At this very moment, racial equality is at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
George Floyd’s death on May 25th reignited a movement to end systemic racism, but this time it has become far more powerful and far-reaching — from the US to Canada to Europe — and far more transformative. Floyd’s death was out in the open for the world to witness — and impossible to ignore. And so Floyd’s death became the tipping point and has forced everyone to take a long, hard look at where they stand on the issue and what they can do — big or small — to contribute to change.
“We must pull together as a collective to speak and act to condemn the violence and seek systemic change to systems, including those in Canada, that continue to marginalize communities. We must examine and address discriminatory practices, policies and attitudes that constrain opportunity, innovation and achievement.” – President Steven Murphy, President and Vice-Chancellor, Ontario Tech University
Deeply concerned over the incidents of racism over the past few weeks, Ontario Tech University reaffirmed its commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and recently launched #ontariotechvoices — a campaign through which the Ontario Tech University community is encouraged to share their experiences and express their support using video, photos and text across Twitter.
We spoke with Ontario Tech University about this campaign and how it’s bringing the community together in denouncing racism and hate.
Q: What is #OntarioTechVoices?
A: #OntarioTechVoices is a hashtag campaign that allows members of the Ontario Tech University community to come together and add their voice in solidarity to denounce anti-Black racism and support ongoing efforts to end all racism and hate.
Q: What inspired Ontario Tech University to launch this campaign?
A: As a university community, we have had ongoing efforts against racism and hate; we have also been focused on building equity, diversity and inclusion across every corner of Ontario Tech.
We see #OntarioTechVoices as a place our university community can come together to raise their voice as a collective community — to know that all members of our community are committed to ending racism and hate.
The campaign allowed everyone to authentically add their message to the campaign to participate.
Q: What has the response been like to #OntarioTechVoices?
A: The community has had an overwhelming positive response and have been actively participating.
Reaching 40,700 individuals and counting, the current total of impressions has climbed to 224,024. Our Ontario Tech introductory post seeded the momentum across all social channels, reaching over 7,000 individuals and with 11.665 impressions and 783 engagements (likes, shares and comments).
Q: In what ways do you think the tech community can contribute towards positive change?
A: Be nimble, listen to the community that you’re a part of and see what you can do quickly to enable people to have a voice against racism and hate. Ask yourself what special capabilities does your business have that can be put to use in creative ways to help those in your community to take action against racism and hate.
For more information and to participate in #OntarioTechVoices visit https://ontariotechu.ca/ontariotechvoices.php or @ontariotech_u on Twitter.
