University of Waterloo Athletics

I currently live in Waterloo with my wife, Lisa, and our four daughters.  Our Family is white.  I grew up in the racially diverse community of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.  I was a teacher for 5 years in Nova Scotia and spent most of that time at a school where children from a primarily white community attended classes with children from a primarily black community.  This school had a reputation for being very challenging due to the racial divide.  Even though many teachers were not willing to accept a position at this school - I wanted to work there. I actively pursued a job at this school and was fortunate to be hired.  Looking back - I was very involved in the school community and actively engaged in initiatives that we hoped would improve some of the issues within our community.  This was 20+ years ago.  In 2000 our Family decided to move to Ontario to allow me to chase the dream of coaching hockey for a living. 

The recent Black Lives Matter movement has caused me to reflect on the white privilege I experience due the existing systemic racism.  I have also spent time reflecting on the experiences of being a teacher in Nova Scotia.  I didn’t understand the impact of systemic racism when I was a teacher but I knew there needed to be change.

My goal for being a member of The Alliance is to grow as a person and to become comfortable engaging in conversations around systemic racism and ultimately aim to influence positive change.

 To connect with Brian please email alliance@uwaterloo.ca