This Black History Month, our goal at the Faculty of Information is to highlight our Black staff, faculty, and students to showcase their professional and academic accomplishments, and to raise awareness about the industry disparities faced by Black professionals in the information sector. We spoke to Career Development Counsellor and Sessional Lecturer, Chioma Ekpo, who gave us some insight on the systemic barriers that exist in the education system.
Why did you choose to join the Faculty of Information?
I chose to join the Faculty of Information because I saw an opportunity to continue the work I am so passionate about in a rich interdisciplinary faculty. It was an opportunity to work with a diverse community of people that truly care about students and their success, and are committed to creating avenues for students to transition into the world of work as thriving professional leaders. I was looking for a new home within the university. And, I am happy to say I found that here, a village community, and it’s only been two years.
As a member of this Faculty, what work accomplishments are you most proud of?
There are two work accomplishments that I am especially proud of since joining the Faculty of Information.
The first is of the work I did at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. I started working at the Faculty in January 2020 and a key priority in my role was to increase and strengthen employer/partner engagement for our work-integrated learning programs (co-op, practicum, internship programs) and increase meaningful work opportunities for all of our students.
In March 2020 the world changed. The challenge for me was how to ensure we met the needs of our diverse student population seeking meaningful work opportunities to help them sharpen their professional skills, deepen their understanding of the world of work, and ultimately clarify their career goals. One of the ways I met this challenge was by leveraging the Federal Government’s wage subsidy funding that was created to encourage organizations to hire students. I led the Faculty’s application to secure the funding, and we were able to hire our students in a variety of roles. I was also able to promote this funding opportunity to our employer partners so that they could hire our students as well. And so, our students were able to remain engaged and connected in their work during an uncertain and devastating period, and notably at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement.
For me, this was a true community effort, working very closely with our students, the Dean’s Office, our Student Services & Careers Team, our faculty, senior leadership, and our alumni community. This communal support gave me the foundation as a new staff member at the Faculty to remain adaptive and creative in how I deliver professional development programming for our students and support them at different stages in their career journey. It also allowed me to broaden my knowledge of a rich multi-disciplinary graduate and undergraduate Faculty, and the range of sectors that our future student leaders will be shaping in the information field.
The second accomplishment I am most proud of is my role as a Sessional Lecturer for our Co-op course. This is my sixth term teaching, and it has been a great opportunity to support and coach our students as they shape their professional narratives and chart their career paths. I simply love watching them confidently integrate their academic knowledge into the workplace and tackle organizational challenges in creative ways that lead to innovative and practical solutions. We have wonderful and reflective conversations about how to manage one’s professional identity. I am able to offer students the tools to feel confident in their professional abilities, and draw examples from my own career, as I am eager to share resources from my personal library on managing workplace dynamics and women in the workplace, for example. Seeing them shine and stretch themselves and realize their potential is what inspires me and fuels my passion for my work.
In your opinion, why do you believe Black professionals are underrepresented in this sector/field?
Black professionals are underrepresented because they are systemically excluded from the field. These barriers are systemic, cultural, and social. A central barrier is the manner in which the education system shapes expectations and professional aspirations. Research shows that our aspirations and expectations are systemically shaped through education, and critically, this begins as early as kindergarten and through high school, prior to university.
The important thing to acknowledge and understand is that potentially excellent candidates for our field may not discover their aptitude and abilities until later in their educational career, whereas many individuals unimpeded by these barriers may discover their potential early on in high school through the support of the school, teachers, and guidance counsellors. For Black professionals, this awareness and discovery may not occur until later in life because they are systemically discouraged from looking at this field as a potential pathway for their abilities and aspirations.
What are some of the barriers?
University recruitment starts at the high school level, and that recruitment is systemically underrepresenting BIPOC students. This is in part because there are systemic barriers both within high school and outside. Individuals coming out of high school may have been told that this is not a field for them because of its academic intellectual rigour, or they may not consider it because they’ve been convinced this field is not for them. Over time through various mechanisms, some may come to an understanding that this is a field that they want to participate and can succeed in, but they are now outside of the traditional transition phase from high school to university.
University programs and departments need to take this into account and extend policies to focus on mature and adult education while enhancing BIPOC outreach. It is critical to broaden recruitment parameters and strengthen outreach to give students the opportunity to discover this field; to find those gems, those individuals who can contribute in fantastic ways particularly in this cultural moment when we are facing a resurgence of white nationalism.
As we see the mainstream re-emergence of symbols of white nationalism and racist ideology in response to or in conjunction with a reinvigoration of civil rights and Black movements, this is a critical time in which it is imperative that we have Black professionals in information studies and museum studies who can represent, shape the discourse, and contribute to the narrative.
Finally, another important area to create space to shape this narrative is staffing, at the administrative and leadership level, and at the faculty level. Permanent staff positions are important for continuity, and having BIPOC staff that are able to advocate without fearing undermining their position is crucial. Contract positions are insufficient, they don’t provide the stability that is required, and they don’t provide aspirational examples for our students. That sends a message.
What are some efforts you think need to be made to increase representation, and how can we as a Faculty play a role in supporting these efforts and/or how are we doing this already?
The Faculty of Information has taken a number of important steps to demonstrate its commitment to diversity of its students, staff, and faculty by:
- Establishing an EDI Office, whose mandate is to create an equitable, diverse, and inclusive community where all members feel welcomed and have a sense of belonging.
- Creating the Faculty of Information Grant for Black or Indigenous Students
- Creating an Assistant Professor in Black Studies and Archives (tenure track) position
- Redesigning curriculum
- TALint Program – For 2022-2023, there will be three vacancies allocated specifically for Black and/or Indigenous students, as there is a strong desire for the professional field to reflect the thousands of faculty and students who come to us from all over the world. Additionally, by increasing diversity in our staff, it will make space for different voices and opinions about our services, spaces and collections. These different perspectives will help challenge the status quo and enact systemic change.
- Funding professional development opportunities for Black students in partnership with FIAA (Faculty of Information Alumni Association)
- Working in partnership with our Student Groups – Diversity Working Group (DWG) and Museum Professionals of Colour (MPOC)
- Working in partnership with MISC to ensure our international students’ voices and needs are heard.
- Providing training opportunities and educational resources for students, staff, faculty on anti-racism and EDI
