In 2020, Canadian universities and colleges committed to take meaningful action to address anti-Black racism and promote Black inclusion on campuses. This collective commitment led to the creation of the Scarborough Charter, providing a framework to help postsecondary institutions deliver on their promise. 

Toronto Metropolitan University’s recent signing of the Scarborough Charter represents a historic moment for TMU, but the university’s commitment to addressing anti-Black racism is nothing new. Magnet connected with Anver Saloojee, Executive Co-Chair and spokesperson for the Presidential Implementation Committee to Confront Anti-Black Racism (PICCABR) to hear his insights into the context and activism that led to TMU’s signing of the Scarborough Charter.

Magnet: Hello, Dr. Saloojee. What are some of the barriers Black students face in higher education?

 Anver Saloojee: Many TMU reports, such as the Report of the Taskforce on Anti-Racism at Ryerson University (2010), the Anti-Black Racism Campus Climate Review (2020), and the Review of Anti Black Racism Campus Climate Review Recommendations (2021) make it clear that Black students face multiple barriers to participation in higher education.

Students across faculties report anti-Black racism and microaggressions in the classroom from peers and faculty members. They report a Eurocentric curriculum that displaces Black scholarship and Black studies. They also see a lack of representation and misrepresentation in course content, along with a lack of Black faculty. Students have described feeling unsafe and missing a sense of belonging on campus, and they don’t see resources and supports that affirm and centre the needs of Black students.

Cumulatively, these experiences impact student retention, promotion, graduation rates, and overall success. By extension, they impact students’ mental health, social and emotional wellbeing, career prospects, and livelihoods.

Magnet: Have things changed over the past several years?

Anver Saloojee: In my view, Black students today face the same barriers they have historically. However, the way these barriers manifest have probably changed over time. Some barriers have become normalized across our institutions, and our efforts as a university must intentionally dismantle the systemic and institutional barriers in all their expressions. 

Also, it’s important to recognize that Black students are not a homogenous category, and we need to recognize the importance of intersectionality — for example, the specific and different challenges faced by Black female students, Black Muslim students, Black students with disabilities and Black students from Africa. As a university community, we need to have greater sensitivity to these nuances.

Magnet: What are the historical and current barriers to participation for Black staff?

Anver Saloojee: Staff and faculty, like students, face systemic and institutional barriers, and their health and social and mental wellbeing suffer as a result.

For Black and racialized staff, barriers include precarious employment due to short-term contract work, lower levels of compensation for part-time work compared to their non-racialized counterparts, and an employment hierarchy that keeps Black and racialized staff in the lower ranks. Staff also report limited opportunities for advancement and a lack of accommodations for religious and culturally important days. 

Black and racialized staff continue to experience compensation disparities, and report a widespread lack of anti-Black racism knowledge, a lack of commitment to anti-Black racism initiatives, and a lack of representation. Many lack trust in the unions that are supposed to represent them, and many experience a lack of respect for Black staff. 

Magnet: What about barriers faced by Black faculty?

Anver Saloojee: Historically, Black faculty have had to deal with a culture of patronage that disadvantaged those “out of the loop” and subjective processes around tenure reviews that worked against them. Some unionized faculty get trapped in contingent, precarious academic labour, which has impeded their ability to speak out about fairness, conduct research, and made them less competitive in the academic labour market. And at TMU, Black, Indigenous, and racialized faculty say that a “chilly climate” existed, including stereotyping, double standards, isolation, exclusion, and condescension. 

Today, across Ontario and Canada, there’s an under-representation of Black faculty members, which leads to their isolation within programs and departments. They face unique burdens that add to their workload within their roles, especially mentoring Black students, and they report having to navigate suspicions of their expertise by peers.  

Magnet: Tell me about the PICCABR’s history and mandate. 

Anver Saloojee: The history of the Presidential Implementation Committee to Confront Anti-Black Racism (PICCABR) is rooted in an extraordinary period in the university’s history: a period of reconciliation and doing what is just for our community. 

Back in 2019, the Office of the Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion mobilized its efforts to conduct the Anti-Black Racism Campus Climate Review. This was initiated due to the advocacy and activism of a group of Black students, the Black Liberation Collective. 

Black students, staff, and faculty were engaged in an extensive consultation conducted by Dr. Rinaldo Walcott. The participants’ stories and experiences confirmed that anti-Black racism at the university manifested in the curricula, the classroom, student progress, and across the promotion and retention of Black faculty and staff.

In 2020, the Anti-Black Racism Campus Climate Review Report was published, highlighting 14 recommendations to address anti-Black racism while creating a respectful and more welcoming university experience for Black students, faculty, and staff. In response, TMU president Mohamed Lachemi established the PICCABR with a mandate to devise an action plan.

The PICCABR consists of three executive co-chairs, three working group co-chairs (one each for students, staff, and faculty), 40-plus working group members, and the Black Student Advisory Group. 

Magnet: The Scarborough Charter’s commitments build on work that the PICCABR is already doing. What is the PICCABR doing to help support and implement the Charter? 

Anver Saloojee: The PICCABR’s three working groups have all devised action plans, and they serve as TMU’s vehicle to successfully implement and ingrain the 14 recommendations within the fabric of the university. At the same time, the plans are a tangible commitment to the Scarborough Charter, and they represent TMU’s internal and external accountability framework. 

The PICCABR recently published an update on the progress of the recommendations, with details about the action plans and information about the future of the PICCABR’s work. The action plans will be made publicly available shortly.

Magnet: Broadly speaking, how do higher education institutions benefit from initiatives that foster inclusivity?

Anver Saloojee: There’s growing acceptance that higher education institutions have a significant role in shaping and equipping societies to tackle global, national, and local challenges. And given that we’re living in a diversely democratic and increasingly interconnected global society, I believe that higher education institutions stand to benefit significantly when we foster inclusion as a virtue. 

When we foster inclusion, we create space and opportunities for those historically excluded to thrive and for the university to benefit from inclusive excellence. When they thrive, we benefit from the diversity and richness of their intellectual gifts and talents, which can lead to innovation. Fostering inclusion is a matter of fairness and social justice; we’re also fostering social cohesion and peace. Therefore, within the context of higher education, inclusion speaks of an intentional and ongoing process of meeting the needs and aspirations of every student, especially those who have been historically left behind and/or marginalized.

I’m proud to be a part of TMU, a leader in equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). I’m also proud that EDI is aligned with the institution’s strategic vision, academic goals, and global mission. I’m well aware that much more needs to be done, but we are on the right track.