: Shereen Tayles, Associate Director, Respect, Diversity, and Inclusion