Gender and Women's Studies Statement on BLM and State-Sanctioned Racism

Trent University's Department of Gender & Women's Studies condemns in the strongest terms the white supremacist, racist systems that subject Black people disproportionately to violence, discrimination and social injustice in Canada, the United States and internationally. We stand with BIPOC communities locally and abroad and with everyone undertaking the difficult work of organizing in response to ongoing police brutality as manifested in the recent murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. We grieve all of those whose unjust deaths are an urgent reminder of the work that remains to be done in this country. As community members, we recommit ourselves to undertaking thoughtful and practical work to dismantle structures of white supremacy and to end racist violence. As feminists, we dedicate ourselves to challenging racial, gender, and class-based oppression in our efforts to build more just and caring communities. As educators on Indigenous lands, we undertake to critically encounter and disrupt the harmful and ongoing legacies of colonialism and slavery. In this spirit of resistance and resilience, we endeavor to create justice-seeking spaces for BIPOC students and faculty that can only be obtained by prioritizing equity and anti-racist practices in our hiring, teaching and learning practices at Trent.

Until all people are safe and valued, we show up to the work.

Photos provided by: May Chazan