Anti-Racism Book Club

The anti-racism book club aims to provide a space within Okanagan College for all faculty and staff members to engage in conversation about equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice. We hope that the book club participants will be able to reflect upon and discuss about our individual and collective responsibility to work towards anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice within the imperialistic, white supremacist space of academia. 

The following community agreements allow for each participant in the book club to contribute their views no matter how different their view may be, and to be listened to respectfully by others.

1. Be prepared when possible (life gets busy!) - read the chapters or access the other materials that have been identified prior to joining the meeting.
2. Each participant should have the chance to contribute if they want to without interruption. Having your microphone and camera on is encouraged, but optional.
3. Please feel free to contribute with your view - a fundamental principle of En’owkinwixw is that every voice counts, and by bringing all perspectives together we ensure a greater understanding of an issue. Try to ground yourself in lived experiences.
4. Please do not repeat points already made. Use Zoom reactions to denote agreement or emphasis!
5. Please keep conversations focused on the topics being discussed or make clear connections between topics.
6. This work may be uncomfortable at times. We encourage you to sit with that discomfort while prioritizing your mental and spiritual well-being. 
7. Please do not reject views that may differ from yours, but allow different views to enhance and increase your own perspective on the topic.
8. Be conscious of your positionality and ensure that you leave space for others who may have lived experience of oppression. 
9. Please use language that helps when your view differs - such as “another way I think about this is …” rather than to say, for example, “I disagree ...”. There is no need to reject one opinion to make room for yours. Think about the difference between “I hear you, but …” and “I hear you, and ...”. Neither your disagreement nor your agreement is required for another person’s contribution to be valuable or valued.
10. Critique words, not the person saying them.
11. Do not use oppressive language (e.g. sexist, or racist language, etc.).
12. Swearing is okay! As long as it is not directed at a specific person. Be mindful if/when swearing so that it doesn’t take up too much space especially when related to a charged point. 
13. Have fun and enjoy learning and exploring these topics together. 

This community agreement was created by University of British Columbia Okanagan Library for the 2023 UBCO & Okanagan College Library Anti-Racism Book Club.