Events

Pink Shirt Day (February 22)

IBPOC Faculty & Staff Get Together: Celebrating Black History Month

Making accessibility accessible to everyone 

View Government of Canada resources on Black History Month

Watch: Where are all the Black People?: Underrepresentation in the Academy

January 2023 Newsletter

Office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Register for upcoming events and find the latest resources
Office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Faculty of Medicine
January 2023 Newsletter | Office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
 

REDI January newsletter

Welcome to the January edition of the Office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI) newsletter, our first for 2023. Read below for details about upcoming events, including a panel in honour of Black History Month, as well as highlights from some of our recent events.

 

Events

Black and white photo of a brick wall, with a logo in each corner - IBPOC Voices and Black History Month. Text: Black Lives, Black Voices and Black Identities in the Faculty of Medicine, Friday February 17 2023, 12 to 1:30 pm

Black Lives, Black Voices & Black Identities in the Faculty of Medicine

To commemorate Black History Month and as part of REDI’s commitment to amplify IBPOC voices, we invite you to join our panel on Friday, February 17, 2023 from 12–1:30 pm. This panel will provide a space for an important conversation about the experiences of Black members of the Faculty and the challenges they face to find belonging. Panelists will be invited to reflect on their Black identity and how it has shaped their personal narrative — their education journey, work experiences and sense of belonging. Our discussion recognizes that there is no single 'Black Experience' that can explain identity development for all Black men and women.

REGISTER
 
Sheila North smiling wearing a microphone. Text: Indigenous Speaker Series, My Privilege, My Responsibility: A Higher Calling to Do Better in an Era of Truth, Reconciliation & Redress with Sheila North, Wednesday February 15 2023, 12 to 1:30 pm

My Privilege, My Responsibility: A Higher Calling to do Better in an Era of Truth, Reconciliation & Redress with Sheila North

Join us on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 from 12–1:30 pm for the sixth session of the Indigenous Speaker Series, with Sheila North. Sheila is an activist who has been working tirelessly to bring urgent attention to systemic racism faced by Indigenous women and girls. She is the creator of the widely used hashtag #MMIW, a movement that advocates for the end of violence against First Nations/Indigenous women and girls. This important conversation will bring to light some of the things and actions that we need to think about as we continue to reckon with the many truths and injustices committed against Indigenous — First Nations, Inuit, Métis — girls, women, peoples, and communities.

REGISTER
 

Stories

Bold patterned design with a black band across the centre. Text in red, yellow and green: Celebrating Black History Month

Celebrate Black History Month

February is Black History Month. While we should celebrate Black history and excellence every day, this is an opportunity for a focused, intentional and elevated reflection and recognition of Black history and achievement — and the many historical and contemporary contributions of Black Canadians, Black British Columbians and Black students, faculty and staff at UBC. We invite you to engage with these events and programs happening across the university!

BLACK HISTORY MONTH AT UBC
 
Overlapping transparent silhouettes in different colours and sizes

Call for Participants: Gender Equity Project

The Breaking the Glass Ceiling Project invites women and gender-diverse faculty members to participate in a SIF-funded project that aims to increase gender equity and inclusivity within faculty positions and faculty leadership of the UBC Faculty of Medicine. The study offers options for confidential and/or anonymous participation, including an online open-ended survey or individual/group interview. For further information or to schedule an interview, please contact med.genderequity@ubc.ca or visit the project website.

LEARN MORE
 

Recordings

Dr. Anita Papelu smiling, wearing a lab coat with a stethoscope around her neck. Text: IBPOC Voices, A Conversation with Dr. Anita Palepu, watch the recording

IBPOC Voices: A Conversation with Dr. Anita Palepu

Watch the recording for a conversation with Dr. Anita Palepu, a professor and Eric W. Hamber Chair in the Department of Medicine and Providence Health Care.

The IBPOC Voices series centers IBPOC experiences and knowledge, and highlights how they navigate the different challenges and how they engage with equity, diversity and inclusion. It is also a space where guests talk about their vision of an equitable and just environment.

WATCH THE RECORDING
 
Black background with four black and white tiled photographs of the speakers. Text in pale grey: It Starts With Us, Contextualizing and Educating about the Holocaust, watch the recording

It Starts With Us: Contextualizing and Educating about the Holocaust

Watch the recording of this event in commemoration of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The event featured introductory remarks by Executive Director of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre (VHEC) Nina Krieger, a historical overview by historian Professor Chris Friedrichs and a keynote address by hidden child Holocaust Survivor Dr. Robert Krell.

WATCH THE RECORDING
 
View REDI's Education & Training Core Offerings
 

Office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Faculty of Medicine
317 – 2194 Health Sciences Mall
Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z3

redi.med.ubc.ca

 
 

Celebrating Black History Month

Lunar New Year

It Starts With Us: Contextualizing and Educating about the Holocaust

Watch the recording for “It Starts With Us: Contextualizing and Educating about the Holocaust” in commemoration of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.


Speakers Bios

Nina Krieger

Nina Krieger

Nina Krieger is the Executive Director of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre. Nina has developed exhibitions, educational programs and pedagogical materials that challenge audiences to probe the complex historical, cultural, and ethical issues raised by the Holocaust. During her tenure as Executive Director, the VHEC has completed multi-year projects to support the preservation, access, and educational use of the Centre’s collections. She holds an Honours degree in history from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Research degree in Humanities & Cultural Studies from the London Consortium, a multi-disciplinary graduate program of the University of London, the Architectural Association, the Institute of Contemporary Arts and Tate.


Nina is a member of the Canadian delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

Professor Chris Friedrichs

Professor Chris Friedrichs

Professor Chris Friedrichs is a distinguished scholar of German history who taught at the University of British Columbia from 1973 until his retirement in 2018. He is a specialist in European history, with particular interests in the history of early modern cities and the history of Jews in Germany. Professor Friedrichs has won international recognition for his research, and university awards for excellence in teaching and service.

Dr. Robert Krell

Dr. Robert Krell

Robert Krell was born in Holland and hidden during the Holocaust. He graduated from the University of British Columbia with an M.D. in 1965. He continued his Psychiatric training in Philadelphia and Stanford University. He returned to UBC and in 1970, he became an F.R.C.P.(C) and in 1971 a Diplomat of the American Boards of Psychiatry and Neurology. As a noted Professor of Psychiatry at UBC, he became internationally recognized for his scholarly research and public lectures on the psychological trauma of Holocaust survivors and their children. In his professional career, he was Director of Residency Training for ten years and for twenty-five years was the Director of Child and Family Psychiatry at the UBC Health Sciences Centre and B.C.’s Children’s Hospital. He served as Professor of Psychiatry until 1995, when he became Professor Emeritus.

Dr. Krell’s commitment to social justice led to one of his most extraordinary goals; to create a permanent legacy in the form of a centre devoted to Holocaust based anti-racism education for the citizens of British Columbia. As its Founding President, his unique vision was realized when the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre (VHEC) opened its doors in 1994. He is an active speaker and Holocaust outreach speaker for the VHEC.

Abby Wener Herlin

Dr. Abby Wener Herlin

Dr. Abby Wener Herlin has been engaged in the areas of social justice education, social emotional learning education, non-profit organizations, and the creative written arts for over twenty years. She holds a PhD from UBC in Language and Literacy Education and has dual master’s degrees in Social Justice Education and Counselling Psychology. Abby joined the VHEC in September 2021 as Program and Development Manager. She is a member of the third generation of Holocaust survivors and regularly explores her identity as a descendant in writing.

Description

The VHEC is proud to present Contextualizing and Educating about the Holocaust as part of the Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion program, Faculty of Medicine UBC for International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This event will feature introductory remarks by Executive Director of VHEC, Nina Krieger, an engaging historical overview by historian and Professor Chris Friedrichs and a keynote address by hidden child Holocaust Survivor Dr. Robert Krell. Following the presentation, an audience Q&A will be facilitated by VHEC’s Program and Development Manager, Dr. Abby Wener Herlin.


Topic: It Starts With Us: Contextualizing and Educating about the Holocaust

Date: Wednesday, January 25th, 2023

Time: 12:00 – 1:30 PM PST


Roadmap for change: Implementing anti-racism commitments at UBC