QBR: Giving a Voice to the Voiceless

This week we interviewed Bobby Liang. Bobby is a third-year student in the Commerce program and a co-chair for the Queen’s Business Review.

“This is the power of media. It gives the voice to the voiceless, but it also doesn’t shy away from exposing the truth”

Below are some highlights from the vodcast:

• Bobby is really passionate about eliminating the culture of silence at Queen’s regarding equity-seeking issues which can be seen through his work with Reform Smith and the Queen’s Business Review.

• He explains that one benefit of the COVID-19 pandemic is that it might have actually allowed Queen’s students to amplify their reach, accessing alumni and international students like never before.

• He explains that QBR really tries to be a voice for all students - spreading student issues and ideas. He explains: “This is the power of media. It gives the voice to the voiceless, but it also doesn’t shy away from exposing the truth”. He expresses that QBR tries to be that platform to share these voices and push the conversation forward with regards to diversity and inclusion issues at the University.

• Bobby goes on to explain, “one of the initiatives we’re [QBR] doing is trying to be as impartial and unbiased as possible”. He explains that QBR does not censor people for reviews, does not censor external submissions or editors, and ensures to hire a very diverse group of people with diverse backgrounds. All of this has truly helped QBR become a very powerful resource for students.

• Bobby’s advice for allyship on campus includes:

  • 1) Educate yourself: Educate and expose yourself to ideas and concepts that make you uncomfortable within the realm of equity work.

  • 2) Form your own opinions: You do not have to have the same ideas as someone else and your lived experiences are invaluable to your learning.

  • 3) Work within your communities to affect change: We are all part of clubs and friend groups, and it is important to understand your role and work to address gaps in your own knowledge and to ask for advice whenever necessary.

• One of his largest concerns regarding online delivery as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic is for students’ mental health. He expresses the difficulty of checking in on students and ensuring that they are doing well throughout the stresses of the pandemic and the isolation without in-person interaction and the ability to engage in discussions.

• Bobby leaves us off with three main pieces of advice:

  • 1) Embody the idea of inclusivity: The worst thing you can do is to alienate others.

  • 2) Change is slow...and that is ok: Change can be agonizing and slow, however, we can always create change in our own way. Small changes are extremely impactful.

  • 3) Recognize people’s humanity - always: Respect people for who they are, their identities, their history, and their lived experiences.

Please see our education and mental health resources in the resource tab above to find out how to get involved with educating yourself in the Queen’s community while taking care of yourself during these unprecedented times.

To learn more and/or find out how you can get involved with the Queen’s Business Review, please visit:

Website: https://www.queensbusinessreview.com/

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/qbusinessreview

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