茄子直播

Reclaiming her time: During 茄子直播 visit, U.S. scholar gives talks on being Black in academia, sports

Photo of LaToya Brackett and Janelle Joseph on stage
LaToya Brackett (left), a visiting assistant professor at the University of Puget Sound, talks with 茄子直播's Janelle Joseph during a recent visit to 茄子直播 as a guest of KPE's Indigeneity, Diaspora, Equity and Anti-Racism in Sport lab (photo by Jiduo An)

LaToya Brackett, a visiting assistant professor of African American studies at the University of Puget Sound, says the idea of being both visible and invisible is a daily reality for many Black woman. When visible, they have to be mindful of everything they say or do. When invisible, they are neither seen nor heard.

Brackett, who recently gave a talk about her experiences in academia at an event hosted by Hart House in partnership with the University of Toronto鈥檚 Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, says navigating between the two extremes requires both code switching 鈥 changing the way one talks depending on the audience 鈥 and 鈥渢hrowing shade,鈥 which she says includes sharing inside jokes in spaces not traditionally welcome to Black women. 

To underscore the point, she showed the packed room a clip of U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters repeatedly redirecting U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin back to her question by invoking a procedural rule that allows members to reclaim time lost in questioning. The moment became a viral sensation and the phrase 鈥淩eclaiming my time鈥 became an unofficial rallying call for women, people of colour and the LGBTQ community to reclaim their time and power.

Brackett鈥檚 Hart House talk capped off her visit to 茄子直播, where she was special guest of KPE鈥檚 Indigeneity, Diaspora, Equity and Anti-Racism in Sport (IDEAS) Lab led by Assistant Professor Janelle Joseph, who teaches a course on race and indigeneity in sport. Brackett also spoke in Joseph鈥檚 undergraduate class and the faculty鈥檚 graduate seminar, focusing her presentations on how Black athletes鈥 appearances and actions are frequently interpreted in ways that perpetuate negative stereotypes and restrict their freedom of expression 鈥 think Colin Kaepernick or Serena Williams. 

鈥淭he reaction in the class was phenomenal,鈥 says Joseph. 鈥淭he students were so engaged. Essentially, Dr. Brackett reinforced the message that the racism that we witness in sport today is a historical colonial legacy. We can see it in the 1936 Olympic Games, we see it in the 1968 Olympics, we鈥檙e seeing new versions of it today, but the issues that Black people are protesting against 鈥 being undervalued and restricted 鈥 remain the same.鈥

LaToya Brackett, a visiting assistant professor of African American studies at the University of Puget Sound, showed the room a now-viral clip of U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters calmly redirecting U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin back to her question with the phrase 鈥渞eclaiming my time鈥 (photo by Jiduo An)

Joseph, one of few critical race scholars in kinesiology, says it鈥檚 very important to her to be able to bring international scholars to the faculty to expand the network of people doing research in this area. 鈥淭here are people in many different disciplines across many different universities doing this kind of work, from African-American scholars to anthropologists. Now they can come to KPE to have these cross-disciplinary conversations,鈥 she says.

The significance of Joseph鈥檚 course was reinforced by the findings of KPE鈥檚 2018 Task Force on Race and Indigeneity, which was inspired by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The expert panel鈥檚 recommendations included developing a course on 鈥淚ndigenous issues/history, colonial history, equity, racialization and racism in the context of sport and physical activity鈥 鈥 one based on or complementing Joseph鈥檚 work. Joseph, then a sessional instructor, successfully applied for a full-time tenure-track position in 2019. 

鈥淎lthough it鈥檚 an elective, I think her course would benefit everybody, especially those of us who haven鈥檛 had experience with these kinds of discussions in our education,鈥 says fourth-year kinesiology student Jessica Nachman, who listened to Brackett鈥檚 talk in Joseph鈥檚 undergraduate class and came out for her lecture at Hart House with her classmate, Viviane Gauthier.

鈥淲hen we talk about these big topics like racism and colonialism, oftentimes, for people who haven鈥檛 experienced them, it鈥檚 hard to imagine what that鈥檚 like, so having these conversations, hearing stories of things that have happened to people, makes you realize that this is what people actually go through 鈥 [that] this is a real problem, even if it doesn鈥檛 affect you personally,鈥 she says.

Gauthier, also in her fourth year of kinesiology, adds that Joseph鈥檚 class and talks by visiting speakers such as Brackett are so important to students who often feel invisible. 

鈥淚t literally validates our existence and our experiences,鈥 she says.

A packed room listens to LaToya Brackett speak at Hart House (photo by Jinduo An)

For Sabrina Razack, a second-year PhD student in kinesiology who is also doing a collaborative specialization in women and gender studies, having speakers like Brackett address students is important on many different levels.

鈥淔irst of all, there鈥檚 the psychology of representation,鈥 she says. 鈥淪eeing a woman of colour up there on stage lets you see what鈥檚 possible. I know a little bit about this topic because I happen to be studying it, but these talks are also a great point of entry for others who may not be studying these issues. 

鈥淭hese are hard topics. Talking about race and racism is not easy. Getting students exposed to this kind of research, arming them with information and engaging them in dialogue helps them see things from different perspectives and carry that knowledge beyond the walls of the classes. That鈥檚 really powerful.鈥 

Razack, Nachman and Gauthier all agree that an important takeaway from Brackett鈥檚 talk was to take some of the responsibility for educating oneself about the discrimination others experience by seeking out spaces and events that host such discussions.

鈥淚t was important for me to hear how I can be a co-conspirator or an ally and when I need to step back and not take up space,鈥 says Nachman. 鈥淭hroughout the whole presentation I was very aware when I was feeling discomfort, but a prof once said to hold on to those moments and not ignore them because that鈥檚 how you learn to understand.

鈥淭here are a lot of stereotypes that surround Black women, but having a historical framing of how these stereotypes came to be, contesting them and reimagining a different reality is really powerful.鈥

, facilitated by Zoe Dille, the senior program co-ordinator at Hart House, , a home for podcasts and other projects that offer different perspectives to the 茄子直播 community.

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