ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the experiences of three academics who are Women of Colour (WoC) at a university in British Columbia. The university is located on the unceded traditional territory of the Stó:lō Peoples and serves one of the most diverse communities in Canada with immigrant-settlers predominantly from South Asia, East Asia, and South America. While student populations reflect this diversity, representation at faculty and administration levels lag. In this context, we examine our experiences as WoC academics who are members of the Race and Anti-Racism Network (RAN). Most academic leaders come from representatives of dominant groups and operate from positions of privilege. Consequently, there has been little progress in addressing the systemic and discriminatory policies and practices that have been normalized within institutions. This includes addressing inequities through a social justice leadership stance. As WoC members of an anti-racism network addressing these challenges, we present our lived experiences, reflections, and narratives of work in the RAN. The lessons learned from Network engagement teach us how to meaningfully embed equity and social justice work. This Network has taken an informal leadership role creating space for questioning, challenging, and making suggestions for change.
