Students, faculty did not ‘always feel welcome’
Canada’s Dalhousie University Medical School has taken down portraits of its former “old” and “white” deans because they are “no longer representative of the school’s student body.”
According to Do No Harm, Dean of Medicine David Anderson announced the move in a mid-July message regarding the school’s “Valuing People” initiative.
The initiative “focuses on our belief that people and culture can set us apart, and if we start with a ‘people first’ approach, anything is possible,” Anderson wrote. “To do this, we must focus on creating positive, safe, and inclusive environments for people to thrive.”
Anderson (pictured) noted the school had heard from “students, faculty, and staff that they do not always feel welcome” in the foyer of the Tupper Building due to the portraits — they are “dominated by senior male white leaders.”
The dean noted the historical figures do “not represent our current student body and the diversity of communities our Faculty has a responsibility to serve.”
The decision to remove the portraits came about “after much thought and consultation,” but the old, white deans still will be honored — via a “virtual tribute” to be put on the medical school’s website at a later date.
Several years ago, Dalhousie’s Schulich School of Law offered students 50 ways to atone for the past mistreatment of Indigenous peoples. Among the suggestions were “updating” email signatures to “reflect the territory you live and work on,” “gently counter[ing] racist or stereotypical comments with fact-based information whether you are at a party, the office, or the gym,” and including “two-spirited” people when talking about LGBTQ+ issues.
And the Dalhousie Medical School certainly isn’t alone in removing allegedly outdated portraits; Harvard’s medical school did the same a few years back, as did King’s College London.
In addition, Washington and Lee University removed portraits of its very namesake in 2021, Notre Dame covered up a mural of Christopher Columbus, and Holland’s Leiden University removed a painting of “old white men smoking cigars” after a female academic had complained.
MORE: Harvard, concerned over visuals that center ‘white men,’ plans racial justice redesign
IMAGES: Anna Koldunova/Shutterstock.com/Dalhousie U.
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