Advisory Committee to Address Anti-Black Racism in Research and Research Training

Addressing systemic anti-Black racism remains an ongoing priority for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). SSHRC’s commitment to dismantling barriers faced by Black scholars reflects a growing recognition in Canadian society that long-standing anti-Black racism is a root cause of quantifiable, systemic underrepresentation, inequality and exclusion.

On this page

• Background
• Committee meetings
• Reports and publications
• Action Plan for Black Researchers (2024-2029)
• Committee members, 2021-22

Background

In 2021, the Advisory Committee to Address Anti-Black Racism in Research and Research Training was created to advise the vice-president, Research, on ways to break down existing barriers, to ensure equitable access for Black scholars, and to amplify their voices and enhance their visibility in SSHRC research and research training programs.

The advisory committee was composed of 11 members from the Canadian community of Black researchers, representing the diversity of the community as closely as possible, including:

• one graduate student;
• a balanced representation of career stages, genders, francophones and anglophones, regions, social sciences and humanities fields, and those from small and large institutions;
• a mix of representatives from long-established Black communities in Canada and those representing different immigrant backgrounds (particularly Caribbean and African); and
• international expertise.

Committee meetings

The committee had five meetings between May 2021 and May 2022. The meetings were co-chaired by Wendell Nii Laryea Adjetey, assistant professor, Department of History and Classical Studies, McGill University; and Karine Coen-Sanchez, doctoral candidate, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa.

Reports and publications

Action Plan for Black Researchers (2024-2029)

Committee members, 2021-22