U of T Mississauga believes in a future better than the present, where Black staff, students, faculty, instructors, librarians, and caretakers thrive in a campus community that celebrates, cultivates, and learns from Black perspectives and expertise.

Since the summer of 2021, Black at UTM has gathered information about efforts our departments, units, and faculty are undertaking to enhance Black flourishing through calls for submissions and an environmental scan of current programs and services addressing anti-Black racism in 2022 and a second review in summer 2024. A series of consultations with Black community members, allies, and supporters about their experiences, expectations, and visions for progress were also held. These findings have been synthesized to develop a path forward for UTM through this Black Flourishing Framework.

The following sections outline our priorities, commitments, and ambitious plans to help shape UTM’s path over the next few years to cultivate Black flourishing and address anti-Black racism at UTM.

Within each area, the goal of each priority is described, including voices from UTM’s Black communities, and it also outlines accompanying commitments to serve as reference points to help us achieve our mission and vision and live our values. This framework capitalizes on our collective potential to make UTM a place for Black flourishing and inclusive excellence.

• Expand the Black Leadership Advisory Committee as a forum to improve equity policies, propose new anti-racist initiatives, and drive positive change.
• Amplify work by the Black Spaces and Belonging Committee, connecting its recommendations with other campus-wide space plans and processes.
• Engage Black students and employees intentionally on decision-making task forces and other major groups that shape the campus’ long-term direction.

• Update, and share models from, the Black Inclusion and Excellence Dashboard annually to assess campus-specific progress on U of T’s fifty-eight commitments against anti-Black racism.
• Engage managers, directors, and senior leaders as champions and allies through events and partnership opportunities with the Black Initiatives Team.
• Extend Black at UTM’s presentation series, aiming to reach every team on campus to share priorities, discuss responsibilities, and identify opportunities for collaboration.

• Leverage U of T’s employment equity survey to inform recruitment, retention, and professional development programs for Black faculty, staff, and librarians.
• Share results of U of T’s student equity census annually, including with academic departments to guide recruitment and retention plans.
• Promote broad access to and awareness of other campus-specific equity data to support gap analyses, shape strategic planning, and quantify credible successes.

• Establish new and sustain existing funding streams for pilot projects and events aligned with the fifty-eight recommendations of U of T’s Anti-Black Racism Task Force.
• Create, and fundraise for awards and scholarships to recognize the outstanding contributions of Black students, researchers, and employees.
• Continue to leverage and incentivize the use of U of T’s diversity in academic hiring funds and provost’s postdoctoral fellowship.

• Launch and resource sustainably, the new Centre for Black Excellence and Belonging as a designated campus space for community connection.
• Promote racially attuned approaches to Black mental health and wellness as grounded in Black communities’ values, histories, and lived experiences.
• Strengthen Black-centered campus, tri-campus, and alum networks to share best practices, make meaningful connections, and navigate U of T effectively.

• Expand opportunities for community building and intercultural understanding, extending momentum from Black on the Shelf, Inua Learning Circles, and other events in the Black at UTM series.
• Share anti-racist teaching and research resources, including workshops through the Teaching and Learning Collaborative and Black Research Network.
• Host the Black Flourishing and Inclusive Excellence Summit annually as a forum to share ideas, coordinate partnerships, and implement anti-racist priorities.

• Create stories, campaigns, and other communications consistently, including profiles on the Black at UTM website, that celebrate Black excellence, experiences, and impact.
• Incorporate existing works by, and new commissions for, Black artists across campus spaces, as guided by our special advisor for public art.
• Develop leadership programs that support equitable career progression, including through secondments, special projects, and other opportunities for Black employees in roles beyond EDI.

Click here to download the Black at UTM Strategic Priorities as a PDF.