Celebrating Black History Month

Every February, Canadians are invited to participate in Black History Month festivities and events that honour the legacy of Black Canadians, past and present.

This February at SFU, there are several events celebrating Black History Month across all our campuses, as well as many opportunities for learning. We hope you will join us as we learn more about the history and legacy of Black Canadians and acknowledge the work that still needs to be done to combat racism and prejudice in our communities and our country. 

Here are some ways for you to get involved in Black History Month at SFU:

Attend an event

Making Our Way Home: Book Launch & Curated Conversation on Black History with Blair Imani | Feb. 22 | SFU Vancouver - 312 Main St.
Join historian and activist Blair Imani for the Vancouver stop of her Making Our Way Home book tour. This event is organized in collaboration with Penguin Random House, Massy Books, SFU Public Square and Cicely Blain Consulting.

Thank You Black Women for Saving America and Democracy | Feb. 24 |  AQ 6106, SFU Burnaby Campus
The Department of Political Science is hosting guest speaker professor Nadia E. Brown from Purdue University for this lecture. A light lunch will be served.

A Conversation with Stephanie Allen, Hogan’s Alley Society | Feb. 27 | AQ 6229, SFU Burnaby Campus
The Department of History is hosting a conversation with Stephanie Allen, a founding board member of Hogan’s Alley Society. This non-profit seeks to advance political, economic and social opportunities for people of African descent.

Black Students’ Experiences at SFU | Feb. 28 | SFU Harbour Centre
This evening of discussion hosted by the SFU African Students' Association will illuminate the diverse range of Black students’ lived experiences on campuses, classrooms and in the greater SFU community and explore possible areas for systemic change. 

The Beauty of Being Black | Feb. 28 | HC 7000, SFU Harbour Centre
Join Kayla Renée Wheeler from Grand Valley State University as she presents articles, advertisements and photographs exploring the history of Black Muslim fashion since the 1930s. This event is hosted by the SFU Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies.

Learn something new

• Celebrate Black History Month with books by and about Black Canadians. Check out the SFU Library’s collections and displays on Black History.
• Check out the SFU Library’s resource guide to racial justice, which includes toolkits and articles that will help you understand the impacts of structural racism and show you how to support individuals and groups working to achieve racial equity.
• Learn about notable Black philosophers throughout history on the Department of Philosophy website.
• Read about Michael Burnham, the first woman of colour to be a lead character in the Star Trek universe, in this blog post from the Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology (WWEST).
• SFU's partnership with the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI) allows SFU staff and faculty to access resources on many EDI-related topics:
  • There are several upcoming CCDI webinars related to issues around racial justice, including “Allyship: Your Role in Supporting Minorities” (May 21). To access these webinars for free, indicate that you work for a CCDI employer partner during the registration process. 
  • CCDI maintains a Knowledge Repository that contains over 1,000 Canadian-specific diversity and inclusion reports, research articles and more. To access the repository, email kr@ccdi.ca with the subject line “Add to Knowledge Repository”. 

Get connected

Connect with a student group to support their work and learn more about the fight for racial equity on campus.

• SFU Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry (SOCA) seeks to initiate and maintain fellowship between students who self-identify as Black or African descent and allies who are interested in the varied African/Caribbean descendant cultures. 
• SFU African Students’ Association (ASA) is a student group engaging students of African descent and all those interested in positive discourse on Africa.