Giving a voice to equity-denied groups at King's

King’s University College's Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization (EDID) has launched two new platforms, a video series and a podcast, to help amplify the voices of equity-denied groups, normalize conversations related to diversity, inclusion and decolonization, and advance King’s commitment to EDID initiatives. Both came from the recommendations of the King’s/Brescia Anti-Racism Working Group report.

“Breaking Barriers,” the video series, was launched on October 30, 2023. The series is being directed by King’s graduate Moses Latigo Odida BA ’09, Hons Political Science and Social Justice & Peace Studies, in partnership with the Office of EDID. The series comes as a result of the recommendations of the King’s/Brescia Anti-Racism Working Group Report, “They Think We Are Exaggerating: A Report on Campus Racial Climate and King’s and Brescia.”

In the first episode, Microaggressions, five members of the King’s community tell their stories in an honest and thought-provoking video.

Future episodes will discuss what EDID is, misconceptions and stereotypes of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, the vantage point of deaf people, physical disability, and financial challenges for students.

Odida has always believed that amplifying marginalized voices is a critical step in humanizing the marginalized. While working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Ugandan government in 2018, he relied on stories from refugees to develop a framework for educating refugee youth in Uganda. After returning to London, Odida started a video production company called Kigaana Productions, which aims to liberate marginalized communities by telling their stories. You can watch the pilot for his documentary, Down: Canada's Black Caregivers.

The Building Bridges podcast was launched on November 6, 2023. The first episode is entitled Shaping Inclusive Campuses: What is EDID? 

The podcast is student-run, with the students writing the scripts, and recording and editing the podcast. EDID Offices from both King’s and Brescia will offer guidance and support.

King’s students, Montanna Tries, a third-year BA Honours Specialization in Applied Psychology student, and Maria Jose Rivera Vargas, a second-year BA Honours Specialization in Childhood and Youth Studies student, act as the hosts of the podcast, along with Brescia students Michelle Olegario Ayeras and Anna-Marie DaSilva. The podcast also draws on the editing and design skills of Hooriya Zafar, a third-year Bachelor of Arts student, who also hopes to study in the School of Social Work.

The students were chosen because they had expressed an interest in equity, diversity, inclusion and giving a voice to equity-denied groups on campus. “They wanted to give a student perspective from a different lens and talk about issues that are not normally discussed,” says Nikki Sasso Mitchell, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization Coordinator.

In the first episode, special guests Jennifer Slay, Director of the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization at King’s and Brescia’s Lissette Ochoa, Coordinator of International Programs and Global Education, Preliminary Year Advisor, and Special Advisor to the President, Diversity and Inclusion, share their experiences and insight into institutional change through EDID, and how they play a part in the shift happening on campus. In the podcast, the students reflect on the way the institutional shift personally impacts students on campus, and they talk about a few experiences where they could see EDID implementation taking place.

In the second episode of the podcast, "Fueling Minds: Food Insecurity on University Campuses," released on December 18, 2023, Emily Carrothers, King's Campus and Community Social Worker, and host Maria Vargas discuss food insecurity as it appears on campus and the varying degrees a student can experience it.

The stories of the equity-denied members of the King's community will continue to be told as new episodes for both series are released. Learn more about these stories throughout the winter term by visiting the King’s YouTube channel.