Message from the Provost
It has been one year since the release of the report of the President’s Task Force on Anti-Black Racism.
In the wake of the murder of George Floyd in 2020, there was a renewed global push for private and public institutions to address anti-Black racism. Concordia answered the call and established the President’s Task Force on Anti-Black Racism.
Over the course of two years, more than 50 Black students, faculty and staff engaged in reflection, exchange and research, and work that often involved reliving their own experiences with anti-Black racism. From these efforts, the Task Force chaired by Angélique Willkie produced 88 recommendations outlining concrete actions to dismantle systemic and targeted racism at Concordia.
At the launch of the Final Report of the President’s Task Force on Anti-Black Racism, a public event held in October 2022, Concordia President Graham Carr and I committed to the actions outlined in the report. This commitment was received with a spectrum of responses, including excitement and skepticism, the latter informed by a history of delays and broken promises from institutions to Black communities. The reactions were legitimate. And we remain steadfast in our promise.
Since May of this year, James Roach and Cynthia Alphonse, members integral to the Task Force, have worked to implement the recommendations. I applaud their consultative approach, tenacity, and focus on transversal collaborations. As both staff and alumni, they are personally and professionally committed to this transformative work and Concordia’s principles of equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility. They have my full support.
In reviewing the projects in the progress report, I am proud of the work of the implementation team, advisory committee, and our many senior leaders, faculty, staff and students who have taken ownership of Task Force recommendations as a shared university priority that will benefit present and future Concordians.
Anne Whitelaw
Provost and Vice-President, Academic