Dean Glen Jones Statement on Anti-Asian Racism

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We are all horrified, grief-stricken and angry by the tragic shootings in Atlanta last week. We stand in full solidarity with our Asian communities on campus and across Canada.

Once again, these attacks on racialized people elsewhere reverberate within our own community. We must be vigilant in fighting racism in all of its forms. To be clear, we have seen a significant increase in reported incidents of racism against Asian Canadians and immigrants in Canada, and in our own city. In a released last week, President Gertler reaffirmed that “The University of Toronto emphatically condemns anti-Asian discrimination and racism, and all forms of hate and racial violence. We also condemn all forms of discrimination, hate and violence against women.”

It is in these difficult circumstances, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, that empathy for our own racialized faculty, students and staff and sympathy for those directly affected must be at its strongest.

As educators who believe in the power of education to change the world, dealing directly and forcefully with systemic-racism must be at the core of these transformations. We have a shared responsibility to respond to these challenges by illuminating systemic inequities through our anti-racism research, by training the next generation of educational leaders and by influencing change through effective evidence-informed advocacy.

We know that transforming attitudes and behaviours and stemming the tide of racism won’t happen overnight. Our impact will be measured in years and decades, rather than days. Together we can advance the cause of education and make sure that OISE is a place of compassion, diversity and accessibility. I’m optimistic that our work can make a difference.

In sorrow and in strength, take care, and be well.

Glen A. Jones, Ph.D.
Professor and Dean

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