U of W student union without leadership after allegations of racism

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This article was published 25/08/2020 (2182 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Faced with internal and external allegations of racism, the University of Winnipeg Students’ Association is approaching the upcoming school year without active elected leaders.

Two of the student union’s three executive directors resigned earlier this month, citing “pervasive racism” and a “toxic work environment” at the UWSA. The remaining representative is on an indefinite leave.

The resignations of former president Jibril Hussein and vice-president of external affairs, Breanna Belisle, come after months of controversy involving the union, which represents approximately 9,500 students.

In June, two U of W students — who ran against Hussein, Belisle and Melanie William, vice-president of student affairs, during the 2019-20 UWSA election — came forward with allegations of intimidation, misogyny and anti-Black racism on campus against an individual involved with the union. The students, both people of colour, alleged the executive team was complicit.

When an old photo of the accused student wearing blackface surfaced on social media in June, UWSA cut all ties with him and issued an apology. Hussein, who identifies as a mixed race, Black person of colour, said it was an “an attack on my identity” that made him feel “disgusted,” and prompted him to end his relationship with the individual.

The UWSA said concerns were taken to the U of W’s Human Rights and Diversity Office.

Amid the outrage, Hussein said the executives started to receive threatening messages on social media — users told him to “eat s—,” kill himself and that the world would be a better place if he was dead.

He and his co-workers spoke about their experiences at June board meetings, during which Hussein said he was disappointed the board did not condemn the harassment. At a meeting on June 16, when the executives were questioned about the allegations levelled against them, Hussein said one board member accused him of, “using your Blackness as a shield.”

During that meeting, the entire executive would be placed on an indefinite leave, which was expected to end when the human rights office completed its investigation. On Aug. 5, Hussein and Belisle resigned.

In a lengthy resignation letter, Hussein wrote that it is not, “within the purview of the UWSA Board to invalidate my identity and my lived experiences with racism and bigotry.”

Belisle backed Hussein in her letter; she also accused the organization of putting “the will of the corporation before the students they both serve and employ,” while failing to encourage discussions of varying viewpoints.

Hussein later said in an interview there needs to be accountability mechanisms that are safe and professional; he added he hopes the UWSA works with all the individuals who it has hurt and continues with the anti-racism work already underway.

Prior to the scandal, the board had begun planning to create both an anti-racism subcommittee and an equity, inclusion and diversity officer position.

A spokesperson for the UWSA said in a statement Tuesday the union is “very concerned” about all the experiences of racism shared by students on campus, and acknowledged its part in creating an environment where students of colour have felt unsafe and unsupported.

The union is working with an external consultant to restructure operations and create anti-oppressive leadership models, the spokesperson added.

The UWSA will hold a by-election to fill the executive positions in the fall.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie