Uwindsor profs, students receive racist hate mail
University rep says those responsible will potentially face criminal charges
Several University of Windsor faculty members and students have received racist and threatening messages in connection to attempts to eliminate racism at the school.
Richard Douglass-chin, an associate professor of English literature, received a hateful email calling him the N-word for his involvement with an advocacy group working to eradicate anti-black racism on campus.
Richard Douglass-chin is a member of Researchers, Academics and Advocates of Color for Equity in Solidarity (RAACES), a group that organized the Day of Mourning protest Monday.
He received an email Sunday evening with the subject line Day of Mourning that read:
“Listen here n*****, the fact you sit back and critize (sic) “new white hires” is a blatant and disgusting display of black priveledge (sic). The fact you sit back and make a salary big enough to provide 5 black families all they need for a whole year. Hypocrite.
“We will not allow you to blackwash this university. You have no idea how deep we go, your efforts are admirable but you'll get absolutely nowhere,
“Check your priveledge (sic).” “It's terrible, terrible,” said Douglass-chin Monday. “This is the first time I've received something like this and it was a real trigger, taking me back to my childhood when I used to get beat up, humiliated and spit on.”
Douglass-chin's family immigrated to Canada from Trinidad in the 1960s.
The family settled in Hamilton where Douglass-chin said he ran home every day from school “scared out of my wits” in an effort to avoid being punched and kicked.
Douglass-chin forwarded the email to University of Windsor president Robert Gordon, to Matthew D'asti, the director of Campus Community Police and to his union representative.
“Over the weekend, the university learned that several faculty members and students received racist, threatening and hateful anonymous messages that are extremely disturbing to read. The university condemns the language and intent behind these messages in the strongest possible terms,” University of Windsor spokesman John Coleman said in an emailed statement.
“We have forwarded any emails that we have received to our Campus Community Police and the Windsor Police Service, who are collaborating on an investigation into this matter.
“Those found responsible will be subject to serious disciplinary action and potential criminal charges. This attempt to spread hate has no place at the University of Windsor.”
Coleman said the school will update the community as the investigation proceeds.
“It is deeply troubling that so many members of our community have continued to deal with this kind of oppression, including the anti-black racism, anti- Semitism, homophobia and other forms of discrimination included in these messages,” the statement continued.
“We recognize the toll this has taken and the fear it has created among our community. Impacted members of our campus community are encouraged to reach out to confidential university counselling services.”
Douglass-chin said other RAACES' members also received nasty emails attacking them.
“I'm not surprised by this,” he said.
“I see what's happening in the States and I see it here too, the rise of white supremacy.”
Douglass-chin was not sure what the writer was referring to with a comment about “new white hires.”
“The only thing I think they're on about is my comment about how 12 Black faculty hires for 2023 wasn't enough, that the university needs to hire Black people in administration roles (where there are presently none),” Douglass-chin wrote in a follow up email.
RAACES represents students and staff who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC).
They had asked the larger Uwindsor community of staff and faculty to join them in “a call to action against the historic and ongoing violence endured by Black students and faculty.”
A letter from RAACES asked all faculty to abstain from sending emails Monday and to accommodate any Black students for their grief and suffering in a manner similar to students who have lost a family member. Accommodations include giving extensions on assignments and cancelling exams, back to the start of the fall term.
“Unfortunately, the messages that you stand in solidarity with Black faculty and students have been insufficient,” the letter said. “We call on you to risk something and to inconvenience yourself to act for positive change.”
Douglass-chin said they didn't know how many faculty participated in the email protest.
“We don't know but the call was sent out to all our WUFA (Windsor University Faculty Association) members,” he said referring to the faculty's union.
Douglass-chin said all 15 faculty who are members of RAACES participated.
Copies of the Day of Mourning letter also went to Gordon, the university's board of governors and several other advocacy groups.
Coleman said there would be no disciplinary action taken against faculty who refused to communicate via email Monday.
The letter urged the university community to “act now to support the well being of Black students and faculty. There has been ongoing, grotesque violence, threats of violence and enduring trauma that Black students and Black faculty have had to face as conditions of work and study while on campus at the University of Windsor.”
The letter outlined several incidents of the violence endured by Black students and faculty. It mentioned the racist threats made on social media by Windsor chapter members of the Delta Chi fraternity, threats and slurs made against Black students in the faculty of law and the use of the N-word in classrooms.
The letter recognized the quick action of administration in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic while “the emergency of anti-black racism has been a pandemic for a much longer period and there appears to be little real systemic action in sight.”
Douglass-chin said the group intends to hold a Day of Mourning on the first Monday of each month going forward.