Dear members of the IOF community,
The Institute for Oceans and Fisheries is proud to stand in solidarity with UBC’s Black Student Union and all people protesting police violence against Black people in Canada and the United States.
Systemic anti-Black racism is not limited to the United States, but also thrives in a Canadian context. Racism is a global issue and one that impacts all of our communities, including here in the IOF and at UBC as a whole. Black people in academia face many barriers that we as a community must actively confront, including lacking a sense of belonging, limited access to outdoor experiential education or field research, and microaggressions on campus.
We join UBC President Santa Ono in denouncing and condemning anti-Black racism, as well as all other forms of racism, including the ongoing oppression of Indigenous peoples, and the anti-Asian racism that has surged as a result of the COVID epidemic.
The IOF is committed to continuing the work we have begun to foster diversity, equity, inclusion, and wellness within and beyond our community. We commit to confronting racism in our classrooms, our hiring practices, our faculty meetings, our labs, our fieldwork, and in the communities in which we live and work.
We look forward to having each of you join us in this journey. If you are interested in helping to shape the directions we take moving forward as a department, please consider joining the IOF Equity, Inclusion and Wellness Committee by emailing Neil MacLean. Graduate students can join the IOF Student Society’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee by emailing Ron Togunov.
Sincerely,
Evgeny Pakhomov
Professor and Director, Institute for Oceans and Fisheries
With the ongoing climate of egregious acts against the Black community all over the United States and Canada, we would like to state that we stand firm, united, and with those indirectly and directly impacted by the recent violence against our communities.
We stand in solidarity with the families and friends of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and many more who were violently murdered by the police.
Despite these acts being clear attempts at further oppressing our community, as history has shown time and time again, the Black community will remain defiant, strong, resilient, ever-growing, and omnipotent. As a community, we will continue to fight until our plights are seen and our people have obtained the justice they deserve.
At this time, we ask you to take action by using your voices and platforms to raise awareness and consciousness on the systems put in place that do not act for us all. We ask that you continue to donate to key organizations that are helping people in our communities during this difficult time. And finally, we also ask that you continue to sign petitions that demand justice.
To our fellow brothers and sisters, remember to take care of yourselves and reach out to those around you. It is okay to disconnect and take some time to breathe. We are all grieving at this time. We are here for you as your community leaders and as your family. We, as a team, will continue to work for us all.
Many condolences and much more love,
The University of British Columbia’s Black Student Union
Tags: Black Lives Matter, Equity and Diversity, Faculty, IOF announcement, IOF postdoctoral fellows, IOF Research Associates, IOF Student Society, IOF students