Closing letter from the Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion, Tanya De Mello

The effort of redressing centuries of systemic racism can be challenging, slow-moving and, at times, feel discouraging. I came to work at TMU because of the university’s reputation and evidence of its commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, as well as the specific focus I saw in recruiting and retaining Black and Indigenous students, faculty and staff. So much work has been done in this university to increase the sense of belonging of Black community members on this campus. Yet, three years following the release of Climate Review, many of the inequitable outcomes that necessitated the launch of this initiative persist. 

As the Vice-President of Equity and Community Inclusion, I feel responsible for ensuring that the concern for fostering an equitable future is not just a trend but a collective and sustained priority. Anti-Black racism is not a singular problem and, therefore, will not be combatted with any one intervention. It requires a deliberate, concerted and sustained approach that seeks to replace anti-Black racism within our systems with inclusive excellence, belonging and a commitment to Black flourishing adopted by all. Our office collaborates and supports the work to increase Black flourishing across the campus, recognizing that this work is a shared responsibility that must go beyond the OVPECI.

The Cultivating Black Flourishing Report acknowledges the critical efforts to respond to Black student, staff and faculty experiences across the university while recognizing that there is still much more to be done. 

I have been moved by how the university has mobilized around and beyond the recommendations outlined in the Climate Review. I feel encouraged to see senior leaders and my peers meaningfully committing to confronting anti-Black racism by investing in resources, critically reviewing practices and processes, participating in training and championing this work across their teams. 

I would like to acknowledge the critical contributions of my fellow members on the Presidential Implementation Committee to Confront Anti-Black Racism.

The implementation of each recommendation from the review would not have been possible without the efforts of the PICCABR and its partners, as well as institutional buy-in, participation of senior leadership, resource allocation, opportunities for capacity-building and engagement with the community. 

Thank you for committing to the journey of confronting anti-Black racism and fostering Black flourishing at our university. 

Tanya De Mello
Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion and executive chair, Student Working Group

Presidential Implementation Committee to Confront Anti-Black Racism members

• Executive Co-Chairs: Roberta Iannacito-Provenzano (Faculty Working Group executive chair), Saeed Zolfaghari (Staff Working Group executive chair), Tanya De Mello (Student Working Group executive chair).
• The Student Working Group: Jen McMillen (co-chair), Ahmed Ahmed, Nadya Burton, Lance Campbell, Shurla Charles-Forbes, Beverly-Jean Daniel, Jen Gonzales, Sean Kheraj and Eboni Morgan. 
• The Faculty Working Group: Patrizia Albanese (co-chair), Annette Bailey (co-chair), Sara Berman, Davina Chan, Donatus Oguamanam, Nancy Pham and Pamela Sugiman. 
• Staff Working Group: Jenny O'Donnell (co-chair), Blessing Asagwara, Sarah Bukhari, Gregory John, Braden Johnson, Sharmaine McKenzie, Krishan Mehta, Stacey Merkoulov, Gladys Ndungu and Pauline Scipio. 
• The PICCABR Project Team: Grace-Camille Munroe (project manager), Mary Ola and Tiyahna Ridley-Padmore.
• The Black Student Advisory Committee: Aisha Abawajy, Naomi Addai, Toluwani Adeniyi, Kwasi Adu-Poku, Diana Adu-Yeboah, Nicole Agyenim-Boateng, Sophia Anazia, Ezekiel Asafo-Adjei, Trevohn Baker, Cheo Bannis, Mariam Barrow, Jama Bin-Edward, Jeremiah Bowers, Tahja Burnett-FFrench, Zanele Chisholm, Ceyrina Craig, Haben Dawit, Dave D'Oyen, Darlyn Edada, Sanyu Galabuzi-Kassam, Joy Grant-Khan, Ty Hamilton, Chantel Jeremiah, Rianna Jones, Anwar (Àjé) Knight, Natasha Larmond, Maya Leatham, Nathalia Lewis, Danielle Licorish, Daysha Loppie, Hana Salih Makawi, Shaniqua Mayers, Kenya Murray, Linda Musui, Nigeleen Nwakobi, Victor Ola-Matthew, Segun-Adebowale Oluwatomisin, Amanda Offor, Hilda Oni, Michelle Owala, Ashley Patrick, Rahim Perez-Anderson, Jenaiya Pinney, Victoria Ross, Kamau Simba, Zorian Smith, Edmund Sofo, Dominic Stewart, Nardos Tedros and Lauren Jade Young.