Why We Came Together: #UBC4Ferguson

Written by Blessing Falayi

UBC Vancouver vigil for Michael Brown. #UBC4Ferguson

UBC Vancouver vigil for Michael Brown. #UBC4Ferguson. Photo by Sheldon Lynn.

On Friday, November 28 2014, one hundred candles shone in solidarity with Ferguson, Missouri, keeping vigil for murdered eighteen year old, Michael Brown. Though the vigil came into fruition just two days prior (the Facebook event only popping up on Wednesday night), the turnout was much greater than expected.

With Monday’s grand jury verdict still fresh in our minds, we came together angry, upset, saddened, and confused, but no longer silent. We wanted to do something. We wanted to show our support, we wanted to reach out, and we knew we could no longer be complicit. This is how this vigil came to be.

The main focus of this event was to honour Michael Brown, and we did so by keeping his family’s wish of four and a half minutes of silence. Candles were lit as students kept vigil by the fountain on Main Mall. These moments of silence represented the four and a half hours that Michael’s body lay on the street in the scorching summer heat. The last words of various Black men were called out to end the quietude, to remind us of the humanity of those who lost their lives at the hands of the police. To end the vigil, Ivan Leonce – the Colour Connected Against Racism Coordinator – performed “Caribbean Sun”, a poem that celebrates his Black heritage and honours the resilience of his ancestors.

At the end of the vigil, the main idea we wanted to emphasize is systemic racism. Although mainstream media continues to push themes revolving around police brutality, it is important to acknowledge there is more to the picture than these “random” acts of violence by individuals. Rather, we recognize that police brutality is the manifestation of a violent, oppressive, anti-black, and overall racist system.

Labeling the incident as a “colourblind” one would not only be a disservice to Michael Brown, but also to more Black lives that have been lost over the years. Our law enforcement reflects our society. It is far from infallible and we are still far from equity. By tiptoeing around the issue, we lose grasp of what is truly important.

Though some may claim that UBC Vancouver is a campus of relative apathy, this event is clear proof that it is not. The activist network at UBC is dedicated, strong, and admirable. We create a powerful discussion for students to come together and create change, whether it be the changing of minds or the changing of systems. UBC students are empathetic and they are only beginning to realize the extent of their power.

But why did people care about this specific event? I speculate that the reasons are endless. Perhaps it was the fact that an eighteen year old was killed. Mike was not much younger than most of us. He was unarmed and he was also Black. We understand that this is no coincidence. A no indictment verdict made absolutely no sense to us. Darren Wilson couldn’t even be brought to trial because of conflicting evidence? We’d like to ask, “Is that justice?”

We also understand that this is not an isolated incident. Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo, Tamir Rice, Kendrec McDade, Jonathan Ferrell, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Aiyana Jones; these are just a few Black people who have been killed by law enforcement officers in the last fifteen years. All of them unarmed. Twelve year-old Tamir Rice was only carrying a toy gun. Did he deserve to die? Again, this is no coincidence. This is an irrevocably flawed system and UBC students know this. We understand that this same system extends into Canada. We know we are not exempt. Our indigenous population suffers heinously at the hands of this same system. This is no coincidence.
We know that we can no longer be complicit. UBC students will continue to care and we will continue the conversation. We will continue to “fight the powers that be.”

[UBC #ThriveWeek] Active Witnessing: An Empathetic Response to Racism

On November 5, the Liu Institute for Global Issues and our office organized a difficult conversation about racism on campus, and how it ties into mental well-being.

To listen to the audio version of the event, please visit our Soundcloud upload: https://soundcloud.com/equityandinclusionubc/active-witnessing-audio

Our official story is live on the Equity and Inclusion website: http://equity.ubc.ca/2014/11/17/thrive-week-2014-2/

 

Apples for Profs – A New Tradition at UBC

On Wednesday, October 29 – the Equity & Inclusion office worked with students to pilot the first ever “Apples for Profs” event at UBC.  The inspiration for this event came from consultation work with faculty, many of whom reported feeling increasingly unappreciated in their roles as instructors, because some have been struggling to connect with their students in the classroom. UBC is comprised of a diverse student population, some of which come from cultures where gift-giving [for instructors] is commonplace, whereas others are of backgrounds where this practice is discouraged. The symbolism of the quintessential “apple” is familiar for many North American instructors and students. Historically speaking, this symbol comes from the 17th or 18th century, where poorer farmers in Northern Europe and the United States would pay their children’s teachers with food, such as apples and potatoes. With the help of Land and Food Systems Undergraduate Society members (LFS|US) and Agora Cafe volunteers, we handed out 480 apples locally sourced from the UBC Botanical Garden (Apple Festival 2014) to students, who were encouraged to write notes of appreciation to accompany their apples.

Alden Habacon, Intercultural Understanding Director, is making a fresh apple delivery on his bike.

Alden Habacon, Director of Intercultural Understanding at UBC, is making a fresh apple delivery on his bike.

instagram

Taken from Instagram. #apples4ubcprofs

Joanna and Krystal of the Equity & Inclusion Office handing out apples.

Joanna and Krystal of the Equity & Inclusion Office handing out apples.

The event was well-received by students – most of them were happy to see a “no strings attached” event happen on campus.

This is the official Equity & Inclusion Office article about the event: http://equity.ubc.ca/2014/10/30/starting-a-new-tradition-apples-for-ubc-profs/

And for photos, please visit our Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/EquityUBCV

We are looking to improve this tradition for the future, so if you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comment box below.

Chinese-Speaking Residents at ‘Welcome Event’

More than 70 residents were in attendance; evening was entertaining as well as educational

By Ying Zhou, Chair, UNA Civic Engagement Committee

Ying June 9 tour

New Chinese-speaking residents enjoy welcoming event at The Chan Centre.
Photo credit Qiu Hong

 

 

 

On June 9, UBC invited members of the UNA civic engagement committee to a ‘Welcome Event’ at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.

More than 70 new Chinese-speaking residents attended this event, which was preceded by a walk to the Chan from The Old Barn Community Centre led by UBC executives Alden Habacon, director of Intercultural Understanding Strategy Development, and Joe Stott, director of planning. They were warmly greeted at the Chan by Joyce Hinton, co-managing director.

Link to full article on Page 9: http://www.myuna.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/CampusResident_Vol5_6_June-2014.pdf

 

Remember to stay safe during exams

To UBC’s Vancouver campus community:

I want to wish students every success in your exams. And I want to remind all members of our community to continue to look out for each other’s wellbeing and safety as we transition to new spring routines.

Recently the UBC RCMP issued a safety reminder to our campus community with tips to keep in mind for a new season. Find out more here:   Continue reading

Dr. Michael Ungar gave a great keynote at the UBC Advising Conference

This year’s UBC Advising Conference kicked off with a keynote from Dr. Michael Ungar, who spoke on “Nurturing Resilience Among Students Experiencing Adversity.

Here are my key takeaways from his impressively captivating and informative talk:

  • We are not trying to create “resiliency” within students, but can manipulate external factors that help students “be more resilient.” We shape environments that enable students to better cope with adversity.
  • Psychological resilience means having the capacity to navigate and negotiate, in culturally meaningful ways, what a student needs when they experience adversity.
  • Culturally meaningful is very important. What might seem “weird” to us, might be a very culturally acceptable form of coping.
  • There are seven factors that contribute to resilience.

Continue reading