Austin Uzama PhD. Speech to UBC Senate meeting on Feb. 10, 2021
20210210 – Vancouver Senate Motion from Dr Austin Uzama, Convocation Senator
1) That the Senate recommend to the Board of Governors that the University provide funding to hire at least 10 to 15 Black academics to be spread across all faculties and that this hiring should be coordinated by the Provost’s Office;
2) That in addition to expansion of awards to be made available to Black Canadian students, the University develop annual awards (fully covering tuition & accommodation) for between 10 – 15
students specifically targeting only Black International students;
3) That the Senate refer the following matter to the Faculty of Arts for review, encourage the Faculty to consult with the Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence, and direct the Faculty to report back to Senate by May 2021 with its views: an expansion of African Studies to include on a multi-disciplinary, west coast Black Studies Initiative across the UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan campuses.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Good evening fellow Senators. Before I begin, I would like to thank the senate clerk, Chris, the Provost, Andrew, Vice provost academics, Kate, and the Registrar, Moura for taking time to collaborate in the wordings of this motion. I would like to start by telling you a little about myself, this may help give you an insight why I decided to come before you this evening with this motion.
I am a Nigerian. who grew up in the streets of Tokyo Japan. I am an East Asian expert and speak 2 languages from that part of the world. Please be assured that I am not a black or anything activist. I am just a teacher who believe in taking actions as against talking. During my first visit to UBC as a visiting scholar in 2009, I was very happy to hear how students, staffs and faculties openly discussing racism, diversity, and inclusion on and off campus. Because this was very different from where I was coming from. Though these discussions were going on, and on, personally to me and those I have recently spoken with, especially after last December’s Senate workshop. I concluded that there have been lots of initiatives going on on campus, but black people in UBC need more than just talking and sympathy. We feel your love. We hear your shout outs. We see how all of you are standing with the black race to fight the systematic racism both on and off campus. We have and continue to read your articles about black awareness. We thank you for helping us carry the signs on the street, joining us to protect Black lives Matters.
Today, I come before my fellow Senators to ask and beg for one thing. That is, blacks in UBC do not need sympathy and joining us to match Black Lives Matter only, we already have a lot of it from the UBC community and are very grateful. All we need now, is equality. An equal playing field, no more moving the goal post during the game. We are not asking for too much.
Please see here (below text) for an example of what I ask from you today. As you can see from the highlighted parts of this ad. A quota is set for hiring and its across all the faculties. UBC will not be the first to implement what I bring before you today. Its already an ongoing initiative in other university communities around the country. I call on you to join me implement the same here in UBC.
All I ask from Senators this evening is for you to support black equality not continued sympathy. We can have black equality in UBC and fight systematic racism in the community if only UBC can admit more black students and employ more black staffs and faculties across all the faculties. I have 2 daughters in UBC. One is in her final year in Science, just before I came into this meeting, I asked her if a black faculty has taught her since she started UBC? Her answer was obvious. NO. My second daughter is in her second year in French. I asked her similar question. Her answer was also obvious. NO daddy. the same experience I witnessed during my time as a student here at UBC. So, my question to anyone who does not think its right for me to introduce this motion is, If I am from Asia or South America or Europe, what is the probability that I will spend 4 years in UBC as a student and do not come across a faculty of my race in class? In UBC, do we have a different definition for diversity? when one race is missing on campus? Why do we speak proudly of diversity of UBC community when we are missing one notable minority race? I was recently with a faculty who told me, he came to UBC in July 1995. I asked him, of these many years in UBC, how many black faculties have you collaborated with, how many have been in your faculty as a colleague? His answer to my 2 questions was simply none. According to him, I quote, black academics hardly conduct research in my field. Seriously!
Finally, my take from last December’s Senate workshop was, there are no enough black faculties and students in UBC. All speakers highlighted this point during their presentation. Senate members were urged to do something about it. This is the reason I come before you today to seek your assistance to increase black inclusion into our great community. UBC community is already aware of blacks. There has and will continue to be conferences, seminars, workshops and now, a brand-new website developed by the black caucus for black awareness. It is time we move beyond the awareness piece and focus on the inclusion part. Dear senators, from the bottom of my heart and on behalf of all black faculties, staffs, and students, past, and present on UBC campuses, I thank you all for standing with and for the black cause this far. Today, I beg that you do not abandon us halfway through this journey but continue to support and stand for what is right. Which is Equality and Inclusion is Humanity.
Thank you.
Austin Uzama PhD.
Austin Uzama PhD. Speech to UBC Senate meeting on Feb. 10, 2021
**** University
****, Canada
Tenure-Track/Tenured, Assistant/Associate Professors
******** University is pleased to announce a cohort hiring initiative of up to 12 appointments of emerging and established academics and scholars who will contribute to the advancement of Black academic excellence across all six ****** Faculties.
******’s purpose is articulated as a dedication to advancing human and societal health and well-being locally and globally, by promoting inclusive mindsets, collaborative learning, innovative thinking, and seeking global impact. This cohort hiring initiative is in keeping with *******’s vision to achieve international distinction for creativity, innovation, and excellence, and to embody values of integrity, quality, inclusiveness and teamwork. It is also aligned with ongoing
transformative work being undertaken to ensure inclusive excellence in the recruitment and retention of faculty that have been underrepresented across all academic disciplines, which is articulated in *******’s EDI Strategy: Towards Inclusive Excellence ….
University of ************
This opportunity is open to qualified individuals who self-identify as Black peoples of African Descent (e.g., Africans and African heritage people from the Caribbean, Americas, Europe). Recognizing the underrepresentation of Black faculty, this opportunity is to support the University’s Affirmative Action program and has been developed based on the special program provisions of the****
Human Rights Code. The position is part of a cohort hire of fourteen new colleagues across ******** University. The successful candidate will be joining a vibrant scholarly community at ********, where we aspire to achieve equity and diversity in all areas, including race equity.
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