The University is situated in Windsor Essex, an area that is a sacred ground for the Indigenous communities that are the traditional keepers of these territories. Before contact with European settlers, the various Indigenous communities that called this area their home, cared for the land and waters and referred to this place as “where the river bends”.1 It is also famous in the Canadian historical imaginary as a safe haven for fleeing enslaved peoples seeking refuge. More recently, the entry of immigrant and refugee settlers from different parts of the world has called the community to be more actively welcoming – and seen it often fail. The segregated migrant workers in the Essex community of Leamington experienced high levels of COVID infection, and saw the existing animus towards them increase during the pandemic quarantine. Finally, the economic downturn from the disappearing auto industry and manufacturing sector have contributed to racial discord and a renewed fear of difference even as greater familiarity with difference is being developed (George, Ku & Selimos 2014; McDowell 2018). Building on the rich history of these territories and the lived experiences of the various peoples that travelled to and have lived on these lands for hundreds of years, the project aims to recall this uniqueness of history and place to bring together from various disciplines the situated scholarship that reinvigorates the antiracism possibilities in the area.

Recently, numerous high-profile media reports of incidents of racism against various racialized minorities along with students approaching faculty with their concerns motivated a small group of race scholars across disciplines at the University of Windsor to identify the need for a more consolidated and grounded race scholarship at the University that can inform coordinated antiracist practice. Situated at the Canada-US border, Windsor Essex has a unique experience of cross border relations where the border arbitrarily divided communities and created different experiences through different national policies. This positionality also orients Windsor Essex towards the US, its closest neighbour, rather than other centres in Ontario. Hence, it the #BlackLives Matter solidarity protest could be held jointly with Detroit across the border on June 7, 2020. Yet it has uniquely Windsor-situated Canadian problems that are influenced by global events; for example, Chinese Canadians were harassed for wearing face masks before they were mandated while Windsor’s Muslim community is well known for its charitable and fundraising activities such as doing an annual coat donation campaign for the Coats for Kids Drive.

Notwithstanding this diversity, uniqueness and richness of racialized experience and history of being a refuge for blacks fleeing slavery, a distinct presence of proactive antiracist scholarship is not well established in the area. However, there is burgeoning interest and activity. A recent community-based research conducted by university researchers in the African and Black communities in Windsor revealed the everyday and systemic racism experiences (Wansoo, Ku and Mohanty 2020) while a student-led annual event, “Making It Awkward: Conversations about Race” that brings together faculty, community

1Indigenous Legal Orders Institute, Faculty of Law University of Windsor, nd. https://www.uwindsor.ca/law/Indigenous- Legal-Orders-Institute