McGill student who led change of team name named valedictorian

Tomas Jirousek, the Indigenous student who led the fight to convince McGill University to change the name of its men’s varsity sports teams, was named valedictorian of the school’s Faculty of Arts. During his valedictorian speech, Jirousek called on the other graduates to help fight systemic discrimination. “I think McGill students in particular are well-situated to challenge systemic racism and systemic oppressions which persist in our communities," he told Times Colonist, before acknowledging the challenges other Indigenous students had faced. “A couple of decades ago, the Indian Act wouldn't have allowed an Indigenous student to go to McGill without losing their status.” The men’s varsity teams are now simply known as the McGill teams. Times Colonist (QC)