This summer’s series of Black Lives Matter protests around the globe have sparked greater awareness of colonial legacies that persist in public spaces. Recent petitions calling for the removal of the James McGill statue and Sir John A. Macdonald monument, and a name change of the Lionel-Groulx subway station have[Read More…]
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Black Lives Matter at McGill too
Danielle Geathers, MIT’s first Black woman student body president, and Nicholas Johnson, Princeton University’s first Black valedictorian, inspired my recent Facebook post reacting to the news that I would be serving as one of the very few Black presidents in the Students’ Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) 112-year history. I[Read More…]
Holocaust survivor condemns McGill’s handling of anti-Semitism allegations
During her visit to promote her memoir, Holocaust to Resistance: My Journey, Suzanne Berliner Weiss led a rally on Feb. 17 condemning Deputy Provost of Student Life and Learning Fabrice Labeau’s handling of anti-Semitism allegations regarding last semester’s controversial Face to Face trip. Weiss, a lifelong activist and Holocaust survivor,[Read More…]
Divest McGill obstructs entrances to James Administration for divestment
Approximately 20 members of Divest McGill, Climate Justice Action McGill (C-JAM), and Greenpeace McGill blocked all five entrances to the James Administration Building from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm on Feb. 18, demanding that the university divest from TC Energy, the company behind the controversial Coastal Gaslink Pipeline. The pipeline[Read More…]
Erased by the administration: James McGill was a slave owner
Although McGill takes superficial strides toward inclusivity such as participating in a Black History Month and Indigenous Awareness Weeks, the university still refuses to address its colonial history and practices. The history of this university is intertwined with racism and the enslavement of Black and Indigenous individuals—a fact that must[Read More…]
Divestment is not “symbolic,” it’s necessary
Following McGill’s most recent refusal to divest, tenured McGill professor Gregory Mikkelson has resigned from his position. Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier defended the university’s decision to remain invested in the fossil fuel industry, stating that the university’s commitment to decarbonization would be more valuable than a “symbolic” divestment from[Read More…]
Canada’s literary rock star pays a visit to Montreal
Dark green lights illuminate the walls and ceiling. Hundreds of people cheer and applaud. “I’m sorry, this microphone must be broken,” a man in front of the audience exclaims. “I said we have Margaret Atwood here tonight!” The applause in response is deafening. On Nov. 12, critically acclaimed novelist, poet, and[Read More…]
Lecture halls are still unsafe for racialized students
On Oct. 23, an English professor at the University of Western Ontario used the n-word while describing terms that were historically used to refer to certain classes of slaves. The nonchalant use of a word with such violent historical and current implications was justifiably met with outrage by Black students[Read More…]
McGill announces creation of online Bachelor of Nursing degree
McGill announced that it will be launching Quebec’s first online Bachelor of Nursing degree in on Oct. 24. The program, which aims to address a lack of baccalaureate-holding nurses in the province, will be offered in both English and French starting in 2021. Quebec’s nurses are less educated than their[Read More…]
Climate activism requires institutional support
On Sept. 27, Montreal will host one of the most significant climate activism events of the year. Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swedish climate activist of notable internet fame, will be in Montreal to lead a march protesting governmental and institutional inaction on climate change. Since Thunberg is expected to lead[Read More…]
