Microgrant Activity, funded by the City of Fredericton’s Community Inclusion Office
Context for the activity
Our team’s extensive research has found that racism within academia in Canada is systemic and ongoing. Inequality on Canadian campuses is embedded in daily practices, norms and policies. BIPOC and immigrant students report experiences of racism, microaggressions and feeling limited trust in institutional supports. Settler colonialism, like tokenistic inclusion and the devaluation of Indigenous knowledge, are barriers that Indigenous students currently face. Additionally, xenophobia, cultural isolation, and inadequate support from institutions are barriers that international students experience. Intersecting identities like gender, disability, immigration status, and class can frequently intensify the harm that is already inflicted upon many students.
Activities
Following suggestions made in the New Brunswick Systemic Racism Commissioner’s Final Report, such as the call for community-led, cultural grounded, youth-centred approaches, R.A.C.E on Campus will directly respond to this call by, first, hosting two talking circles and workshop for a total of approximately 30 students. These events will take place on March 27, 2026.
Prior to these events, we will foster meaningful relationships with BIPOC and international students on campus to construct and foster a safe environment for anybody willing to participate.
Two parallel talking circles will be led by Wabanaki Elders. These circles will follow Indigenous protocols and create culturally safe spaces for reflection, storytelling, and listening. As to respect the relational and time-bound nature of the knowledge shared, these conversations will not be recorded.
Following the talking circles, we will hold an anti-racist and racial justice workshop that will be student-centred. Building on the conversations that will take place during our talking circles, participants will have the opportunity to reflect together, identify shared concerns, and discuss what meaningful change would look like across campuses. Finally, we will ask participants to reflect and identify the steps that they would like to see being taken in the future.
R.A.C.E on Campus is about co-creating knowledge, guided by students, Elders, and community knowledge holders — not extracting stories or gathering data. Our goal is to ensure that future research is grounded in care, accountability, and lived experience.