Take part in Georgian’s forum on anti-Black racism

If you’re Black or of Black heritage and a part of the Georgian College community, we invite you to participate in a confidential virtual forum on anti-Black racism.

There have been several events of late that have once again shone a light on the endemic racism that plagues North America. The murder of George Floyd has invoked a global reaction of grief, protest and organizing against systemic racism. There are many patterns of racism that specifically impact Black people, often referred to as anti-Black racism. Because these patterns are systemic, they exist in all organizations including Georgian College.

Georgian College President and CEO MaryLynn West-Moynes has offered for Georgian to host discussion regarding anti-Black racism, which will be facilitated by Georgian faculty Clement Bamikole and Lynn MacKinlay. Upon careful consideration and consultation, Clement and Lynn have decided the best way forward is to firstly host forums for Black folks and people of Black descent.

These forums will be co-hosted by Clement and Parker Johnson, a group facilitator, mediator, intercultural educator, and organizational change specialist.

Who’s invited to participate in the anti-Black racism forums?

Members of Georgian’s Black community are invited to share experiences, concerns and recommendations to forge a path to make the college community more diverse and welcoming to Black people. This includes:

Black employees
Black students
former Black employees/retirees
Black alumni

Register for a forum

The forums will take place on the following dates:

Employees:
- Aug. 4 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Aug. 4 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Students:
- Aug. 4 from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
- Aug. 5 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Alumni/former employees:
- Aug. 5 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The deadline to register is Friday, July 31. The form you fill out goes to Clement. Upon registering, you will receive a link to the Zoom forum. We require your email to send you the invitation.

If you’re unavailable to participate in one of these forums, Parker Johnson has also set aside some time for one-on-one sessions for sharing. If this is how you wish to participate, please make a note of that in the last question on the form.

There will be future forums and initiatives for all members of the Georgian community to express concerns for racism and contribute to change in the college community.