Follow us on instagram @mcmastereio

Equity Inclusion and Anti-Oppression Program

Who We Are and What We Do!

The Equity Inclusion and Anti-Oppression Program is one stream of the Equity and Inclusion Office. The Inclusion and Anti-Racism Education Program specializes in providing education and support regarding race, equity and inclusion, and human rights. The team is comprised of:

The Director of Equity Inclusion and Anti-Oppression who delivers Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), anti-racism, and human rights education, supports EDI strategic planning at McMaster, as well provides consultations around best practices for EDIAD initiatives for departments, programs, and groups at McMaster. And the Anti-Black Racism Education and Programming Coordinator, that supports and specializes on Anti-Black Racism Education, strategic planning, consultations and supports.

The Equity Inclusion and Anti-Oppression team researches and shares promising practices and strategies which inform our suite of program offerings. We offer:

  • Suite of educational workshops
  • Partnered Discussion groups and special events
  • Consultation meetings
  • Human rights Dispute Resolution Program warm referrals

Unique to our program is the stream of Anti-Black Racism Initiatives and Education. Specifically, we offer:

  • Anti-Black racism educational workshops and resources
  • Warm referrals to intake offices or informal supports for disclosures of anti-Black racisms
  • Advocacy and Initiative building for Black students, programs, and centers at McMaster University
  • Anti-Black Racism Strategic Planning (ie. Black History Month, Scarborough Charter)

While the Equity Inclusion and Anti-Oppression team caters to students, staff and faculty members of McMaster but, we are also dedicated to bridging and building EDI and anti-racism work within the wider Hamilton Community. To learn more of our offerings, please browse the drop-down descriptors below

 

Students, Staff, and Scholars, Stimulating Equity (S4E) Microgrant!

As part of McMaster University’s and the Equity and Inclusion Office’s commitment to advancing Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (EDIA) and promoting Black flourishing and excellence, the S4E (Students, Staff, and Scholars Stimulating Equity) Microgrant Program has supported meaningful initiatives that drive innovation, collaboration, and equity on campus.

The program has been highly successful and impactful, enabling grassroots and cross-collaborative projects that strengthen belonging, address anti-Black racism, and align with McMaster’s EDIA Action Plan and the Scarborough Charter. Funded projects have advanced human rights, dignity, and respect while building more inclusive pathways for student, staff, and scholarly engagement.

Applications for the 2025/2026 cycle are closed. .To read more about the program’s objectives, impacts, and how it aligns with McMaster’s EDIA priorities, please visit  https://equity.mcmaster.ca/s4e-microgrant/

Workshops

The EDIA Fundamentals module is a 5-part module, designed by the Equity, Diversity and Anti-Oppression Program within the Equity and Inclusion Office, to provide the community with an accessible, self-paced learning about EDIA, Anti-Racism, and Anti-Oppression with a spot light on Anti-Black Racism in Higher Education. Each part of the module is thematically organized to contain a mixture of narrative, video and audio-narrated slide deck content, with activities to ground your learning in a flexible and digestible fashion. We are excited for you to engage with this foundational content which will replace the live delivery of EDIA fundamentals from our team.

In totality, the mandatory portions of the module should take approximately 3 hours to complete, and there is a short evaluation in the form of a quiz at the end, to recall your knowledge and to successfully complete this educational offering. This module will be hosted on avenue to learn and you can enroll in the module on Mosaic.

Enrollment Instructions: 

To enroll in the EDIA Fundamentals module, you must access MOSAIC through the use of your MAC ID and usual password. First, click on the “Regulatory Trainings” tile on the MOSAIC homepage, then the “Search By Course Name” hyperlink. You will be lead to a course search page. Type in “EDIA” and the fundamentals page should populate. To formally enroll, click on “View Available Sessions” and follow the mosaic prompts to formally enroll. The course will take about 1-2 business days to appear on your Avenue to Learn as a course!

If you are experiencing difficulties enrolling, require more guidance, or would like an alternative format of instructions to enroll, please email Eve Nyambiya nyambiye@mcmaster.ca

Please browse the list of available workshops delivered by the Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Oppression Program within the Equity and Inclusion Office. Any of these workshops are available in a virtual or in-person synchronous format. Unfortunately, we do not offer hybrid workshops at this time. We are happy to deliver a pre-designed workshop on any of the following topics:

  • Microaggressions, Bias, Stereotypes and Impacts on Belongingness
  • Bystander Intervention for Instances of Racism and Oppression
  • Creating Psychologically Safe Environments
  • Anti-Racist Principles to Recruitment and Retention
  • Unpacking Black Racial Trauma and Supporting Black Individuals in the Pedagogy
  • Black Intersectionality 101

If you are interested in any of these topics, you can request through this form:

Consultations

Various departments, offices, and groups at McMaster are working on initiating and championing EDI initiatives of their own. Our team appreciates a de-centralized approach to EDI work, and we are happy to consult and suggest additional best practices to your EDI and anti-racism initiatives and planning that may be underway. The type of consultations the general Equity Inclusion and Anti-Oppression team provides are:

  • Reviewing EDI strategic planning, climate surveying, and processes of EDI committee building specific to your department/office
  • Reviewing and consulting on EDIA Recruitment and Retention plans
  • Reviewing educational development/training specific to equity, anti-racism, and AOP created by your office
  • Reviewing and providing best practices for stimulation and/or supporting affinity groups
  • Safety planning for events

As mentioned, we also have a suite of consultation services, specific to our Anti-Black Racisms Education and Initiatives Programming Portfolio. The type of consultations provided, specific to the anti-Black racisms portfolio are:

  • Reviewing Anti-Black Racism philosophy and EDIA statements
  • Consulting on the creation of Black-focused supportive spaces and trauma informed approaches to supporting Black students, staff, and faculty
  • Reviewing educational development/training specific to anti-Black racism, created by your office
  • Reviewing pedagogical materials for facilitating dialogues about anti-Black racism

Inclusion and Anti-Racism Consultation Request Form

Partnered Discussion Groups and Special Events

Interested in partnering with our office on community building discussions and equity related events? Our team is open to assisting you in designing and facilitating EDIA and anti-racism focused discussion groups and/or events. By partnered discussions and events, we mean collaborating with you in the design elements of your event or initiative.

The Equity Inclusion and Anti-Oppression team has a legacy on campus of supporting educational events and initiatives, team building initiatives and events, or fun socials through awesome groups on campus such as the Presidents Advisory Committee on Building and Inclusive Community (PACBIC), the Black and Indigenous Racialized Employee Resource Group (BIRS-ERG), Black History Month at Mac (BHMatMAC), Black Student Success Center, DeGroote Women in Business, and many more!

Please note: we do not fulsomely plan an event or initiative for you, in regards to administrative and logistical tasks, sponsorship, or full programming.

We do: 

  • Consult on safety planning, accessibility mapping, and risk management
  • Consult on financial planning and event mapping
  • Assist with event marketing and circulation
  • Consult on Marketing Materials
  • Consult on financial avenues to leverage to assist with financial management
  • Assist with event or initiative descripts with a lens of EDIA or tackling anti-Black racism

Inclusion and Anti-Racism Team Partnered Events and Initiatives Request Form

Human Rights Navigation and Referrals

McMaster University has processes and policies to support you, should you be experiencing discrimination or harassment. The Blue Folder is a printable guide designed for students, staff and faculty with information on what constitutes discrimination and harassment as well as processes to address these incidences.

Please Note: The Equity Inclusion and Anti-Oppression team is not a formal or informal investigation office or intake office, therefore we do have limits to receiving confidential disclosures and limits to providing navigational support to those experiencing discrimination or harassment on campus. We do not function in lieu of: therapeutic or mental health supports, advocacy around a claim or investigation, or book individuals with additional supports.

How can we support: We do educate on the harassment and discrimination policy at McMaster in a trauma informed manner and provide guidance on how to book with one of several intake offices on campus, should you wish to explore further options. The Inclusion and Anti-Racism team can provide a warm referral to our Human Rights Dispute Resolution Team, who can have confidential discussions about your resolution options, launch an investigation of formal complaint and facilitate dispute resolution. To learn more about the offerings of the Human Rights Dispute Resolution Team, please visit this link: Human Rights Dispute Resolution Team

For more formal supports, we encourage you to explore the following: 

On Campus Intake Offices or Informal Supports: 

Off Campus Supports: 

Multicultural Calendar by day  

2024 Calendar theme: “Power of Inclusion”