Dear Jamie Cassels,
This letter is a response to the statement “No room for racism or discrimination at UVic” that was published on the UVic announcements page. We are disappointed, but not surprised, that the University of Victoria, and the University of Victoria Students Society discussed the teardown of the project in the absence of any representation from our membership. Further, that the notification to our collective to tear down the wall was sent to us late in the day on a Friday, when there was no possible way for us to respond, appeal, or engage in any conversation about the issues that UVic and the UVSS were having in dealing with their discomfort around conversations of racism on campus. The actions taken by UVic and the UVSS are examples of the institutionalized forms of white supremacy.
The statement claims that the project was “vandalized,” and this is simply not true. The project was intended to be an interactive project; it was intended to be written on. The UVic and UVSS claim of vandalism is a method to distant the institutions from the reality that racism exists on campus, and the claims of vandalism are simply a method of shielding those forces, preventing discussion, and is used to silence our engagement of the insidious nature of white supremacy. UVic and UVSS have proven that white supremacy takes precedence over the voices of those whose daily experience is constantly denied.
Sincerely,
Third Space Collective
