Statement from CAREB-ACCER’s Board of Directors on Anti-Black Racism

Statement from CAREB-ACCER’s Board of Directors on Anti-Black Racism

August 18, 2020

To the CAREB-ACCER and broader Research Ethics Community,

In light of the protests taking place over the past few months across the U.S., Canada and the world, we want to make it clear that CAREB-ACCER’s Board of Directors denounces anti-Black racism and all forms of racism and prejudice. We stand in solidarity with our Black communities and those committed to supporting ongoing efforts to end anti-Black racism here in Canada, the U.S. and across the world. 

​We acknowledge that the CAREB-ACCER Board of Directors must work harder to understand our role in reinforcing systems of oppression and to unlearn our own biases, as part of the work of becoming anti-racist, and we hereby affirm our commitment to that work. This is our first step in a long journey in understanding how we, as people, move forward, together in equal partnership.

To start, the CAREB-ACCER Board of Directors will take the following actions:

• Engage in ongoing cultural competency training
• Establish an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy
• Launch an anti-Black racism discussion series as part of our core educational offerings
• Equip researchers, research ethics boards, and research ethics professionals with tools and resources for addressing all forms of racism and prejudice, and specifically anti-Black racism in their work 
• Create space to amplify the voices of a diverse group of researchers and topics in our educational offerings and events
• Share existing anti-Black racism resources and materials, especially where relevant to the work of CAREB-ACCER

We know that we cannot do this work alone. We have begun discussions on possibly partnering with our friends and national ethics colleagues at the Canadian Association of Practicing Healthcare Ethicists (CAPHE-ACESS) and the Canadian Bioethics Society (CBS-SCB). We also welcome opportunities to partner with our membership as we hold ourselves accountable for doing a better job of leading the necessary work that needs to be done to dismantle existing systems of oppression within the Canadian research ethics sector. We look forward to learning and growing with you.

Sincerely, 

CAREB-ACCER Board of Directors:

Delilah Ofosu-Barko (President)

Jonathan Dewar

Melissa Dobson

Julie Joza

Charmaine Kabatoff

Katarin MacLeod

Janice Moseley

Sharon Newman

Stacey Page

Guillaume Pare

Catherine Paquet

Dawn Pollon

Diana Raymond-Watts