About Us
Western Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that Western University is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron peoples, on lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum. This land continues to be home to diverse Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) whom we recognize as contemporary stewards of the land and vital contributors of our society.
EDID Resources
Suggested Reading, Viewing and Listening
Some of the material below takes an anti-racist perspective and implicitly addresses white or settler readers and viewers. Others are less about opposing racism and colonization than seeing Black and Indigenous life. Suggestions have come from members of the FIMS community and we welcome additions. Please send your suggestions to Dean Lisa Henderson, Faculty of Information & Media Studies: lhende44@uwo.caArticles
"A Test of the News: Objectivity, democracy, and the American mosaic"
Columbia Journalism Review, April 25, 2023
By Wesley Lowery
"America, this is your chance: we must get it right this time or risk losing our democracy forever"
The New York Times, June 8, 2020
By Michelle Alexander
"Why We Published the 1619 Project"
The New York Times, Dec. 20, 2019
By Jake Silverstein
"The Problem with Anti-Racist Movie Lists"
The New York Times, July 17, 2020
By Raquel Gates
"We Are the Cops"
The London Free Press, Oct. 3, 2019
By Randy Richmond
"Heard of code-switching? Here's why these Western students do it"
CBC News, July 31, 2020
By Rebecca Zandbergen
"Documentary Resistance: The Stories of 'We Tell' as Collective Political Agency"
Film Quarterly, June 26, 2020
By Angela Aguayo
"Slouching toward equity"
The Chronicle of Higher Education, Sept. 10, 2020
By Maximillian Alvarez
"Podcasts' slow journalism is where reporting meets storytelling"
J-Source.ca, Sept. 25, 2020
By Hannah Sung (FIMS Asper Fellow)
"Whiteness and Communication"
Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, June 2020
Edited by Thomas K. Nakayama
"The Power of Social Justice Movements: Black Lives Matter takes the baton from the Civil Rights Movement"
Scientific American, Feb. 3, 2021
By Aldon Morris
"Inquirer has overwhelmingly white newsroom and its coverage underrepresents people of colour, report says"
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Feb. 12, 2021
By Anna Orso and Jesenia De Moya Correa
"Objectivity Is a Privilege Afforded to White Journalists"
The Walrus, Sept. 14, 2020
By Pacinthe Mattar
"New report details 'disturbing rise' in anti-Asian hate crimes in Canada"
CTV News, March 23, 2021
By Jeremiah Rodriguez
"Denying Black musicians their royalties has a history emerging out of slavery"
The Conversation Canada, May 12, 2021
By Matt Stahl
"'White audiences who will pay' is still metro newspapers' survival strategy"
Nieman Lab, July 12, 2021
By Nikki Usher
"Equitable campuses, but for whom?"
University Affairs, November 8, 2017
By Jackie Wong
"2020 already a particularly deadly year for people killed in police encounters, CBC research shows"
CBC News, July 23, 2020
By Inayat Singh
"White Academia: Do Better."
Medium.com, June 8, 2020
By Jasmine Roberts
"The intersectionality wars"
Vox, May 28, 2019
By Jane Coaston
"A survival guide for Black, Indigenous, and other women of colour in academe"
The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 6, 2020
By Aisha S. Ahmad
"Antiracism in the Contemporary University"
Los Angeles Review of Books, Special Series (Essay Collection), July 6, 2021
Edited by Tita Chico
"Obama's Body in the Liberal Body Politic"
International Journal of Communication, Vol 4 (2010)
By Leola Johnson
Books
Locating Home
Edited by George Elliott Clarke
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colourblindness
By Michelle Alexander
The Mis-Education of the Negro
By Carter G. Woodson
The Wretched of the Earth
By Frantz Fanon
Black Skin, White Masks
By Frantz Fanon
In the Wake: On Blackness and Being
By Christina Sharpe
The Skin We're In
By Desmond Cole
They Said This Would Be Fun: Race, Campus Life and Growing Up
By Eternity Martis (Martis is an alum of Western)
The Marrow Thieves
By Cherie Dimaline
The Road to Now: A History of Blacks in Montreal
By Dorothy Williams
Bearing Witness While Black
By Allissa V. Richardson
Between the World and Me
By Ta-Nehisi Coates
Until We Are Free: Reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada
By Rodney Diverlus, Sandy Hudson and Syrus Marcus Ware
Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present
By Robyn Maynard
"75 books to read for National Indigenous History Month"
By CBC Books
How to be an Anti-Racist
By Ibram X. Kendi
Sister Outsider
By Audre Lorde
Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers her Superpower
By Brittany Cooper
Films, Documentaries & TV Shows
I Am Not Your Negro
Directed by Raoul Peck
13th
Directed by Ava DuVernay
American Son
Directed by Kenny Leon
Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975
Directed by Göran Olsson
Dear White People
Created by Justin Simien
Fruitvale Station
Directed by Ryan Coogler
If Beale Street Could Talk
Directed by Barry Jenkins
Just Mercy
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
King in the Wilderness
Directed by Pete Kunhardt
See You Yesterday
Directed by Stefon Bristol
Selma
Directed by Ava DuVernay
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
Directed by Stanley Nelson Jr.
The Hate U Give
Directed by George Tillman Jr.
When They See Us
Directed by Ava DuVernay
Coded Bias
Directed by Shalini Kantayya
Podcasts & Radio
"The Current," June 12, 2020 panel discussion
Hosted by CBC’s Matt Galloway with guests Professor David Olusoga and Professor Afua Cooper
"The 1619 Project"
Produced by The New York Times
"Smoke Signals"
Produced by 94.9 Radio Western, hosted by Mary Lou and Dan Smoke
"Warriors in the Garden"
Produced by This American Life
Audience discretion advised: includes recorded sequences of police officers threatening a NYC activist at his apartment.
"The Secret Life of Canada"
Produced by CBC Listen
"Colour Code: A podcase about race in Canada"
Hosted by Hannah Sung and Denise Balkissoon for The Globe and Mail
"Intersectionality Matters!"
Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw for the African American Policy Forum
"Still Processing"
Hosted by Wesley Morris and Kenna Wortham for The New York Times
"Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast"
Produced by Race Forward
"Episode #198, Rachel Cargle: Instagram, Activism and White Privilege"
Ctrl Alt Delete Podcast
Statements
Federation statement on anti-Black racism
By Wesley Crichlow
Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
Indigenizing the Academy
CAUT Policy Statement
Bargaining for Indigenization of the Academy
CAUT Bargaining Advisory
Nikole Hannah-Jones' Statement on Declining Tenure Offer at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
By Nikole Hannah-Jones
NAACP Legal Defence Fund
Anti-Black Racism in Canada Resource List by Centennial College
Centennial College
Videos
"Trevor Noah On George Floyd, Amy Cooper & Racism In Society"
The Daily Show, June 1, 2020
"Confronting Anti-Black Racism in London"
Part of the City Symposium event series, July 7, 2020
"Black Media-Makers and the Fierce Urgency of Now"
Sponsored by the Center for Media at Risk and the Media, Inequality & Change, July 7, 2021
"Black on campus: Students, staff and faculty say universities are failing them"
Produced by The Fifth Estate on CBC, Feb. 26, 2021
"Kevin B. Lee's New Video Essay Explores Mourning with Minari"
Produced by Kevin B. Lee, April 14, 2021
"What Defunding the Police Really Means"
Black Lives Matter Global Network, July 6, 2020
"What Matters"
Black Lives Matter, YouTube Series
"Black Feminism & the Movement for Black Lives: Barbara Smith, Reina Gossett, Charlene Carruthers"
National LGBTQ Task Force, January 23, 2016
"How Studying Privilege Systems Can Strengthen Compassion": Peggy McIntosh at TEDxTimberlaneSchools"
TEDx Talks, November 5, 2012
"'White Privilege vs. White Supremacy' with Keynote Speaker Desmond Cole"
White Privilege Conference hosted by Ryerson University, May 11, 2018
"The power of privilege: Tiffany Jana at TEDxRVAWomen"
TEDx Talks, February 5, 2014
"The Power of Names and Naming: It's not pronounced 'Pay-dro'!"
Mike Mena - The Social Life of Language, May 9, 2022.
Websites
"Being Black in Canada"
CBC News digital collection
"12 Black Scholars on the Black Lives Matter Movement and Canada"
ActiveHistory.ca
"Letters For Black Lives - Crowdsourced Resources"
Lettersforblacklives.com
"Black Lives Matter Canada - Art & Activism"
Black Lives Matter Canada
"Equity, Diversity and Inclusion"
Western Student Experience
"Learning about Racism"
Canadian Race Relations Foundation
"Campus Toolkit for Combatting Racism"
Canadian Federation of Students
"Resources for Ending Anti-Black Racism"
Canadian Women's Foundation
"Discover Black Owned Businesses in London, ON"
AfroBiz.ca
"Overcoming Conversation Roadblocks"
Catalyst.org
"Talking About Race"
National Museum of African American History & Culture at the Smithsonian
"Showing up for Racial Justice - Resources"
SURJ.org
"The Anti-Racist Classroom"
Emily Carr University of Art & Design
"Safety and Justice: How should communities reduce violence?"
National Issues Forums
"Code Switch"
NPR
"Healing from the Effects of Internalized Oppression - Community Tool Box"
Center for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas