Anti-racist education

March 21st was International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the Diversity Office hosted a film viewing and discussion on the topic. "A Film About Races: A Fresh Look at Diversity" (2010, 56 minutes) is a Films on Demand release available to all faculty and students as part of Fleming's online Library services (see the portal, under Student Resources).

The film explores some controversial questions, like "what does 'race' mean?" and "how many races are there?" Biologists may talk about race as if it can be scientifically defined but in fact race is a complex aspect of human identity. Consider the Canadian census and how parents of biracial children complete the survey when asked to identify their child's race. My daughter is Haitian descent - is she black? white? African-Canadian? Caribbean descent? This is the experience of an increasing number of people, as our world becomes smaller and communities diversify. And there are no easy answers.

Anti-racist educators work from a sociological definition of race, and often a post-colonial perspective (race is only important because colonialism and slavery ensured whites could dominate, and the structural inequalities these systems left behind continue to affect billions of non-white peoples around the world today). This history encourages us to also ask what it means to be white, and how white people can develop a positive white identity while understanding and dealing with their own white privilege. As educators, we need to lead classroom discussions that address this important contemporary issue, while encouraging the positive identity formation of all our students, regardless of their race or ethnicity.

This film also explores these ideas by asking a racially and ethnically diverse group of Americans to compete in a fun Olympic competition based on teams composed of members of the same race. The documentary follows these games from the initial selection of team members to the event itself, and reveals an interesting story as everyday Americans discuss how they see their own racial identity.

The film is an excellent conversation starter and the Films on Demand menu options allow you to choose short segments. Check the teaching notes and accompanying worksheet I have developed for your use - click on the Diversity Resources link (gold Diversity logo, upper right) to find it on my wiki. As always, the tools you find there are available for educational use at Fleming College.

Indian student integration

For this final post on Indian student integration, there are contributions from Fleming faculty who travelled to RJ College in Mumbai, India in the summer of 2011 -Kim Healy from the School of Business, Hospitality and Technology, Heather Pollock from the School of General Arts and Sciences, and Faith Ratchford from the Centre for Learning and Teaching. Kim Healy has shared a tip sheet for teaching Indian students based on her experiences abroad, and the team has shared a short slide show on their visit. You will find them in the wiki (gold diversity link to the top right) under "Indian students".


I have also updated the statistics in the "Equity diversity student profile" to include January international student admission numbers. Eighty-nine students have joined us from India since September, including large groups in Biotech Forensics, Pharmacy Technician, and the new International Business Management program. Others can be found in diverse programming like Electrical Techniques, Web Developer and Sustainable Agriculture.

Indian students are reporting very positive experiences at Fleming, and are inviting friends and family to join them here. Fleming has also received tremendous support from the Indo-Canadian Association of the Kawarthas (ICAK), who have recently invited International Student Club rep Mayankumar Amin to sit on their Executive. ICAK events are open to the public and you can learn more on their website: http://www.icak.ca/index.asp

March 21st in International Day Against Racism and I will be offering a film viewing and discussion - "A Film About Races: A Fresh Look at Diversity". This playful but provocative 55 minute documentary from Films on Demand explores the concept of race in the 21st century. The viewing will be followed by a discussion about the issues of race and racism, possible approaches to facilitating classroom discussion, and how to use an accompanying work sheet I have developed for faculty use in the curriculum.

Wednesday March 21st, 12:00 pm
Centre for Learning and Teaching
(Brealey Rm 270 next to the library).

My post on March 23rd will contain all the tools offered at the session.

Happy Day of Pink on Monday, March 12th.

Debbie