13 Action Items

Black at Western Alumni

BAWA has presented Western University with 13 action items to show the University's commitment to create an environment free from anti-Black racism.

  1. A mandated clause in Western’s ethics approval review system to prevent the acceptance and/or use of funds provided by organizations that promote hate, such as the Pioneer Fund;
  2. A mandated clause in Western’s ethics approval review system to ensure support of indisputable, ethical, non-racist academic research; 
  3. Recognition, financial support, and amplification of efforts by those who are conducting research critical to diminishing the dissemination of racist agendas in science across myriad disciplines;
  4. The establishment of a minimum of five new annual fellowships earmarked to attract the next generation of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars to continue this work;
  5. Recruitment committees to be held accountable to increase the hiring of more Black faculty as well as faculty from underrepresented groups;
  6. An endowed multi-disciplinary research chair that focuses on the study of systemic, scientific racism and anti-Black racism;
  7. The establishment of a robust first-generation curriculum for Black Students with resources and networks to support students through the college experience and beyond;
  8. Establish a process to review and redesign curriculum to be more inclusive of critical Black scholarship and Black studies particularly in the Department of Psychology;
  9. Develop pedagogical workshops for faculty to support practices of responding to and challenging the ways in which anti-Black racism operates within classrooms;
  10. More diverse representation in your marketing and alumni communications highlighting the achievements of Black alumni around the world;
  11. An unequivocal public repudiation of the validity and viability of Rushton’s work and an admission to its link to proponents of hate and white supremacy via the Pioneer Fund;
  12. A public statement acknowledging the significant damage and impact of Rushton’s work on former Black and even current Black students and a statement disassociating the University from him and his racist beliefs entirely;
  13. Black Presence on both the Senior Management Team and the Board of Directors.