Prioritizing Black and Indigenous Experiences

Over the past few years, Canadians have been galvanized by a racial reckoning. We have all been called upon to examine the racism underlying systems that continue to oppress racialized people in our country. When conducting a systems review to discover and address inequitable practices, the most effective solutions are found in adopting practices that centre those who are most impacted. Just as a rising tide raises all ships, improving circumstances for those facing the greatest barriers has the benefit of also empowering those

TACKLING ANTI-BLACK RACISM

As with the Black Student Experience, Anima Leadership applied a three-part framework for recognizing anti-Black racism in the experiences of Black employees: who face fewer. It is with this in mind that we concentrate on Black and Indigenous experiences within an organization, recognizing the history and continued legacy of genocide, subjugation and exploitation these communities endure in Canada. When it comes to institutional policies and procedures, without concerted attention paid to eliminating bias and injustice, their disempowerment is often intrinsic to standard ways of operating.

1. Exclusion at Branksome Hall can take the form of low levels of Black representation within teaching faculty and in leadership roles. Any perception that being white is the norm at Branksome will negatively impact all BIPOC staff, but this is especially true for Black employees. Representation matters whether it is a school or organization. The limited representation of Black employees results in feelings of isolation and lack of belonging with students and employees.

2. Over-surveillance is seen in instances in which BIPOC employees are singled out. It is not uncommon in organizations for racialized employees to be regularly asked the question “where are you from?” regarding their background, or to be questioned in the halls as though they were a visitor or stranger—both actions which assume outsider status and have occurred at Branksome with frequency according to employee feedback.

3. A BIPOC employee shared their perception of a lack of advancement, compared to their white counterparts. Often in organizations where diversity in leadership is an issue, Black employees see this as a signal that there will be difficulties in finding a career path forward.

TACKLING ANTI-INDIGENOUS RACISM

Over the last few years, Branksome Hall has embarked on a process to educate staff and students about Indigenous culture and anti-Indigenous racism. This has included departmental learning on Indigenous relations, including Indigenous learning in curriculum development and featuring Indigenous leaders in speaker series. During the auditor’s in-person visit, it was noted that both the Junior and Senior & Middle Schools integrated Indigenous cultural learning into their day-to-day practices. In 2020, the school also hired an Indigenous consultant to support the process of becoming a Downie Wenjack Legacy School. The Legacy School program is a free national initiative to support Indigenous learning and awareness to further the goals of reconciliation.

The steps Branksome Hall has taken to integrate an awareness of Indigenous culture and sovereignty constitute efforts of reconciliation. The school could amplify and build upon its existing commitment to countering anti-Indigenous racism by publicly endorsing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) calls to action. Further, aligning programming related to Indigenous issues with the TRC calls to action would strengthen Branksome’s commitment to equity and offer a strategic focus.

It is important to note that fewer than ten students identify as Indigenous in the surveys, so the audit was unable to report on their results given they might be identifiable. This is the smallest demographic population at the school. While Branksome Hall is at the beginning of its journey of understanding and challenging anti-Indigenous racism, there is much opportunity for growth.