For this special issue of The Strand, Unravelled asked Nana Koomson, a fourth year student studying Global Health, Anthropology, and Immunology, to write about her ethnography of Black students performing diversity work. This research was conducted for an ethnography practicum and can be found on the University of Toronto’s Ethnography Lab.
In 2014’s On Being Included: Racism and Diversity in Institutional Life, Sara Ahmed dwells on the concept of diversity champions. She explains that diversity champions are individuals who have a genuine commitment to diversity. Drawing on some of Ahmed’s ideas to explore how students perform diversity within the University, I used participant observation within three sites and interviewed four Black student leaders.
Creating spaces
The students interviewed believed that they were diversity champions when they were creating spaces for Black students within a university they perceived as a predominantly “white space.” This was exemplified when the president of BLVCK expressed that, as president of the club, she was able to connect to both incoming and current Black students at the University of Toronto in a college where there were not many Black people. This was important to her because it was something she was missing until she herself discovered BLVCK.
In her book, Ahmed explains that she was one of two faculty of colour in a Race Equity Team within her university. This replicated some of the problems that needed to be addressed because it spoke to the lack of diversity and inclusion of faculty of colour within her institution. Moreover, as she explains, “whiteness” tends to be visible to those who do not inhabit it. For them, white spaces are an assertion that they are not part of the norm. Diversity is illustrated as a diversion from what is normal. Thus, for BLVCK’s President, creating a Black space within what was a typically “white space” was exemplary of diversity work. Similar to Ahmed, the fact that she created or fostered these spaces because she could not find Black connections was an indication that her diversity work was essential. Ultimately, students imagined themselves as diversity champions because they created much-needed spaces that diverted from the norm as informed from their own experiences of not belonging.
No one really credits us
Despite the many challenges they experienced and the sacrifices they made as part of their diversity work, students felt as though the University did not recognize or support the work they did. Most student leaders I interviewed expressed how difficult it was to maintain a balance between work, school, and diversity work. This led to immense frustrations, especially since some students believed that much of the anti-racist work within the University was placed on their shoulders. As one student leader expressed:
“Things happen all over the University, such as the vandalization of the Woodsworth building with racial slurs. Nobody knows about it except us and unless we speak about it, nobody will know about it. … No one really credits us for the diversity work that we do. … I have never heard a simple ‘This group is doing well!’”
According to Ahmed, working on diversity and equity entails accepting an uneven distribution of commitment rather than a fantasy that everyone can share responsibility. For many student leaders, this unequal distribution was apparent in their commitment to part time jobs within the University, their commitment to their education, and a commitment to their diversity work. Student leaders were pulled in so many different directions while it felt as though the University did nothing. For student leaders involved in anti-racist work, this was further exemplified by how much more work they had to put into anti-racist efforts within the University.
Puzzles and conundrums
The first puzzle came when I discovered that despite frustrations and feelings of anger, students still pursued diversity work even when there was space for them to back out. Moreover, as the president of BLVCK explained, “I don’t feel like I am doing enough. I feel like I should be doing more with the position I am in.”
The second puzzle presented itself when groups such as the Black Student Experience group (BSE) at Innis College—an administratively led student group that aimed to amplify the voices of Black students through the collaboration of administrators, staff, and students—were discovered to have institutional will when it comes to increasing the diversity of Black students within the University. This group not only held themselves accountable, but they took the time to listen to the experiences of Black students to determine how to best support them. Despite the work of the BSE, students did not trust them, resulting in a “damned if you do, and damned if you don’t” conundrum as efforts to increase diversity were met with mistrust. Not only did students interpret the diversity work of the institution as insincere, but there was a real fear that this work was short term. This was on account of the very few administratively led groups on campus that resembled the BSE. However, administrators could not simply sit back and do nothing: doing so would continue to propagate an institution that is experienced as a white space, creating room for institutional racism and the exclusion of people of colour.
The University as an institution must determine how to best relate to students so that they are supported, and their work is recognized. There needs to be more Black Student Experience groups led by administrators who can precipitate real changes through their funding and connections to major players within the University.
Interestingly, of the approximately 60000 students that make up the student body nearly 50 are foreign students from the China, Europe, USA etc. In fact according to university records 1/4 of the entire student body is made up of oversees students from China alone. That being said, the university prioritizes foreign students over black and indiginous Canadians who should have priority attaining these coveted spots.