Week of UBC Okanagan events aimed at eliminating racism

The campus community at UBC Okanagan will mark International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (March 21) with five days of events from March 15 to 19.

This year, activities will focus on eliminating racial discrimination, not just recognizing that it’s here, says Greg Younging, assistant professor of Indigenous studies. He notes that this week of events is an opportunity for faculty, staff and students to work together on these issues.

“Our intention is to help everyone to do more to eliminate racial discrimination — taking action at the individual level through to the global community levels,” he says.

“Of course, increasing our knowledge about issues is an important part of this process,” says Allison Hargreaves, who teaches Indigenous literatures at UBC Okanagan. “However, we also want to create broader dialogue around what anti-racist intervention might look like.”

Liz Hilliard, Campus Life coordinator, is excited to see a variety of events to engage the entire campus community on multiple levels.

“Our events this year reinforce this, and hopefully will provide useful tools for people to address issues of discrimination,” she says.

Kamilla Bahbahani, Equity Advisor at UBC Okanagan, says the university works hard at being a welcoming and respectful learning and work community for everyone. “We are a community that respects differences, champions fair treatment and encourages diversity.”

Special events on campus from Mar. 15 to 19 include:

• A public walk and unveiling of installation artwork on Monday, Mar. 15 (12 noon to 1 p.m., Campus Courtyard)
• A student cultural fair on Tuesday, Mar. 16 (11:30 a.m., Campus Courtyard)
• A screening of the film Reel Injun — an entertaining and insightful look at the Hollywood Indian, exploring the portrayal of North American
• Natives through the history of cinema — on Tuesday, Mar. 16 (4 to 6 p.m., University Centre Student Union theatre)
• A lunchtime talk on addressing racism directly on Wednesday, Mar. 17 (12 to 1:30 p.m., Science building SCI396)
• An evening drama presentation — scenes from the play Walsh by Sharon Pollock — on Friday, Mar. 18 (7 p.m., University Centre UNC200)
• A public talk and closing reception on Friday, Mar. 19 (3 p.m., Fipke Centre foyer)

A variety of continuous activities will be underway on campus each day, including informational shutters in the courtyard and a “This Week in History” display in the Library.

For more information about UBC Okanagan’s IDERD activities, visit: http://web.ubc.ca/okanagan/students/campuslife/IDERD.html

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