Scholar Strike and Teach-In Sept 9 – 10, 2020

The Emily Carr Faculty Association supports the Scholar Strike and Teach-In (https://scholarstrikecanada.ca/) scheduled for September 9-10, 2020. Professors and students are outraged at the relentless police killings of Black, Indigenous and racialized people in the US and in Canada. We understand that these violent killings result from normalizing white supremacy and that we need to work together to build a culture and society that ends the systemic racism creating the conditions for this constant devaluing of racialized lives.

In the midst of a triple pandemic – corona virus, climate crisis and the systemic racism inflicted by colonization – we realize it is important to work together with honesty, compassion and care for one another, so that we can face the challenges of our times. There are many ways to connect to the larger social movements for justice that we are part of.

Some faculty are attending and encouraging their students to attend public events posted at https://scholarstrikecanada.ca/schedule/
Some faculty will make space in their online classes for a discussion around how to contribute towards building racial justice.
Some faculty are sharing materials on how to address these topics in our different courses.
Some faculty and students may take the days to rest and reflect on these questions in whatever ways are healthy for them.

This is an evolving moment that will be whatever we collectively make of it. We are living through what could be considered growing pains, as we hopefully mature towards a culture that truly respects the lives and lived experiences of Indigenous, Black and racialized peoples.

We respect that faculty and students will do what makes sense for them in their contexts. We voice our solidarity with and gratitude for the people out in the streets refusing to accept unjust violence. We feel not only rage and grief, but also love and care for the ones who’ve been lost and who continue to be endangered by systemic racism. We are grateful to be living on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples, the homelands of the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, Sto:lo, where we strive to become better relatives with the people and the land.