This article includes descriptions of anti-Black racism that may be triggering to some readers. The Black Youth Helpline can be reached toll free at 1-833-294-8650.
A racist incident in the Queen’s Faculty of Law has prompted conversations between Black students and the University about anti-Black racism on campus.
On March 22, during a Law 320 Evidence class, a white professor said the N-word over 20 times during their lecture. The class discussed an Ontario Court of Appeal case where a Black man was convicted using lyrics from the song “Cocaine Alumni” by Heartless G. The professor, who The Journal identified as Demetra Sorvatzioti, recited lyrics from the song that contains instances of the N-word.
The Journal reached out to Sorvatzioti multiple times but did not receive a response. The professor is no longer teaching at Queen’s as their field of expertise didn’t have a place in the law school’s ongoing curriculum, the University said in a statement to The Journal.
Following the incident, students in the class issued a concerned letter to the Dean of the Faculty of Law Colleen Flood, which she received on March 28. The Journal was unable to reach students in the class in time for publication.
The Black Law Students Association (BLSA) of Queen’s University, who were notified of the incident a week after it took place, sent a separate letter to Flood expressing their outrage on April 1.
“As law students, we do not expect to come to a higher institution tasked with teaching students to uphold the law and be subjected to an environment that allows for such blatant reminders of the slavery that our ancestors were subjected to,” BLSA said in the letter.
Adding to BLSA’s concern, the professor used a hard “er” ending, whereas the artist employs an “a” ending.
The N-word is used within the Black community to reclaim the historical purpose of the phrase, which was to degrade free and enslaved Black people, BLSA’s letter explained. However, the reclamation of the word does not permit its use by individuals outside the Black community, BLSA added.
Flood then met with and the President of BLSA Queen’s to discuss their concerns on April 4. The professor also sent an apology letter to the class and the of BLSA, which The Journal was unable to obtain copies of.
The University took days to issue an apology, leading Black students to question the sincerity of the letter when it did come, BLSA President Joshua Lafond explained in an interview with The Journal. The professor’s use of the N-word should have been condemned by the University immediately, Lafond added.
“It served no pedagogical value,” Lafond said.
Over the summer, the Faculty of Law has been more willing to discuss the incident, which is part of a larger issue of anti-Black racism on campus. Queen’s hiring practices and lack of training allowed the incident to happen, underscoring the systemic nature of anti-Black racism at the University, Lafond explained.
“I talk to many Black alumni that have gone to Queen’s, and they tell you, ‘you’ll survive.’ But I don’t believe that surviving is sufficient for a post-secondary institution,” Lafond said. “Queen’s should be an institution where Black students are able to thrive like everyone else.”
For Lafond, only time will tell if the University’s genuine in their efforts to address anti-Black racism, turning discussion points into tangible action.
The University told The Journal they’ve outlined a series of “near-term measures” the istration will take to prevent racist incidents from happening on campus. Measures include developing a “Queen’s Law Style Guide” for staff and faculty, providing guidance on issues concerning race, gender, and sexual orientation.
They’re also requiring equity, diversity, and inclusion and anti-Black racism training for visiting lecturers and adjunct professors, reviewing academic procedures, and developing a process whereby law students have a dedicated to raise issues.
“We acknowledge that it was unacceptable to use [the N-word] in the classroom setting, and we understand the pain it caused as a result,” the University said.
This is not the first time in recent history racist incidents occurred at Queen’s.
Racist comments were made at a condemned the incident.
Back in 2020, business students went public with their racist and discriminatory experiences at the University on the Instagram , Stolen by Smith.
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