Hi, I’m Ilaneet, I’m a part-time instructor with the Faculty of Social & Community Services. My name comes from the word “tree” in Hebrew. I see the tree as a fitting metaphor for the different disciplines in which I practice, but all ultimately centered around a strong core of commitment to equity and human rights. My professional work and academic work have been informed by my experience as a queer woman and two-time immigrant, navigating identity and belonging from an early age. When I think about equitable and inclusive practices, a good starting point for me has been to locate myself socially. I start by bringing inner attention and awareness to my own experience in society and the different aspects of my identity - how they relate to systems and structures of power and oppression. This includes becoming aware of the contexts in which I experience privilege, and how that plays out in educational settings; for example, around race, ability, gender expression…

If we think of inclusive classroom practices as intentionally creating an affirming and psychologically safe learning and teaching environment for students, specifically for students from groups that have been systematically excluded, I feel that educators with privilege have a responsibility to disrupt oppressive systems and practices. As a white woman, I am aware of the fact that I have benefited from how the systems in society have been constructed to benefit whiteness.​

My approach has been guided by the principle of equity vs. equality - understanding that sameness does not produce equal outcomes. I strive to look at the student’s experience within the social context; when I consider the need for accommodation, I acknowledge a range of experiences that can impact a learner’s capacity to learn and engage, like experiencing of grief, trauma, caring responsibilities, economic and social barriers, etc.

My concern for EDIB work is connected to my upbringing and education. My father dated a racialized woman from South Africa when I was a child, so as a little white girl, I looked up to and loved a woman of colour and played with little brown boys. I think that was a formative experience for me to really feel and believe that the colour of our skin does not make us any better or worse than anyone else. This message was furthered entrenched in my sociological training, and I had the opportunity to take many anti-oppression trainings at York University.

Recently, in my work at Humber, I have come to realize how important it is to build this approach into the curriculum and classroom practice.

– Beth Washburn; Professor of Sociology, Applied Psychology, History