A message from Leslie Reid and Natasha Kenny

It is with grief and frustration that we are writing to recognize the painful recent events being experienced by the Black community in the US, Canada, across the world and in our own city. These incidents have profoundly affected many across our community.

We want you to know that we strongly condemn and stand against systemic racism and discrimination in all its forms.  In order to engage in a transparent dialogue on racism, we need to first acknowledge its existence. We recognize that subtle and overt racism happens in our workplace and on our campus, and deeply impacts many of our staff members, colleagues and students.

Please know that we stand in solidarity with you.

We want to reiterate our commitment to creating an equitable, inclusive and diverse workplace at the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning and across the University of Calgary. This commitment is woven into the fabric of the Taylor Institute and is represented in our key priorities in our Unit Plan 2020-25. 

As the heart of our teaching and learning community on campus, we must learn from experience and add our voices. And we must take action to achieve progress. We encourage all of you to bring forward your ideas on how we can confront racism and all forms of discrimination at the Taylor Institute and across campus.  

If any of you are struggling in the wake of recent events, please do not hesitate to reach out. We are determined to build a safe and caring community for all of our staff, colleagues and students and we are committed to supporting you.  

Sincerely,

Leslie Reid
Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning) 

Natasha Kenny 
Senior Director, Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning