Over the past ten years, equity, diversity, inclusion, and Indigenization have become much more common in university strategic plans, curriculum development, and faculty hiring. But there is still a long way to go before campuses become truly equitable. In an interview with Academic Matters, Lydia Kapiriri reflects on her experiences with equity work on campus and how her research expertise in health inequities and personal commitment to social justice informed her commitment to campus equity initiatives.
How did you start working on equity issues on your campus?
When I came to McMaster University, there were only two female Black professors, and my colleague was already doing a lot of the equity work on campus. I was pre-tenure and thought it was interesting but I didn’t have time for it. But I also knew that personally, in my private life, I was—and still am—uncomfortable with injustice. Where I come from, people don’t talk about equity issues as equity issues. I was just told to treat people equally. In my teaching and research, I was doing equity work, but I didn’t have the same language to describe what I was doing.
When I started in my position, I was talking in department meetings and the like, asking questions about decision-making and making sure everyone was treated fairly. A colleague recommended that I join the McMaster University Faculty Association (MUFA). I agreed, and later became an equity representative and chair of the equity committee in the faculty association.
What was it like to transition from doing personal equity work, as you say, to a more institutional role at the association?
I was very fortunate that our faculty association actually took equity issues seriously. Our equity committee was respected and supported. But overall, the position in the faculty association was more difficult than the individual work I was doing on equity and inclusion. When you work on these issues independently, you can put it down and walk away or take a break. With the faculty association position came the responsibility of responding to equity issues experienced by the faculty members. I could not say ‘sorry, that’s not what I do,’ or ‘I can’t do this.’ We had a very clear process with regards to how to handle issues, and I felt supported, but it brought more responsibility to me. It was also difficult to learn about all the equity issues and injustices that faculty were facing. I really appreciated the times when I could bounce ideas off of my colleagues and use resources like those offered at the OCUFA Status of Women Committee meetings [now Equity and Social Justice Committee].
I would like to see a world where these roles are recognized and rewarded by a university.
What would you like to see in the future of campus equity work?
I would like to see a world where these roles are recognized and rewarded by a university. Some changes are happening around this, like the requirement for equity statements from new hires. When I was hired, we didn’t talk about these issues, but now people are talking about them. Ultimately, I would like to see a culture change at universities so that, right from the leadership, everyone is thinking about equity and it is a mainstream idea. I would like to see a culture change whereby equity issues are not the burdens of marginalized people who have to advocate to be heard. Unfortunately, some of these roles end up falling on people who are already marginalized. I’d love to see campuses where everyone—from the faculty, to leadership, to students, to staff—is always thinking about equity and is uncomfortable with injustice. I wish we, as equity workers, could work ourselves out of a job. If, as a society, we agree that any kind of injustice is bad, we would be 90% of the way towards solving these problems. I’d love to see a society like that.
I wish we, as equity workers, could work ourselves out of a job.
What are some of the challenges you see on campuses today when it comes to creating that mainstream approach to equity?
As educators, we see students expressing discomfort with injustice and demanding certain things from their educators. We need to teach them the cost of inequity because many people think inequity doesn’t cost us anything, but it does. I’m a physician, and my background is in health. I know that there are health costs of inequity, for example. We need to train everyone to understand that social justice is not for a few people; it’s for everyone. Injustice is not good for us as individuals or as a society.
Injustice is not good for us as individuals or as a society.
Another issue is that there are inequalities between universities regarding support for equity officers. Many people were working alone within their faculty associations, without an internal equity committee, and figuring out how to relate equity work to the work of the association, or their faculty association supported them but their work was not integrated into the rest of the university. We need to find ways in which we can equalize the ground to make sure that everyone who is doing this work is supported, because it’s not easy work.
How do you approach the issue of equity with colleagues or students who may be resistant to it?
I feel that some people don’t care about these issues because they don’t feel that they are affected by inequity. I want to give people the benefit of the doubt because if you’ve been privileged all your life, you may be innocently unaware of inequity and how it affects us all. I’ve seen it happen with students and with colleagues. We don’t stop learning—I don’t believe people are always stuck in their ways. I believe most people want to do good, but some don’t want to give away their privilege. We need to find that sweet spot where people want to act but they don’t feel threatened.
We don’t stop learning—I don’t believe people are always stuck in their ways.
What advice do you have for faculty looking to enter equity work at their institution?
I would tell someone just starting out on campus that there are opportunities to do this work everywhere. At my university, the work is happening at many levels—in departments, at the administrative level, and in the faculty association. It’s not a one-person or even one-office job. We all have a responsibility to do this work.
There are opportunities to do this work everywhere.
I would also tell people not to forget what they wrote in their equity statements when they applied for their jobs. Once hired, start in your classroom. Talk to your colleagues. Talk to staff. Start from where you are and what makes sense for your life. Educate yourself with the resources available at your faculty association, your teaching resource centre, and your research. Let’s change the culture to make universities fantastic places to work for everyone.
