Communities around the world have been mobilizing against racism in recent days. This mobilization is a reaction to the most recent murder of another unarmed Black person.

On May 25, George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis by a police officer after saying he could not breathe and pleading for his life. Even though we are living through a pandemic, many people decided that the risk of contracting COVID-19 was less important than showing solidarity with Black, Indigenous, people of colour and other marginalized groups.

Support for justice

Dawson College wishes to express our support for this struggle for justice and our desire to end systemic racism.

At Dawson, we aim to celebrate diversity and make space for everyone in our community. We believe that Dawson represents Montreal, in all its rich diversity, at its best. It is the privilege of Dawson College to educate the daughters and sons of people from over 100 countries and every region of Quebec.

Our mission is to:

• Educate a diverse population of students through transformative and innovative learning activities;
• Engage learners and empower them to become active, responsible citizens;
• Enrich society by offering life-long learning opportunities, cultivating partnerships and contributing to a peaceful and sustainable future.

Well-being for all, sustainably

The mission of Dawson College is based on core values, including well-being for all, sustainably.

In 2020, we would like to recommit Dawson College to the proactive cultivation of a healthy and inclusive learning and working environment in which all members of our community feel respected, valued and supported in the pursuit of their personal and professional goals. We aim to promote long-term health and well-being for all, sustainably.

Developing informed, engaged and responsible citizens

Beyond the environment of learning at Dawson, we are committed to helping develop informed, engaged and responsible citizens. Every year we graduate students who are working on pressing societal and ecological challenges.

With pride, we leave the last word to one of our own graduates. Alexandrine Royer graduated from Social Science (North-South Studies Profile) in 2015. Today, Alexandrine is administrative co-ordinator for the Foundation for Genocide Education, based in Montreal.

Alexandrine shared her thoughts in an opinion piece published by The Montreal Gazette on June 3:

“Racism and injustice have plagued our societies for too long. We have allowed them to fester, to spread and to contaminate our institutions. We cannot let this go untreated. Preventative anti-racism education should be our first response. …

“To the victims and their families, we see and we hear your pain and suffering, and we promise to do better. We promise to educate our children and youth about racism in the past, and racism and equal treatment in the present.

“We promise that we will teach them to care, to stand up, to speak out, and to demand universal justice. But we demand that governments accompany us in this commitment to providing anti-racism education to future generations.”

Alexandrine’s full piece can be read on The Montreal Gazette website.

Source: Communications Office, Dawson College