The DFM Anti-Racism Collaborative (ARC) is a community of practice that aims to sustain a safe, brave and inclusive environment for all Indigenous, Black and racialized folks within and outside of the department. With a commitment to working within an anti-oppressive and anti-racist framework, the ARC prioritizes 5 core pillars: consultation, advocacy, outreach, education and evaluation. Working with leadership, department members and the community, the ARC supports, guides and leads collective efforts toward a cultural shift that embraces disruption and dismantling of systems and structures of oppression. 

The ARC provides a safe and accountable space to raise concerns, issues and experiences of racism and to center the voices and lived experiences of Indigenous, Black and racialized staff, faculty and learners across the Department of Family Medicine. A core objective of this group is to advocate for increased diversity at all levels and to explore how DFM can address the wider issue of racism in medicine, while working with non-racialized department members to provide education and training for all DFM members to foster an anti-racism culture. 

The Racialized Community of Support (RCS) is a support space for all self-identifying Indigenous, Black and/or racialized staff and faculty. This support space exists in response to the heavy burden that many Indigenous, Black and/or racialized faculty and staff carry from the marginalization, isolation and under-representation often felt when navigating both professional and personal spaces. It seeks to be a space for members to alleviate the mental, physical and emotional strain that derives from burnout and cultural taxation.

This group aims to provide confidential peer support to Indigenous, Black and/or racialized faculty and staff in a safe and respectful environment. This may take the shape of sharing lived experiences, expressing concerns and needs, identifying challenges faced, confiding about incidents of racism, seeking advice and peer support, or building a community of trust and understanding. Through these processes, members may develop skills and language to help navigate the daily experiences of being a Black, Indigenous and/or racialized member of a historically white, colonial space and in turn foster both collective and individual well-being and a sense of belonging.

There is growing recognition of the importance and need for diversity at all levels of academic medicine. Unfortunately, differential attainment of equity deserving individuals, particularly those who are Indigenous, Black and/or racialized, remains a significant barrier to achieving this goal. Intentional and skilled mentorship is a key protective factor that can help racialized and other equity deserving faculty advance in their careers at the benefit of both the individual and the organization.   

The Mentoring for Inclusive Excellence program aims to provide the support, guidance and facilitation faculty require to develop and maintain a professional identity while successfully navigating and advancing on their career path. By grounding training for mentors in anti-racism and anti-oppression principles, the program aspires to foster inclusive excellence at all levels of the department. The aim of the program is to support all junior and mid-level faculty along the continuum of their academic journey, facilitate career development, motivate and enhance teaching, scholarly and leadership competencies and provide a road map for the mentee to guide their continuing professional development. 

The EIO provides programs and services accessible to all students, staff and faculty in the following areas: 

• Human Rights and Dispute Resolution 
• Inclusion and Anti-Racism Education 
• Accessibility Program
• Sexual Violence and Prevention Response

To learn more about the EIO: https://equity.mcmaster.ca/ 

ACFAM’s objectives also include:

• Raising awareness about the shortage of Black academics at McMaster and other Canadian universities and encourage hiring faculty of Black and other diverse communities.
• Providing an organizational base for networking, promotion and advancement of Black academics at McMaster
• Fostering academic and research collaborations among our members
• Mentoring and supporting Black undergraduate and graduate students at McMaster.

To learn more about ACFAM: https://acfam.mcmaster.ca/ 

Individual:

• Improve relationships and coalition building opportunities within and across staff communities.
• Amplify the voices of staff members in relation to issues and needs elevated for institutional attention.
• Support the acquisition of knowledge, skills, confidence, and networks to facilitate staff career growth.
• Increase staff awareness of and ability to navigate institutional.

Institutional:

• Increase the sense of connectedness, belonging and empowerment reported by staff.
• Improve institutional awareness of staff experiences and responsiveness to staff issues.
• Offer more race-conscious professional development and leadership advancement opportunities.
• Enhance organizational strategy alignment with anti-racist principles and practices.

To learn more about the BIRS ERG.