Thashika Pillay and Alana Butler, Queen’s professors, are helping teachers incorporate equity into their classrooms without adding an additional burden.
Photo:
“Sometimes I feel like I fell into this job.”
Thashika Pillay, assistant professor in the Faculty of Education, didn’t go into grad school planning to become an academic. Rather, the supportive community of senior PhD students around her, other BIPOC scholars, and mentors opened her eyes to the possibility of a career in academia.
“I know without BIPOC scholars talking to me about the possibility of doing a PhD, I wouldn’t have done it.”
Shobhana Xavier, professor in the Religious Studies School, also didn’t see herself as an academic until she became one. Growing up, she had never considered academia as a possible career and didn’t personally know any academics. She’s excited about her position as someone who can make academia seem more accessible for current students.
“Teachers, in [the faculty of] education in particular, have a responsibility towards cultural competence. I think that it is part of the duty of care to students to be able to reflect their cultural and racial identities in your teaching practices,” the assistant professor in the Faculty of Education told The Journal.
A core aspect of addressing white supremacy in universities is addressing how curricula is delivered, whose voices are privileged within courses, and how classrooms are made safer for vulnerable groups.
Jenn Carpenter, director of the Office of Global Health, is currently working to develop courses that better reflect a wider range of ways of knowing, rather than just western European ones.