U Windsor Celebrates Black History – Black Futures Month

Black History – Black Futures month is what we are celebrating at the University of Windsor.

Recognizing and honouring Black History – Black Futures month is important in celebrating past accomplishments, along with present and future endeavours as well.

People of the African diaspora are integral to the fabric of our society not only in Canada but worldwide. Black people have been significant contributors to every field of study, and it’s necessary to highlight those achievements as we continue to educate ourselves. For many individuals, there was a lack of exposure to Black history growing up in the K-12 system and beyond, which essentially is the erasure of significant elements to the Canadian curriculum.

Black History – Black Futures Month is an opportunity to normalize discussions about the accomplishments of people, not only in the past tense. It’s essential to speak to the present and the future. We all stand on the shoulders of those trailblazers who came before us, who paved the way for many who thought the impossible was not possible. Remaining in the past is deficit thinking which limits mobilization. These rich histories do not focus only on the trials but also on the triumphs.

UWindsor is embarking on a month-long celebration with many great initiatives and collaborations, and the addition of more events each day. Marium Tolson-Murtty, Director of Anti-Racism Organizational Change, established a Black History – Black Futures Planning Committee in late fall 2021. Its members met weekly to ensure UWindsor was poised to honour Black History – Black Futures month.

Stories and voices are heard and amplified not only for one month but all year round in collaboration with the B.IDE Institute, Leddy Library, UWSA Afrofest, Alumni Office, the Essex County Black Historical Research Society, Coalition for Justice, Unity, and Equity, The Black Council of Windsor Essex, and UWindsor Public Affairs and Communications.

We are excited to kick things off with our “28 Books in 28 Days,” which will engage the entire campus community. We will host trivia contests, book prizes, and poster giveaways from The Legacy Collexion created by UWindsor alumnus and Order of Canada award recipient Robert Small. In addition, there will be podcasts with some of the fantastic alumni in the media, a speakers’ series of events, a celebration of the performance arts, and more. Each week will offer dynamic perspectives that embody what Black History – Black Futures month is all about.

Please see all the Black History Black Futures events here: https://www.uwindsor.ca/antiblackracism/bhm. Updates will be made regularly. 

This calendar will also provide a link to the broader Windsor-Essex County Black History Month events so people can see the full array of activities taking place within the community. In addition, we invite our faculty, students, staff, alumni to engage in the host of activities this month to continue to learn and grow and learn more about our Black history, which is Canadian history.

If your faculty, program, service area, or department have plans during Black History – Black Futures month that you would like us to share on our calendar of events, please contact us at abr@uwindsor.ca.

• Marium Tolson-Murtty(she/her), PhD(s), MEd, BEd, BA(Hons), OCT
  Director of Anti-Racism Organizational Change
  Office of the Vice-President | Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

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