Scarborough Charter

On November 18, 2021, Queen’s University became a signatory of the Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in Canadian Higher Education. This action joined Queen’s with more than 40 universities and colleges across Canada to move post-secondary institutions beyond rhetoric and to more meaningful, concrete actions to address anti-Black racism and to promote Black inclusion. The charter was created following the 2020 National Dialogues and Action for Inclusive Higher Education and Communities. Shortly after the signing of the charter by Principal and Vice-Chancellor Patrick Deane in 2021, Queen’s struck multiple committees to meaningfully implement the Scarborough Charter on campus.

The Charter Implementation Framework is oriented around four broad themes articulated in the Scarborough Charter

Black Flourishing

Universities and colleges are central to enabling the just, fulsome realization of human potential and thriving. They play a pivotal role in redressing anti-Black racism by removing structural barriers to equity, inclusion and social justice, with full recognition of our intersectional identities, while advancing the innovative research, critical thinking and engaged dissemination of knowledge that foster substantive equality, human dignity, and sustainability.

Inclusive Excellence

Inclusive excellence embodies the recognition that not only is post-secondary education enriched by equity, diversity and inclusion; equitable inclusion is critical to excellence. Excellence encompasses the ability of universities and colleges to educate and to innovate; to be alive to complexity and proactive in the face of crisis; to foster fundamental questioning through rigorous, respectful engagements across difference; and to enable societal transformation.

Mutuality

Universities and colleges are embedded in communities locally, as well as nationally, regionally and internationally. By recognizing a responsibility to foster mutuality, universities and colleges acknowledge the multiple social relations and modes of societal action upon which universities and colleges depend and for which they are accountable. The positive, interactive relationship with Black communities entailed by mutuality includes the special role universities and colleges can assume in Black community economic development, notably as anchor institutions and local employers.

Accountability

Accountability involves a commitment both to ongoing education - including self-education – and to courageous action built on deeply consultative processes. Accountability includes acknowledging, respecting, and acting responsively in the face of Black life, in its full complexity and intersectionality. Universities and colleges must move beyond mere representation and take responsibility for supporting fulsome, transformative inclusion across university and college structures, policies and procedures. By signing the Scarborough Charter, universities and colleges commit to a process of continuous improvement through ongoing, sustained implementing of the Scarborough Charter’s principles-based commitments to action, and to be answerable for concrete outcomes, including to their respective Boards, communities and other stakeholders.

Scarborough Charter at Queen's

This list is a sample of the growing programs meant to root and foster the Scarborough Charter at ��Ҵ�ý.

In 2023, Queen’s established the Office of the Vice-Principal (Culture, Equity, and Inclusion) (VPCEI) under the leadership of Stephanie Simpson, former Associate Vice-Principal (Human Rights, Equity, and Inclusion). This new portfolio ensures that initiatives such as the Scarborough Charter are integrated into the highest levels of university governance and operations.

Introduction of three pre-doctoral fellowships in Black Studies (2020–21) and two post-doctoral fellowships (2023) in the Faculty of Arts and Science has offered financial and academic support to emerging scholars, advancing Black-focused research across disciplines.

Queen’s Black Clubs Caucus was established in 2023 under the leadership of prominent Black Students, Amaya Walters and Ruth, who were appointed by the VPCEI. The goal of the caucus is to build consensus among Black Student voices and speak directly to the goals of the Scarborough Charter.

The Smith Black Business Association, with alumni support, launched a mentorship program, and Smith’s professional master’s students formed an EDII Club to increase workplace equity awareness.

The Yellow House Student Centre for Equity and Inclusion introduced Black@Queen’s programming in 2024, providing workshops, cultural events, and wellness activities designed to foster belonging and success among Black students.

In 2022, the Faculty of Engineering launched the under the leadership of Cressana Williams-Massey. This initiative supports children in grades 1–9, addressing systemic barriers to Black participation in STEM. The program received national recognition with the 2023 Actua Experience Award.

Created in 2018, the Black Student Initiative Fund continues to support student-led initiatives that promote inclusion, equity, and community on campus. Although it predates Queen’s signing of the charter, it demonstrates proactive efforts to support Black flourishing among our students.

Several distinguished Black faculty members at Queen’s hold or have held Canada Research Chair positions, including Dr. Yolande Bouka (Afro-feminist Thought and Political Transformation), Dr. Katherine McKittrick (Black Studies), Dr. Kristin Moriah (African American Literary Studies), and Dr. Grace Adeniyi Ogunyankin (Youth and African Urban Futures).