The Centre for Human Rights (CHR) is embarking on a journey to encourage open and honest conversations about race and racism on York’s campuses. As part of this initiative, CHR is in the process of creating a pan-University working group focused on providing consult and institutional advocacy on race-based initiatives.
The Race Inclusion & Supportive Environments (RISE) working group aims to foster an inclusive environment with the purpose of working towards the elimination of racism at York University.
Recognizing the intersection of race with other personal identities – which fall under the protected grounds of the Ontario Human Rights Code, including age, ancestry, citizenship, creed (religion), colour, disability, ethnic origin, family status, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, sex (including pregnancy), place of origin, record of offences, receipt of public assistance and sexual orientation – the working group aims to create mechanisms for support and proactive institutional practices to remove barriers and increase access and agency for York’s racialized members.
The RISE working group will serve as an institutional advocate to advance respect, equity, diversity and inclusion, with a specific focus on systemic and individual experiences of racism.
Committee members will provide proactive consultations on:
- policy review and revision;
- program development;
- resources development; and
- community engagement initiatives.
Those interested in volunteering their time to the RISE working group should complete the application at yorku.ca/rights/forms/view.php?id=36.
Note: As CHR attempts to ensure representation from a wide cross-section of the York community, some applicants may not be selected where there is strong representation from a particular department/Faculty.