Humber College is committed to fostering a respectful and inclusive culture in which all members of the College community study, work and live free from discrimination and harassment. To this end, it is imperative that we understand the definition of key concepts that will enrich our capacity to prevent all forms of harassment and discrimination.

Black History Month is a time to honour and celebrate the diversity, history and culture of Black people in Canada and to acknowledge the many everyday contributions of Black communities. It is also a reminder to continue to educate ourselves.

Race continues to be a top category of complaint and inquiry at human rights offices in Ontario, including Humber’s Office of Human Rights & Harassment.

The Ontario Anti-Racism Directorate defines racism as ideas or practices that establish, maintain or perpetuate the racial superiority or dominance of one group over another.

The Ontario Human Rights Commission states that manifestations of racism can occur on three (3) levels:

• Individual: At the individual level, racism may be expressed in an overt manner but also through everyday behaviour that involves many small events in the interaction between people. This is often described as “everyday racism” and is often very subtle in nature. Despite being plain to the person experiencing it, everyday racism by itself may be so subtle as to be difficult to address through human rights complaints. However, at other times, where it falls within a social area covered by the Human Rights Code, there may be circumstances where everyday racism, as part of a broader context, may be sufficient to be considered racial discrimination. Either way, the cumulative effect of these everyday experiences is profound.
• Institutional or Systemic: At the institutional or systemic level, racism is evident in organizational and government policies, practices, and procedures and “normal ways of doing things” which may directly or indirectly, consciously or unwittingly, promote, sustain, or entrench differential advantage for some people and disadvantage for others.
• Societal: At a societal level, racism is evident in cultural and ideological expressions that underlie and sustain dominant values and beliefs. It is communicated and reproduced through agencies of socialization and cultural transmission such as the mass media (in which racialized persons are portrayed as different from the norm or as problems), schools, universities, religious doctrines and practices, art, music and literature.

The Ontario Human Rights Code and Humber’s Human Rights & Harassment Policy prohibit discrimination and harassment based on race.  

If you have any questions, please contact humanrights@humber.ca.