Ryerson University announced the creation of a new scholarship that will go towards helping racialized transgender students on campus, according to a press release.
The Sumaya Dalmar Award award is named after Sumaya Dalmar, a Somali-Canadian transgender woman, activist and a member of the Black Queer Youth, an LGBTQ support group who gave a voice to the racialized transgender community in Toronto, according to the release. She died in 2015 at the age of 26.
Lali Mohamed, a close friend of Dalmar and a Ryerson graduate, said in an email that many transgender students of colour encounter financial barriers while accessing post-secondary education, and her hope is that “this modest award chips away at that barrier.”
“In the midst of grief, we wanted to find a way to honour [a] brilliant and bold friend,” she said.
According to the Trans PULSE Project’s 2015 report, 57 precent of trans Ontarians has avoided public washrooms due to safety fears.
Alan Sears, a sociology professor at Ryerson, said in the press release that he believes this award will go a long way to helping students from a community that has been traditionally marginalized.
“I think the award will not only benefit individual trans students of colour, but will also focus attention on the contributions of racialized trans communities,” he said.
The group has raised $6,000 to go towards the annually $1,000 award, according to an emailed statement from the university.
The recipients for the award will be selected by an official selection committee composed of faculty members and representatives from the registrar’s office, according to the statement.
It also notes that there are currently other awards and scholarships open to trans students at the school but the Sumaya Dalmar Award is the first scholarship at the school specifically for racialized trans students.
“I envision a university environment where trans people of colour can be the best versions of themselves, free from transphobia and racism. I hope this award spotlights some of the incredible contributions of trans students of colour,” Mohamed said.
