Join Calumet and Stong Colleges as we celebrate Black achievement and recognize people and organizations creating change.
We have compiled an exciting list of activities for the CCSC community to recognize and celebrate Black History Month.
Make sure to keep checking this page for updates!
#BHMatYU and #BlackHistoryMonth
Throughout February make sure to check out https://www.yorku.ca/about/blackhistorymonth/ and York's social media channels.
You can also join the conversation with #BHMatYU and #BlackHistoryMonth.
Black History Month Blog
Tell us your thoughts on Black History Month. We encourage you to write or submit artwork or photographs and we will post to our BHM Blog.
BHM Reading and Viewing Lists
Tell us what you are reading and watching to recognize and celebrate Black History Month and we will share your choices in our BHM Reading and Viewing lists.
Write and Publish an Article for Excalibur Publications
If you are interested in writing an article, Women's Day is around the corner and Excalibur Publications is looking for content contributors! This year's theme is about BIPOC Female Leadership and article topics include dance, sports, policy, health, fashion and more!
If you're interested in getting involved, please contact Kiana at kb9@my.yorku.ca for more details
Ho Chi Minh in Brazil: Black Liberation and Class Solidarity
February 11th, 2023
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Ho Chi Minh wrote numerous essays throughout the 1920s about racial injustices against Black populations. Among his famous works of literature was La Race Noire (The Black Race) in 1925, a collection of 13 French essays on the topic. In 1924, Ho Chi Minh wrote “Class Solidarity,” a true story about the trial of José Léandro da Silva, a Black sailor in Brazil who was arrested during a labour strike in Rio de Janeiro and faced 30 years of imprisonment. First published in the French newspaper L’Humanité, “Class Solidarity” was printed almost two months later in Portuguese for the Brazilian newspaper O Paíz.
Join Luis Silva, the editor of the 2021 book, The Black Race by Ho Chi Minh and Selected Works on Systemic Racism, for a webinar on “Class Solidarity” and Ho Chi Minh’s other essays about the racial oppression of Black populations.
The event is moderated by Joe Pateman, Teaching Associate at the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Sheffield, UK, and introduced by Dai Trang Nguyen, York University, who compiled the 2021 book above.
Luis Silva holds a bachelor in political science from York University, and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Western Ontario. He is a college professor in Toronto.
Joe Pateman is a Teaching Associate at the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Sheffield, UK. He holds a PhD from the University of Nottingham. His main research interests are Marxism-Leninism, democratic theory, and black liberation ideologies. His recent publications include Public Libraries and Marxism (Routledge 2021).
Register for this virtual event: https://yorku.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9WzRyESpSWuvWWQ5JXv11A
Black Ice at York U: A Community Film Screening and Q&A
February 13th, 2023
6:45pm
Join a special community screening and Q&A of the film Black Ice.
Produced by York alumnus, Vinay Virmani (BA Hons. ’08), directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker, Hubert Davis, and executive produced by Lebron James, Drake, and Maverick Carter, Black Ice is a documentary that examines the history of anti-black racism in hockey.
The film premiered at TIFF 2022 as an Official Selection and won the People’s Choice Award for Documentaries and features a roster of players across various levels of hockey sharing their stories and experiences, including: Akim Aliu, Saroya Tinker, Mark Conners, and Wayne Simmonds.
This Black History Month event is presented by York U’s School of Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD), Black Alumni Network (YUBAN) and the Office of the President, and in partnership with Athletics & Recreation, Student Engagement and the Jean Augustine Chair in Education.
Tickets are complimentary but registration is required.
REDDI Miniseries: Black Inclusion: Historic and Current Efforts to Dismantle Anti-Black Racism
February 14th, 2023
1:00pm - 2:30pm
A Spotlight on Intersectional Anti-Racism Work and Black Inclusion at the Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion
This session will follow the birth and development of anti-Black racism both globally and locally, and the historic and ongoing efforts to dismantle it. Through case-studies and scenarios, participants will be offered tools and examples of how to respond to anti-Black racism in effective and sustainable ways.
GL Connect Drop-in for Black Students
February 15th, 2023
12:00pm - 2:00pm
YH B125
The GL Connect drop-in program is an opportunity to learn from other students and share your experiences.
Come spend some time with us. Participate in engaging Games and activities in a relaxed environment. Snacks and prizes available!
What does Black History Month mean to you?
February 15th, 2023
1:00pm - 2:00pm
February is Black History Month, a time to focus on the contributions and achievements of Black Canadians. Black Excellence at York University (BE YU) Peer Leads will examine what Black History Month means to them during this session, while highlighting Black leaders they admire and their accomplishments. Participants will also get a chance to discuss what Black History Month means to them and/or the Black leaders they admire. To reserve your spot, please complete our registration form.
This session is open to all students at York and students who identify as Black are encouraged to attend.
Fostering Individuality: Creative Leadership
February 16th, 2023
11:00am - 12:00pm
What is creative leadership? Perhaps you are interested in applying creativity to your role as a leader, but don’t know how. Join Black Excellence at York University (BE YU) Peer Leads as we examine strategies to apply creative thinking to your leadership role, how to understand creativity styles and how to express them, and to apply innovative ways to solve problems and lead a group. To reserve your spot, please complete our registration form.
This session is open to all students at York and students who identify as Black are encouraged to attend.
REDDI Miniseries: Reconnaître et aborder le racisme
February 16th, 2023
11:00am - 12:30pm
A Spotlight on Intersectional Anti-Racism Work and Black Inclusion at the Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion
Cet atelier aidera les participants à comprendre comment se manifeste le racisme, et quels sont ses impacts. Les participants découvriront des stratégies visant à éliminer les obstacles aux espaces inclusifs et s’exerceront à interrompre les commentaires racistes.
The Harriet Tubman Institute’s BHM 2023: Calypso as Music of Resistance
February 16th, 2023
2:30pm - 4:00pm
Under the theme of Black Resistance, HTI’s Black History Month 2023 will focus on activities related to the accomplishments of Africans and people of African descent, spotlighting some of our own leaders in our local community here in Toronto.
This is a Tubman Talks BHM event with presenters Henry Gomez aka King Cosmos and Roger Gibbs aka Rajiman.
Henry Gomez is an educator, who was formerly employed by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) as a high school teacher; and was nominated for a Teacher- of-The-Year award. He specialized in English Literature, Media Studies and Drama. He holds an MFA in Theatre and a BA in English from York University and obtained his B. Ed from the University of Toronto. He believes in lifelong learning. After retirement from active teaching, he returned to York, where he recently defended his master’s thesis in Interdisciplinary Studies.
Roger Gibbs is a Calypso and Caribbean Acoustic singer / guitarist and recording artist, originally from Barbados. He was a performing member of COBA (Collective of Black Artists) from 1995 to 2013, one of Canada’s leading dance/theatre companies. He recorded two solo albums – ‘Spirit of Calypso’ (1999), ‘Calypso Classics on Guitar – Vol 1. (2005)’, and two albums with his band Shak Shak titled ‘Hot So’ (2012) and ‘Shak Shak Party’ (2017). He also recorded a collection of Bajan and original folk songs with his brother John Gibbs titled ‘BIM – Folk Songs of Barbados’. He was a founder and first Artistic Director of Calypso Stars at Harbourfront Centre – the largest annual concert of new Canadian Calypso. In 2013, Roger received a special award from the Toronto Caribbean Carnival for his outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Calypso in Canada.
This event will be hybrid. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/htis-black-history-month-2023-calypso-as-music-of-resistance-tickets-519801368887.
Negotiation Tips for Leaders
February 27th, 2023
10:30am - 11:30am
It is often said that leaders are good negotiators, but where do you begin to learn? Join Black Excellence at York University (BE YU) Peer Leads as we examine what it means to be a good negotiator and the core frameworks and principles around negotiation and problem solving. By the end of this session, students will have a better sense of how to negotiate and build consensus on a team, all while building great relationships. To reserve your spot, please complete our registration form.
This session is open to all students at York and students who identify as Black are encouraged to attend.
REDDI Miniseries: Do the Work: Intervening on Racism
February 28th, 2023
11:00am - 12:30pm
A Spotlight on Intersectional Anti-Racism Work and Black Inclusion at the Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion
Please note that we strongly recommend participants to have attended at least one of the workshops above before attending this session.
This workshop will be highly participation-based and ask attendees to design strategies and practice tools to intervene in moments of racial discrimination, harassment, and microaggressions. Prior familiarity with these concepts is recommended.
Black Leaders on Campus
February 28th, 2023
11:30am - 12:30pm
February is Black History Month, a time to focus on the contributions and achievements of Black Canadians. Join Black Excellence at York University (BE YU) Peer Leads as we highlight the many accomplishments of Black leaders at York University. To reserve your spot, please complete our registration form.
This session is open to all students at York and students who identify as Black are encouraged to attend.
The Harriet Tubman Institute’s BHM 2023: Implications of Colonialism for Disease Outbreak Response in Black Communities
February 28th, 2023
12:30pm - 2:00pm
Under the theme of Black Resistance, HTI’s Black History Month 2023 will focus on activities related to the accomplishments of Africans and people of African descent, spotlighting some of our own leaders in our local community here in Toronto.
This event will have presenters Dr. Harris Ali and Dr. Yvonne Simpson.
Dr. Yvonne Simpson is a PhD (ABD) graduate from York University in the Faculty of Health Policy Management’s Critical Disability Studies Program. She holds a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Calgary with a specialization in Community and Disability Studies. As a graduate student, her research focuses on human rights and social justice in the context of the historiography of transnational forced migration, including the Atlantic Slave Trade, accounting for the colour coded system of acquired disability among enslaved workers to the import of racialized im/migrant workers. The intersectional dimensions of race, workplace injuries and immigration and WSIB policies are discursive lenses in her dissertation project.
Dr. Harris Ali is a sociologist at York University whose research focuses on how the interplay of social, political and environmental factors promote the emergence of disease outbreaks and environmental disasters, as well as how this interplay influences the response to such phenomena. He conducted various studies based on extensive fieldwork on different types of infectious disease outbreaks in various parts of the world, including E. Coli in Walkerton, Ontario, Tuberculosis amongst the homeless in
Toronto, community-based responses to Ebola in Liberia, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His most recent book coauthored with Roger Keil and Creighton Connolly is entitled Pandemic Urbanism (Polity Press) and focuses on the disease ecology and socio- political dimensions of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases under the conditions of contemporary globalization and heightened urban inequality.
This event is virtual. Register here: https://yorku.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcrcO2prz4oHND16C4FSQiVO20_iluupmYl.
Soirée Africaine
February 28th, 2023
5:00pm - 9:00pm
Come celebrate Black History Month with us, where you will get the chance to try traditional African dishes and enjoy some music with your friends.
This event is open to current Glendon students. Given the limited space available, priority is given to students who identify as black and/or African.
For further info, contact studentaffairs@glendon.yorku.ca.