Institutional, systemic discrimination was attacked root and branch as far back as seven decades ago
When Jordan Peterson recently tweeted out a copy of Home Depot’s ‘white privilege’ memorandum given to its staff, it rightly caused a stir: Yet another corporation’s diversity, equity and inclusion staff parroting a simplistic academic theory. The memo offered the usual assumption that one’s skin colour explains incomes and opportunities, or not. It includes the…
The ELITE program gives participants tools and skills to break down barriers in STEM careers
It takes more than technical knowledge to succeed in a career in science, technology, engineering or math. It takes a network of support and skills beyond the strictly academic, said engineering professor André McDonald. Black students face particular challenges, which is why McDonald founded a program at the University of Alberta in 2021 to support and…
The following is an excerpt from The Victim Cult: How The Grievance Culture Hurts Everyone And Wrecks Civilizations by Mark Milke. In this excerpt, Milke details how the “new” definition of racism from Ibram X. Kendi and others hollow out hard facts and reasoned analyses when a monocausal explanation – racism – is offered up for all observed…
Facilitators say the experience has given them a new perspective on telling stories through drama
In an all-too-familiar tense scene, a fraudulent immigration officer demands money from a Filipino immigrant intent on starting a new life in Canada. Empowered by the audience, the immigrant pushes back, refusing to comply. It’s a scene that hits home with everyone in the room – all of them migrant workers in Edmonton turning to…
Anti-Racism Lab highlights international research, amplifies scholars’ voices and increases engagement
A new online hub is bringing together scholars and students from around the world to share research, amplify voices and encourage conversations about decolonization and anti-racism in universities. “One of the things that’s really important for us to think about as educators in universities is the racial trauma that BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of…
Not all race-based inequities are due to prejudice
The following is an excerpt from The Victim Cult: How The Grievance Culture Hurts Everyone And Wrecks Civilizations by Mark Milke. In this excerpt, Milke details how the “new” definition of racism from Ibram X. Kendi and others hollow out hard facts and reasoned analyses when a monocausal explanation – racism – is offered up…
Discrimination didn't stop Chinese and Japanese communities from succeeding
The following is an excerpt from The Victim Cult: How The Grievance Culture Hurts Everyone And Wrecks Civilizations by Mark Milke. In this excerpt, Milke details how the “new” definition of racism from Ibram X. Kendi and others hollow out hard facts and reasoned analyses when a monocausal explanation – racism – is offered up…
The month must move beyond symbolic gesture to include action, says U of A scholar
As a graduate student at Western University more than 20 years ago, Michael A. Bucknor was asked for his thoughts on Black History Month by a student journalist. His response was deliberately equivocal: “I am more than black and less than black.” The resulting profile in Western’s Gazette stirred controversy, with some wondering if Bucknor was claiming…
Writer Shelby Carleton is changing the narrative for women in the gaming industry
As a teenager growing up in Fort McMurray, Shelby Carleton played Call of Duty so hard she literally wore out the disk. Some 15 years later, Carleton is a narrative designer for the video game, one of the most popular in the world. She helped shape some of the characters in the series’ latest release, Call of…
Four Canadian pilots founded Free to Fly at the end of August attracting more than 38,500 members
Should Canadians be free to fly without a COVID-19 vaccination? Four Canadian pilots thought so and founded Free to Fly at the end of August. By now, the organization has attracted more than 38,500 members, including 2,800 airline staff. In an interview, Free to Fly co-founder Derek Grigor said the time was ripe for their…
When Jordan Peterson recently tweeted out a copy of Home Depot’s ‘white privilege’ memorandum given to its staff, it rightly caused a stir: Yet another corporation’s diversity, equity and inclusion staff parroting a simplistic academic theory. The memo offered the usual assumption that one’s skin colour explains incomes and opportunities, or not. It includes the…
