Student who campaigned for Mcgill to drop ‘Redmen’ named arts valedictorian
In the fall of 2018, Mcgill rower Tomas Jirousek led a very public and ultimately successful campaign to get the university to change the Redmen name. Now, the political science honours degree recipient has been made one of the arts valedictorians of the 2020 graduating class.
A member of the Blackfoot Confederacy from the Kainai First Nation of southern Alberta, Jirousek accepted the honour with mixed emotions. In particular, he felt compelled to think about what it means to be the first First Nations valedictorian in the university’s history.
“There’s obviously a degree of happiness, excitement and elation at being named valedictorian,” Jirousek, 22, said from Whitehorse, where he is visiting his parents for the summer.
“But there’s also a degree of sadness in that statement. Mcgill is about to go into its third century. That it has only just now had its first First Nations valedictorian is an incredibly sad statement when you reflect on the history of Indigenous peoples in this country. Only a few decades ago, Indigenous people were not able to be doctors or lawyers or attend post-secondary schools without losing their status.”
That said, the fact Mcgill now has a First Nations valedictorian shows that things are changing, according to Jirousek.
“I think this shows that a gay First Nations kid from south Alberta, or anywhere in the country, can reach the highest heights at Mcgill,” he said. “It’s an encouraging story for Indigenous kids.”
That he was awarded the honour after challenging the university on one of its major blind spots when it comes to its relationship with Indigenous peoples is evidence of an openness to dialogue, he opined.
“I think it speaks to a really positive value that Mcgill places on academic freedom of thought. We are, of course, a university, an academic institution, and I think we need to really hold that ability to critically engage with each other, with the institution and with our past.”
On April 12, 2019, Mcgill announced it would change the Redmen name for all its men’s varsity teams. The university is expected to announce the new name during the 2020-21 academic year, but Jirousek has already begun to enjoy some of the fruits of his labour.
“We went through this (past) year without being known as the Redmen,” he said. “We were just the Mcgill team. It was easier, like a breath of fresh air. It felt more comfortable. You could feel the change among Indigenous students. You felt your place at Mcgill.”
Jirousek gave a shortened valedictorian speech last Friday as part of Mcgill’s online graduation ceremony. He took the opportunity to issue a call for solidarity among his fellow graduates.
“I spoke about our moral obligation to each other and to our communities,” he said. “I think the world needs Mcgill grads who are willing and able to challenge systemic racism, which we can see clearly now, especially in light of Black Lives Matter.”
Next year, Jirousek will join the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto.
“My passion to help people is what drove me toward law,” he said. “I was raised to be giving back to my community, and I think I can do that in law in a way that other careers might not allow me to.”