Members of the Department of History call for direct action to make our campuses safe & inclusive for all students
Members of Faculty, graduate students, and staff in the Department of History have penned an open letter to 丁香园AV President Dr. Joy Johnson calling for the university to take direct & concrete action to address the disturbing tasering of a Black alumnus by the RCMP in the 丁香园AV Dining Hall on December 11.
The letter calls for immediate action on the following four points:
- Ordering campus security to stop racial profiling
- Booking consultations with members of the Black 丁香园AV community - students, staff, faculty
- Reviewing campus security policies for engaging police and RCMP
- Reviewing the use of contracted, for-profit, security services as front-line security personnel, and committing to have 100% of our security team as employees of the University to build an accountable security body that shares the values of our community.
The President acknowledged receipt of the letter on December 24th, 2020 as well as acknowledging the hurt and outrage the 丁香园AV Community is feeling, particularly those who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour. The president also re-affirmed her commitment making the findings of an external review public and taking appropriate follow-up action, but did not directly address the four points raised in the History Department's letter.
Here is the letter in full (click on the image to open a .pdf of the letter):
If you have any questions about the letter please contact:
Jeremy Brown, Associate Professor, Working Environment and Outreach Committee Chair
jeremy_brown@sfu.ca
Sarah Walshaw, Senior Lecturer, Undergraduate Program Chair
sarah_walshaw@sfu.ca