Dear MACES Members,
This past week’s events, marches, and demonstrations taking place in our communities around the world following the murder of George Floyd in the United States of America have brought to light certain hard truths about the longstanding systemic racial injustice Black and Brown communities have faced globally for centuries.
I have been disgusted, angered, and profoundly saddened in witnessing the violent and brutal murder of George Floyd in broad daylight; in full view of concerned citizens recording; and at the hands of multiple members of uniformed police officers for a full nine minutes of unthinkable and inhumane cruelty. This tells the story of many racialized minorities, leaving a long series of tragic deaths based on the colour of someone’s skin; more recently Regis Korchinski-Paquet in Toronto, Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky…
How can it be that such inequality and discrimination still exist in our society? We have made tremendous progress in so many aspects of our lives but we can’t seem to get rid of our deeply embedded biases that have limited us in creating a society that is free from racism and discrimination.
MACES is committed to making sure that diversity and inclusion are more than espoused values, but that they live in our practices, that we stay true to these values, and commit to making certain that each and every person counts.
With so many of us working from home and isolated from our loved ones, this is already a difficult time, and now many of us are coping with additional stress and anxieties brought on by these latest events. If you are feeling alone, please reach out to a friend and stay connected. Your community at MACES is also here to support you – if you ever feel that you have not been treated with fairness due to bias at McGill, please contact me directly at: president.maces@mail.mcgill.ca. It is important that we have these conversations and address biases. All men and women are created equal, and that should be a lived value in the McGill SCS community.
MACES President