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    Laurier Legacy
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    Laurier Legacy Project

    The Laurier Legacy Project was established as a multi-faceted public history initiative in 2022. Its purpose was to conduct a scholarly examination of the legacy and times of former Canadian Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier and the institutional history of Wilfrid Laurier University.

    Research and scholarship was undertaken from 2022 to 2024 by two postdoctoral fellows: Katelyn Arac (PhD) researched Sir Wilfrid Laurier and his legacy, and Tedla Desta (PhD) completed archival research on the university. Visit Laurier’s Scholars Commons to read the research findings.

    Public engagement was a key part of the research project and included a fireside chat, an academic symposium to engage with other postsecondary institutions, and a series of lectures and discussions with Laurier classes, clubs, teams and departments as well as the broader community. Visiting Indigenous scholar Justice Gethin Edward offered three public lectures at Laurier’s Brantford campus about keystone cases that illustrate the application of Indigenous law, the litigation of Indigenous sovereignty rights, and principles of restorative justice.

    The research project resulted in 17 recommendations including continued research, student engagement and experiential learning, signage, and employee training.

    Get Involved

    The recommendations are long-term and ongoing, and will require partnership with faculty, students, staff, alumni and supporters. Any members of the Laurier community who are interested in pursuing or advancing any of the recommendations in partnership with the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion are invited to do so. For more information, contact avpedi@wlu.ca.

    Findings
    Read the full research findings on Laurier’s Scholars Commons.
    Recommendations
    Read the 17 recommendations that resulted from the Laurier Legacy Project.
    Findings
    Read the full research findings on Laurier’s Scholars Commons.
    Recommendations
    Read the 17 recommendations that resulted from the Laurier Legacy Project.

    Public Engagement

    Explore the public engagement initiatives that occurred throughout the Laurier Legacy Project, including video recordings of the fireside chat with scholars Katelyn Arac and Tedla Desta and the three lectures by visiting Indigenous scholar Justice Gethin Edward.

    Feb. 23, 2023

    Hosted by the Office of the Associate Vice President, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, the Laurier Legacy Fireside Chat was the first public engagement of the Laurier Legacy Project.

    It provided an opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue about Sir Wilfrid Laurier and the history of Wilfrid Laurier University. It includes presentations by the project’s postdoctoral fellows, Dr. Katelyn Arac and Dr. Tedla Desta, in which they shared their research findings.

    Jan. 15, 2024

    The purpose of this symposium was to listen, learn, and engage with research from other postsecondary institutions, and examine how it has informed our understanding of institutions’ histories and legacies. There was also discussion of how research findings can be mobilized to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion.

    Read a full recap of the symposium.

    Panels

    University Histories of Exclusion, Inclusion and Resistance

    The first panel featured scholars whose works recover histories of marginalization, resistance, and activism at postsecondary institutions. The discussion touched on histories from Wilfrid Laurier University’s archives; stories of eugenics education at the University of Guelph and its impacts on those targeted by eugenics policies in Southern Ontario, and the students who led the Sir George Williams Occupation at Concordia University.

    Speakers included:

    • Dr. Tedla Desta, Wilfrid Laurier University
    • Dr. Evadne Kelly, University of Guelph and York University
    • Dr. Ronald Cummings, McMaster University
    Reckoning with University Origins, Namesakes and Land

    The second panel discussed research on university origins, historical legacies of university namesakes, and how universities in settler colonies acquired the land on which they were situated. The session included discussions of the legacy of Sir Wilfrid Laurier; Land Grab Universities in settler colonies; the University of Toronto endowment lands; and the use of funds held in trust for First Nations to bail McGill College out of bankruptcy.

    Speakers included:

    • Dr. Katelyn Arac, Wilfrid Laurier University
    • Dr. Mariana Valverde, University of Toronto
    • Dr. Theresa McCarthy, University at Buffalo
    • Dr. Brian Gettler, University of Toronto
    Beyond Evidence: Implementing Change (Roundtable)

    The final panel featured a discussion of how research findings can be mobilized towards institutional change that advance equity, diversity and inclusion. Panelists discussed how the research findings of scholars examining critical institutional histories can be mobilized towards institutional change that advances equity, diversity, and inclusion at postsecondary educational institutions.

    Speakers included:

    • Dr. Darren Thomas, Wilfrid Laurier University
    • Edward Thomas, Queen’s University
    • Dr. Catherine Ellis, Toronto Metropolitan University
    • Tomas Jirousek

    Spring 2024

    As part of this initiative, during the winter and spring of 2024, the Laurier Legacy Postdoctoral Fellows presented their research findings and held discussions with classes, clubs, teams, and departments across all Laurier’s campuses and in the community.

    Presentations included the following topics:

    Dr. Katelyn Arac:

    • Who was Sir Wilfrid Laurier? The Prime Minister’s life and legacy
    • Belonging and identity: Laurier-era government policies related to immigration and Indigenous peoples

    Dr. Tedla Desta:

    • Histories of exclusion and inclusion at Wilfrid Laurier University
    • Dismantling “isms” in post secondary education: an EDI and historical lens

    Winter 2024

    In winter 2024, Justice Gethin Edward joined Laurier as a visiting Indigenous scholar as part of the Laurier Legacy Project. Renowned for his leadership in establishing Brantford’s first Indigenous Persons Court, Justice Edward hosted three public lectures that explored decolonization of the legal system in Canada. These lectures contributed to the Laurier Legacy Project’s goal of leading public engagement on institutional history within Laurier and broader communities.

    Watch recordings of the three lectures:

    • McMaster Children’s Hospital / R. vs. Skylar Williams as applications of Indigenous law
    • The Indigenous Persons Court in the Ontario Court of Justice in Brantford as a process of addressing the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in R. vs. Gladue
    • Future litigation of Indigenous sovereignty rights
    katelyn arac tedla desta
    Katelyn Arac and Tedla Desta.
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