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As we are all undergoing change, so is our inclusion infusions blog. For the next few weeks I’ll be focusing on aspects of mental health and wellness.

This week I’m going to leverage the resources available to all AC employees via Not Myself Today on positivity. We are living in a time where we are facing high level of anxiety and isolation and the reality is that as humans we are hard-wired for negativity – our survival as a species depended on it. The good news is that practicing gratitude can increase our optimism, and can be amplified when we bring positivity to our social interactions. This three minute video on Practicing Positivity from the Canadian Mental Health Association has some great tips on positivity and gratitude: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=27&v=M8C5hCt-AEw&feature=emb_logo

Click here to download a ‘Kindness card’ (which you may recall from our kindness cookie campaign), and I challenge each of you to go on a mission of kindness and send at least one card to a colleague – and invite them to pay to forward.

As we start thinking about our fall hiring season and we reach the end of Black History Month, I wanted to challenge all of us to think about underutilized sources of talent, in particular racialized Canadians. How might we build a competitive advantage at Algonquin College by developing a deeper and more diverse talent pool for your next job opportunity or promotion?

A new report from the Public Policy Forum found that:

• The power and earning penalty is highest for racialized women. One study showed that in corporate leadership roles in the GTA white women outnumber racialized women 17:1. Overall racialized women represent only 6.4 per cent of the management workforce, despite representing 10.5 per cent of the overall workforce.
• The Canadian government is increasingly accepting highly skilled immigrants. Yet some research suggests that in Canada, many employers are looking for less skilled workers, and the policy emphasis on skilled and experienced immigrants itself has resulted in the underutilization of skills for highly educated immigrants.

Here is a list from Korn Ferry on the 8 strategic approaches organization can take to advance black talent – is there anything from this list that you can lead or support?

1. Hold leaders accountable for role modeling and cultivating cultures of respect and inclusion.
2. Assess what structural headwinds may prevent Black talent from advancing in the leadership pipeline—then remedy them.
3. Examine selection, promotion, and talent management processes through a D&I lens.
4. Recognize that development is a continuous process that requires direct and honest feedback, support, and guidance.
5. Create a development-focused culture where risks and mistakes are considered learning opportunities rather than reflections of one’s capability.
6. Be more intentional about positioning Black talent for visible, important, and complex (VIC) assignments, specifically with P&L responsibilities.
7. Encourage senior leaders to be more intentional about advocating for and sponsoring rising Black talent.
8. Highlight, leverage, and celebrate the contributions of Black talent.

Tomorrow marks the start of Black History Month. During Black History Month, Canadians celebrate the many achievements and contributions of Black Canadians who, throughout history, have done so much to make Canada the culturally diverse, compassionate and prosperous nation it is today. The 2020 theme for Black History Month is: “Canadians of African Descent: Going forward, guided by the past.”

I’m sure you are all looking forward to next Wednesday’s keynote Beyond Inclusion – Black Liberation Otherwise by Robyn Maynard. This event will be hosted in Nawapon at 10:00am, everyone welcome, and the livestream link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvFk0N5XdE4

To get you thinking about the topic of racism in Canada, I’d like to share some powerful facts from Robyn’s book “Policing Black Lives: State Violence from Slavery to the Present”.

• Canada had segregated schools (separating Black from white students) for over a hundred years, and the last segregated school in Canada closed in 1983.
• Black students in the Ontario system are nearly 8 times more likely to face discipline than white students.
• A 2006 census survey found that only 54% of black youth reported that they felt supported by their teachers.
• Black residents of Ontario are ten times more likely to be shot by the police than white residents, despite being only 3.6% of the Ontario population.
• Across Canada, the rate of Black unemployment is 73% higher than the rate of unemployment help by white Canadians.
• Data from 2001 revealed that Black persons made up 60% of the persons deported from Ontario since 1995, becoming the population expelled most frequently for criminality.

All of these fact should have you asking why, and how does this happen? Your curiosity should be sparked, and please note down your queries and ideas to ask to Robyn Maynard as a expert who can hep us more deeply understand the systems underpinning inclusion and exclusion in Canada.

Islamophobia is best understood as a system of oppression that involves:

1. individual actions (e.g. name calling, vandalism, harassment, etc.)
2. ideologies and stereotypes (e.g. Muslims are terrorists and “invaders,” Muslim women are backward and oppressed) and
3. systemic practices (institutional forms of discrimination such as the denial of jobs or housing, racial profiling, security policies targeting Muslims, etc.). (Source: Zine, Jasmin; Chakroun, Fatima; and Abbas, Shifa, “Canadian Muslim Voting Guide: Federal Election 2019” (2019). Sociology Faculty Publications. 12. https://scholars.wlu.ca/soci_faculty/12)

Islamophobia can be found here in Canada. Although a bit dated, according to Statistics Canada the number of police-reported hate crimes against Muslims jumped by 60 per cent in 2015 compared to the previous year. Other more recent data reveals discriminatory views regarding Muslims and immigrants. In May 2019, independent market research company Ipsos published a public opinion poll which found one in four Canadians (26%) responded that, over the past five years, it has become “more acceptable” to be prejudiced against “Muslims/ Arabs.” 23% responded that that it has become “more acceptable” to be prejudiced against “immigrants,” and 21% responded that it has become “more acceptable” to be prejudiced against refugees. Campuses are certainly not immune, as you can see below with some examples from media coverage of hate incidents in 2019 from the National Council of Canadian Muslims:

• Burnaby, British Columbia June 20, 2019: Two separate incidents at SFU’s Burnaby and Surrey campuses. The incident was reported to RCMP and is being investigating. A man was in the prayer space and urinating on the premise, while saying F*** all of the Muslims. NCCM along with MSA have engaged in productive dialogue and Simon Fraser University Administration is taking action on Islamophobia. Reported to Media, NCCM, Police and University
• Toronto, Ontario May 2, 2019. A visibly Muslim woman was asked to follow a proctors into another room for an examination prior to taking her final exam on Thursday at Centennial College. The proctor told her to go somewhere hidden and take her scarf off so they could “check” her. Feeling intimidated, she complied and lifted her veil so the proctor could inspect both the front and back of her head, her ears and her hair. Centennial College is investigating this matter. Reported to Media.
• Kitchener, Ontario April 21, 2019. A group of 6 visibly Muslim women were outside Wilfried Laurier University library when a woman approached them. The woman was saying that what they chose to wear does not make them look Canadian. She asked “why they didn’t wear the sexy and cool clothes the white girls are wearing nowadays to be more Canadian”. The Centre for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion are working with the girls. Reported to Media.
• Toronto, Ontario March 22, 2019. A poster outside of multi-faith prayer room was vandalized with the words “A rapist and pedophile” and “Barbarism” at Humber College. Shared on social media.

The Anti-Defamation League has some good resources on Myths and Misconceptions about Muslim People and Islam – for example, many believe that all Muslim people are Arab or Middle Eastern. In fact, the Middle East is home to only about 20% of the world’s Muslims. As of 2015, there were 1.8 billion Muslims in the world, which is roughly 24% of the world’s population, according to a Pew Research Center estimate. While many people think that most Muslims are of Middle Eastern descent, in actuality, Indonesia (in Southeast Asia) currently has the single largest Muslim population. Projections into the future estimate that India (in South Asia) will have the world’s largest population of Muslims by the year 2050.

As both an educational institution and employer, we take very seriously our responsibility to make sure Algonquin College is a space free from discrimination or harassment on the grounds of religion. We have policies and procedures that govern our expectations for behaviour of both our students (SA07 Student Conduct) and staff (HR18 Code of Conduct; HR24 Equity Diversity & Inclusion; HR22 Respectful Workplace), and for how we will prevent and address many different incidents of discrimination, including those that fall into the area of islamophobia. However, one of the most effective ways to foster tolerance (at a minimum) and strive for inclusion and belonging for everyone, is to be curious about others different from ourselves and individually practice our value of learning for personal growth. If you would like to learn more about spirituality, faith, religion, and their connection to workplace accommodations, take advantage of this upcoming opportunity:

Inclusion Infusions Live – Spirituality at Work
January 21st, 2020
10:00-11:30am in C100 Nawapon
Is talking about spirituality and religion ‘off-limits’ at work? What can I do to be respectful of a religion I’m not knowledgeable about? How do I accommodate Friday prayer? Wait – Friday is a day for prayer?
If you have ever thought about any of these issues, this first panel on spirituality in the workplace is for you. Join us for coffee and a conversation with Algonquin’s Christian Chaplin Yuriy Derkach, Imam Mohammad Jebara and Rabbi Kenter to talk about their spiritual beliefs, background, influences, and how that applies to our workplace and campus interactions. This conversation hosted by Student Support Services and Human Resources will help you foster your curiosity about others, and provide an opportunity to ask honest questions on how to be inclusive and respectful to others through the lens of spirituality.
If you can’t make it in person, please log-into our livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcF2IF0Kmgw&feature=youtu.be

According to the Anti-Defamation League, anti-Semitism is “the belief or behavior hostile toward Jews just because they are Jewish. It may take the form of religious teachings that proclaim the inferiority of Jews, for instance, or political efforts to isolate, oppress, or otherwise injure them. It may also include prejudiced or stereotyped views about Jews.” The history of anti-Semitism can be traced back thousands of years, but still occurs even today.

You have likely seen the media coverage of the terrible Hanukah attack in New York over the break. However, anti-Semitism is on the rise in Canada as well. According to data collected by B’nai Brith Canada, there were 2,041 incidents recorded in the 2018 Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, a 16.5 per cent increase over 2017.

As both an educational institution and employer, we take very seriously our responsibility to make sure Algonquin College is a space free from discrimination or harassment on the grounds of religion. We have policies and procedures that govern our expectations for behaviour of both our students (SA07 Student Conduct) and staff (HR18 Code of Conduct; HR24 Equity Diversity & Inclusion; HR22 Respectful Workplace), and for how we will prevent and address many different incidents of discrimination, including those that fall into the area of anti-Semitism. However, I believe that one of the most effective ways to foster tolerance (at a bare minimum) and strive for inclusion and belonging for everyone, is to be curious about others different from ourselves and individually practice our value of learning for personal growth. If you would like to learn more check out this resource on Principles for Dismantling Antisemitism – Independent Jewish Voices Canada (ijvcanada.org)

#ICYMI Algonquin College has had quite a week for Inclusion and Diversity!

We have become the first College in Ontario to have a Equity Diversity and Inclusion Policy. You can read it here: https://www.algonquincollege.com/policies/files/2019/11/HR24.pdf

We have also become the first Post-Secondary Institution in Canada to accept the Institute for Canadian Citizenship’s #CelebrateCitizenshipChallenge. That is, we are providing all employees a paid day off to attend their citizenship ceremony. Many of you may have noticed yesterday that we were so proud to host a group of 33 New Canadians from 20 countries to join us on campus to participate in their citizenship ceremony. There were many moving moments during the event filled with pride, love and Joy, and a very Canadian sentiment from all about a disbelief in the amount of cold and snow here in Ottawa.

All of these important elements are underpinning the most important commitment made this week with the release of our first 3 year plan for equity and diversity, with AC’s Inclusion & Diversity Blueprint 2019-2022. This document outlines our vision for driving momentum with inclusion on campus, and the tactics we are going to take to continue progress on our journey.

“In Canada, our country aspires to equality and the protection of fundamental rights, building it into our own Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” said President Claude Brulé at yesterday’s announcement. “That belief in equality is also what we aspire to every day at Algonquin College. Not just because it is the law, but because it is the right thing to do.” Full article here.

Here are some quick facts on The Business Case to Build Physically Accessible Environments, from a 2018 report by the Conference Board of Canada:

• The number of Canadians living with a physical disability that impairs their mobility, vision, or hearing, will rise from 2.9 million to 3.6 million over the next 13 years, nearly double the pace of the population as a whole.
• Improvements to workplace access would allow 550,000 Canadians with disabilities to work more, increasing GDP by $16.8 billion by 2030.
• The increase in labour availability would lift the income of people with disabilities by more than $13.5 billion.

Just as compelling is research from the Mental Health Commission of Canada on the cost and benefits of recruiting and retaining people living with mental illness, which found that:

• Mental health problems and illnesses are the leading causes of disability in Canada, affecting almost seven million working age adults.
• Mental illness costs Canadian employers over $20 billion annually due to losses related to turnover, absenteeism, and presenteeism.

Next Tuesday, December 3rd is the International the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). The theme for this 2019 IDPD is ‘Promoting the participation of persons with disabilities and their leadership: taking action on the 2030 Development Agenda’. The theme focuses on the empowerment of persons with disabilities for inclusive, equitable and sustainable development as envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which pledges to ‘leave no one behind’ and recognizes disability as a cross-cutting issues, to be considered in the implementation of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Here at Algonquin College, we will be recognizing the day by inviting the Propeller Dance Company to perform an original piece to help us increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disabilities and celebrate their achievements and contributions. Propeller Dance Company is based in Ottawa whose members experience all abilities. The company’s creations provide a distinctive artistry; crowds are moved, perceptions are changed, people are entertained. Please join us from 1-2pm in the ACCE lobby to watch this inspiring performance.

This week I’m going to again invite you to be self-reflective on the traits of an inclusive leader, and invite you to overcome fear and embrace the courage required for developing your skills as an inclusive leader. To remind you, Deliotte research has identified six traits that distinguish inclusive leaders from others. Let’s focus on 6. Courage – Inclusive leaders are humble about their own capabilities and invite contributions by others. This also means putting personal interests aside to achieve what needs to be done; acting on convictions and principles even when it requires personal risk-taking. Inclusive leaders have the courage to speak out about themselves and to reveal, in a very personal way, their own limitations.*

However, to be courageous in this way also takes some willingness to work though fear. Last week, Daisy Auger-Dominguez shared in HBR a practical article on ‘Getting Over Your Fear of Talking About Diversity’. Here are two practical and accessible things you can do today to be more courageous and stare fear in the face:

1 – Ask Better Questions. Use the skills you already have as a leader, manager and teacher to engage in inquiry. Because when you are asking honest questions and being curious, you can’t also be in a state of judgement – creating a respectful environment. Also if you are asking questions – you don’t have to pretend to be knowledgeable about the intersectional experiences of others. But note that Auger-Dominguez wants you to ask better questions. That means not asking for input into a business plan goal or direction you have already set, but instead seek to understand the underlying cause or challenge driving behaviour. They provide some examples to get you started:

• What are the biggest barriers to your success and what role can I play in helping to remove them?
• Do you feel safe enough to take risks at work? To contribute? To belong to the community? (this is connected to an environment of psychological safety out outlined in the new Psychological Health and Safety Policy at Algonquin)
• What percentage of your time is spent on addressing exclusion or microaggressions against you or others?
• Whose voice or what perspective is missing from this conversation?
• How can I help amplify your voice and that of other underrepresented voices?

2 – Read Up (or listen, or watch). There are lots of ways to help you build your personal understanding and awareness. But there are many resources that can help you better understand the dynamics and the voices at play with inequity, injustice, and oppression while running a College. Educate yourself on the issues women, racialized people, people with disabilities, 2SLGBTQ+, religious minorities, and other marginalized groups face, and the compounding effects of intersectional identities.

This week we have a guest blog written by Quinn Blue, Wellness & Equity Centre Co-ordinator, Algonquin College Students Association.

Have you seen the signs in the washrooms? The ones that clarify what has always been true – that trans and gender diverse people can use the washroom they feel most comfortable in? Have you seen a few less of them lately?

Too many of these signs have been vandalized or torn down. I’m really heartbroken to see that on our campus, there are people who are so opposed to me, and other people like me, being able to use the washroom. These signs being torn down tells me just how much we need those signs to exist. I’m grateful that security is taking these actions very seriously.

One of the biggest fears that gets brought up when we talk about all-gender washrooms, or even simply allowing trans people to use the washroom of their lived identities, is safety. I get it, everyone wants to be safe in the washroom! As more protections exist for trans and gender diverse people, the evidence becomes clear: letting trans people use the washroom doesn’t increase safety concerns for cisgender (non-trans) people. In fact, safety is generally far more of a concern for trans people, who face frequent harassment and even violence in washrooms. The reality I hear from trans and gender diverse students is that a lot of them simply avoid using the washroom on campus as much as possible.

Next week, on November 20th, is Trans Day of Remembrance. This is important because harassment and violence in washrooms is just one small piece of what transphobia and transmisogyny can look like. The Wellness and Equity Centre will be tabling in the Student Commons (E Building) from 10am to 1pm for TDoR. Please stop by to support and learn more.

Even though that all feels pretty heavy, I feel really hopeful. One of the things I know about this campus is how much people care. I know that we won’t let a handful of people get in the way of Algonquin College being a safe and inclusive space for everyone. Together, as a campus community, we need to protect vulnerable members of our community and create full inclusion for everyone. We need to set the tone on our campus that trans and gender diverse people belong here.

I want to invite us to be at the forefront of building inclusive campuses. I know that the new Students’ Association Athletics and Recreation Complex (coming 2021) will have all-gender washrooms and change rooms available, and I want that to be just the beginning. I want us as a campus community to create policies to ensure that any new buildings and any renovations will include building all-gender washrooms. I want trans and gender diverse students, and everyone who is part of our campus community, to be able to pee in peace. I want us all to be safe, and to have it be no big deal to need to use the washroom.

And I know we can get there.

With the incredible diversity that surrounds us comes with many names and spellings that we have not encountered. With so many names on our campus, it is reasonable to struggle to get pronunciation correct for all of them immediately. But what is not forgivable is not making an effort. Even worse is mangling a name, and then shortening or westernizing it without the expressed request of the individual. Changing a name or purposefully not making the effort to learn to pronounce a name is considered a micro-aggression. Micro-aggressions are “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioural, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults toward people of color” (Sue et al., 2007). If you can’t make an effort to learn an individual’s name, that tells the other person they don’t matter – that they are different and don’t belong.

When you come across a name you just can’t seem to get your mouth around, don’t worry. Simply ask the person to repeat the pronunciation and try to practice repeating it back. Perhaps jot down a phonetical spelling to help you, then fine-tune it a few more times against the person’s own pronunciation. Don’t be embarrassed to check back later to make sure you still have it. Doing this will make sure that you are recognizing the value of the individual and that a name is a key part of our identities.

When we have events like convocation, or awards where we are announcing someone’s name for an important event, it is even more critical that we pronounce the name right – when family and friends are watching we need to provide a respectful experience for everyone. Luckily, you can go online to hear names pronounced properly using helpful tools – one such site is Name shouts.