Statement condemning white supremacist posters at UNB
Author: Fredericton Arts
Posted on Jan 18, 2018
Category: News
January 18th, 2018
Dear students, staff, and faculty,
On Tuesday, January 16th, posters promoting white supremacist ideology were discovered in UNB buildings by Arts staff and faculty. The posters contained anti-immigration messages and denied harms done by residential schools to Indigenous peoples.
The Faculty of Arts is disheartened to see messages of this kind posted on our campus and we condemn the racist messages contained therein. These posters are being removed as discovered and UNB Security is investigating the situation as part of UNB’s commitment to a safe and respectful environment for all members of the UNB community.
While we encourage and applaud critical thought and respectful dialogue, we do not tolerate disrespect or the marginalization of any group in any form.
We encourage students, staff, and faculty who may see posters of this sort to take a photo of the poster and send it to UNB Security and the Office of Human Rights & Positive Environment (humanrights@unb.ca).
We also encourage all members of our community to educate themselves on how to speak out against racist views that marginalize others and to support organizations fighting to end racism in our communities. You can do this by supporting the work of UNB’s Mi’kmaq Wolastoqey Centre, learning more about the legacies of colonization and residential schools by reading reports from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (http://trc.ca), and by supporting the many other organizations working to make UNB and Fredericton a welcoming and equitable environment for everyone.
Sincerely,
Dr. Joanne Wright, Dean of Arts
Dr. Sasha Mullally, Acting Associate Dean of Arts
Dr. Ted McDonald, Acting Associate Dean of Arts