The EDI in the 519 campus newsletter aims to inspire a more equitable and just world.
A new newsletter produced by the Office of the Vice-President of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion strives to build a culture that reflects the diversity of the University of Windsor and the greater Windsor-Essex community.
It centres bold, unapologetic, and forthright stories of excellence, advocacy, community building, challenge, and change that impact our community and inspire a more equitable and just world, says Clinton Beckford, acting vice-president of equity, diversity, inclusion (VP EDI).
“The EDI in the 519 newsletter is an important educational resource for our campus,” Dr. Beckford says. “It will showcase the things we are doing as an institution to be more inclusive and just and inform about the broader external EDI landscape. I am excited to see the inaugural issue published and available to the campus and broader community.”
Jeremiah Bowers, a political science student and projects assistant for initiatives against anti-Black racism, says that the newsletter creates an expansive space where EDI issues are centred and celebrated.
“If we do not capture these stories, no one else will. They will not be heard or seen,” he says. “These stories tell us how far we’ve come and the potential of where we can grow as a community.”
Bowers promises the newsletter will capture stories on EDI initiatives across campus with regular content related to mental wellness, anti-Black racism, womxn, and 2SLGBTQ+ advocacy. It will feature a spotlight on people, events, and efforts advancing EDI in the broader community, as well as a campus-wide EDI events calendar.
The EDI newsletter offers an opportunity for the University of Windsor community and its readers of all backgrounds to work collectively to reduce racism, stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination, notes Samalia Williams, a graduate student in administration education and leadership and a projects assistant in the Office of the Vice-President of Equity, Diversity.
“The unequivocal impact of this university newsletter, focused on promoting equity, diversity, inclusion, justice and decolonization, can be observed not only in students, staff, and faculty but across Windsor-Essex,” she says. “I look forward to witnessing transformational change advanced by the EDI in the 519 campus newsletter.”