JEDI Study Guide

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” Martin Luther King

“Equity is not a finite resource. Especially when we understand it as love.” Joy Donnell, Show Us Your Fire.

“To be an antiracist is a radical choice in the face of this history, requiring a radical reorientation of our consciousness,” Ibram X. Kendi, How to be an Anti Racist, p. 23.

“Diversity is being invited to the party; Inclusion is being asked to dance,” Verna Myers

Alexander College is devoted to continual learning about justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) and seeking to rectify systemic inequities and discrimination.

We acknowledge the historic and ongoing impact of Canada’s colonial history and our collective and individual role in perpetuating systemic discrimination such as:

• Racism and violence against BIPOC individuals and communities
• Racism and violence against Indigenous peoples, particularly Indigenous women and girls
• Violence and discrimination against LGBTQIA+ individuals and communities
• Ableism and discrimination against people with disabilities

What does JEDI Mean?

Jedi stands for
JUSTICE
EQUITY
DIVERSITY
INCLUSION

These words may mean different things to different people, but JEDI is generally understood to be anti-racist, feminist, LGBTQIA+-allied, and religiously/culturally open.

Justice is aimed at ensuring that marginalized people who have suffered historical wrongs have those wrongs made right in present society. For instance, much of Indigenization is aimed at attaining justice for Indigenous peoples.

Equity can be captured in this picture.

Note that different heights/abilities are differently provided for. Equity is about meeting people where they are and doing your best to ensure their unique needs are met.

Diversity is defined as having representation of many different groups, whether they be religious, cultural, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic, and so on, at the table when decisions are being made.

Diversity is at the heart of Alexander College’s Multi-Faith Room in the library at ACB. There, all of the diverse faiths of humankind are invited to express themselves in a safe space at our college.

Inclusion means that everyone is allowed to speak or participate in the activity in question. In the past, inclusion was not felt in Canadian society. There was a time when women were not included in the voting population, and Indigenous ways of knowing were not included in educational curricula.

Books

Title	Call#	Book Cover
The anti-racist writing workshop: how to decolonize the creative classroom	PE 1403 .C43 2021(ACV)
Wayi wah! : Indigenous pedagogies : an act for reconciliation and anti-racist education	LC 1099.515 .C85 C47 2022 (ACB)
Racism in the Canadian university : demanding social justice, inclusion, and equity	LB2329.8.C2 R33 2009 (ACV)
How to be an antiracist	E 184 .A1K344 2023 (ACB)
Black disability politics	HV 1568.2 .S35 2022 (ACV and ACB)
Black trans feminism	HQ1410 .B49 2022 (ACV)
13 ways of looking at a fat girl	PS 8601 .W33T55 (ACB)
Feminism : a very short introduction (ACV)	HQ1206 .W24 2005
Making space for Indigenous feminism	HQ1161 .M34 2024 (ACV)
Gendered Islamophobia : my journey with a scar(f)	HQ 1170 .M39 2023 (ACV)
Racism and anti-racism in Canada	FC104. R33 2018
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Healthcare : From Knowledge to Practice	RA 971.35 .E685 2024

* Want to reserve one of these titles? Email library@alexandercollege.ca with your student # and the book title.

E-Books

These e-Books are available in the online library collection. Click the title to access the resource.

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