This article appeared in the Toronto Star's Opinion section
Colleges and universities play a vital role in building an inclusive society and fostering broader global understanding. The relationships we form and understanding we gain about each other are fundamental to the empathetic understanding we bring to our decision-making. It is inclusive education that sets the stage for inclusive societies and the full capacity of humanity to face the challenges of the future.
I am often struck by those who ask, "why do we have to care about inclusivity?" We only have to take a look at history to observe the destruction that arises from disharmonious, polarized societies and exclusionary, discriminatory laws.
The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action represents an example of the corrosive force of racism and, here in Canada, we need to ensure our efforts and actions push back and advocate for inclusion.
When I was appointed the President of George Brown College in 2021, I was the first Black president of a community college in the Greater Toronto Area. I became the first Black President of a Canadian university in 2014 at the University of Brandon in Manitoba before joining Brock University in the same role. My career and life have made me acutely aware of the progress we have made, and at George Brown, I was particularly struck by the work and commitment to provide equitable access to education.
My early experiences have also shaped my understanding of the role education can play in fostering inclusive societies. I vividly recall a day as a young child in the U.K., when I followed a young friend home from school, accepting an invitation from him to lunch. When we got to the door, his parent let him in and told him, "We don't let that into our house."
"That," of course, was a reference to me. So at age five, I tried to find my way home but got lost, and fortunately was found by a police officer who brought me home.
My friend had no idea there would be a barrier into his home that I couldn't cross, and of course neither did I. It was, you might say, an invisible barrier that denied us both from forming bonds and learning more about each other. Today, many in our society faces barriers that may be invisible to some but fully impactful to them. An inclusive society demands of us empathetic informed advocacy.
Decades later, I still recall my experience as a child in the U.K. as if it was yesterday. As recent as the 1980s, cities such as Boston, Massachusetts struggled with desegregating their public school system. I do not know what affirmative action or mitigating action is needed to address the impact of this historical period of injustice, racism and discrimination. However, ignoring its impact and the need for action means social progress is anchored by the unaddressed trauma and denied truths of the past.
At George Brown College and other higher education institutions, we know that creating and maintaining a racially diverse student body makes for a richer teaching and learning environment, and therefore a better quality of education. We know that addressing historic inequities for Indigenous and racialized communities is fundamentally the right thing to do. We know that the best way to prepare our students for life in an increasingly diverse society is to do all that we can to foster that diversity within our own college. A diversity of backgrounds, identities and outlooks -- which must include those of students with lived experiences based on their social location as a racialized person -- increases overall academic excellence.
George Brown College's Strategy 2026 lays out and affirms our commitment in this regard: to diversity, equity and inclusion of all members of our community and our stakeholders.
I am proud to be a member of an educational community with these values placed front and center, as I am determined to ensure that we do not waver in moving them forward, and in defending them as the need may arise.
To that end, I know that I can count on my peers leading colleges and universities across Canada, and our elected leaders at every level of government, to make sure all barriers, visible and not, are removed with the understanding that historical and systemic racism within our institutions and individual experiences of racism can adversely affect a student’s outcome and the full scope of prosperity and possibilities for society. Nothing dictates that we learn from history, but there too – nothing saves us from the human cost incurred from ignoring it.
