Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization Task Force
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Goal
As a task force, we seek to identify areas—in our faculty, our community, our administrative structures, and our curriculum—that perpetuate barriers for and erasure of Indigenous and equity-deserving groups. We will recommend transformative, systemic changes that will embrace equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization (EDI-D) within the Don Wright Faculty of Music.
We recognize that the work of EDI-D and Indigenization are related but distinct, given that Indigenous people are seeking sovereignty of their own traditional lands, ways of living, and ways of knowing. We understand “equity-deserving groups” as including but not limited to persons who are Black, racialized, women, 2SLGBTQ+, first-generation post-secondary students, and adult learners; persons who have disabilities or physically and neurologically divergent needs; persons from low-income families and communities; and persons who do not hold Canadian citizenship.
Subgoals
- Pursuing greater diversity and inclusion in degree and course offerings. This includes but is not limited to:
- Establishing programmatic and curricular pathways that represent diverse musical and cultural traditions, and align with emerging areas of professional musical practice.
- Reviewing curriculum, resulting in suggestions for faculty to enhance their course content through greater engagement with EDI-D.
- Identifying possible course offerings and degrees that can be added to the curriculum within our current faculty.
- Recruiting faculty with expertise in these areas with the goal of creating greater diversity within our community.
- Establishing consistent, ongoing funding within the Don Wright Faculty of Music to support EDI-D within our programming (elders, culture bearers, music purchases, guest artists and lecturers, colloquia, etc...).
- Recommending changes to the admissions process that recognize barriers experienced by equity-deserving applicants. As musical study within our institution favours the privileged (those with access to further music lessons and instruments outside of secondary education), examining pathways for greater equity in the admissions process is imperative.
- Creating and maintaining a calendar of performances, lectures, and related events that plans for annual and special observances to promote music by IBPOC and other equity-deserving groups.
- Developing and delivering programs, events, and initiatives in collaboration with the Faculty of Music Students’ Council (FOMSC), the Society of Graduate Students in Music (SOGSIM), and other student groups that will create spaces for the academic endeavours and research of IBPOC within music. Such initiatives will employ intersectional approaches to encourage all participants to recognize their positionality within our faculty. We are creating an online EDI-D modules for members of the Don Wright Faculty of Music, with an anticipated launch date for graduate students in September 2022.
Members
Rosheeka Parahoo
*graduate student representative
Updated May 2023
The Office of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion: Inclusive Language Guide
This guide provides practical tools for using inclusive language in written and verbal communication, promoting inclusivity and respect for diverse identities, cultures, and experiences.
Western Resources
Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Equity & Human Rights Services
President's Anti-Racism Working Group - President's Anti-Racism Working Group
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council
Strategic Planning - Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Recommended Reads and Music Resources
Music by Black Artists
Prepared by Dan Sich, this online library guide from Western Libraries was launched in September 2021 and is the first in a projected series of Music Library Research Guides that will highlight library resources for exploring – through research, performance, and teaching – the music of marginalized communities. By mirroring the research process in its structure, “Music by Black Artists” provides strategies for discovering repertoire and learning more about traditions of music founded in Black cultures from around the world. Each section of the guide places a spotlight on sample titles in the Music Library collection that we hope will draw you in to discover more.
Music Library Director Brian McMillan extends thanks to the Western Libraries Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Subcommittee and the Don Wright Faculty of Music’s EDI-D Task Force for their insights and advice during the development of this guide.
