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Two Black students smiling, at the Asper School of Business

Recipients of the 2023-24 Promoting Black Flourishing Fund, Samuel Ogunsola and Cheta D. Akaluka at the Eco-Empower Symposium. Photo credit: John Medina [BEnvST/23]

Black Flourishing at UM

Community-led events supported by the 2024-25 Promoting Black Flourishing Fund

January 29, 2025 — 

From bookclubs and podcasts to keynote speeches and panel discussions, the 2024-25 Promoting Black Flourishing Fund showcase the creativity and diversity of the Black community at UM.

The annual fund is an initiative of the Office of Equity Transformation. Tina Chen, Vice-Provost (Equity) says, “We are happy to once again support a variety of community-led initiatives that further Black flourishing and contribute to fostering a vibrant UM community. I want to thank the students, faculty, and staff for their efforts in showing us what Black flourishing means to them.”

Created in 2021 to reflect UM’s commitment to anti-racism and the Scarborough Charter on anti-Black racism and Black Inclusion, the fund embraces the diversity and complexity of Black peoples through supporting and affirming Black voices and investing in Black initiatives at UM.

Fund applications were due in October, with successful applications receiving funding for projects that must take place by March 31, 2025.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Note: Some projects are also funded through other sources.

 

Changing the Narrative book club

  • Date and time: Friday, January 31 from 6 to 7:15 p.m.
  • Location: 409 Tier Building (Fort Garry campus)
  • The book club, organized by the Afro-Caribbean Mentorship Program (ACMP) in support of the Black Student Collective, creates space for centering Black stories and literature. This reading and discussion will focus on the book, “A Certain Amount of Madness: The Life, Politics and Legacies of Thomas Sankara”.
  • Instagram: @changingthenarrative.um
  • Email: changingthenarrative.um@gmail.com

 

Finding Your Voice: Black Health Symposium

  • Date and time: Saturday, February 1 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Location: Joe Doupe Concourse, Basic Medical Sciences Building (Bannatyne campus)
  • The UM Black Medical Students Association (BMSA) is hosting a symposium for black undergraduate and high school students with an interest in pursuing healthcare as a profession. The full-day event will consist of panel talks, keynote speakers, and educational workshops to address systemic barriers and unique challenges faced by black learners and to help instill confidence to thrive in the medical fields.
  • Register here.

 

Working in Solidarity: Confronting Structural Discrimination and Mental Health Inequities

  • Date and time: February 7, 2025 from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
  • Location: Round House Auditorium, 319 Elgin Avenue. Red River College, Exchange District Campus and online (zoom)
  • The Afro-Caribbean Mentorship Program (ACMP) in collaboration with UM’s Department of Anthropology and Red River College is hosting the 3rd annual mental health event.
  • The event, featuring keynote speaker, Dr. Wendell Nii Laryea Adjetey from McGill University, will explore how the intersections of race, social class, immigration status, sexuality, and gender shape distinct mental health challenges among Black Canadians. Other panelists include:
    • Heidi Marx (Dean, UM Faculty of Arts)
    • Sana Maboob (Prairies Can, Senior Administrator to the Assistant Deputy Minister)
    • Jamie Moses (Minister of Economic Development, Investment, Trade and Natural Resources of Manitoba)
    • Nina Condo (Community activist)
    • Peter Donahue (Dean, UM Faculty of Social Work)
    • Tina Chen (UM Vice-Provost, Equity)
    • Shreeraj Patel (Vice-President, Royal Bank of Canada)
  • Register here.

 

See Yourself Here

  • Date and time: Wednesday, February 26 from 6 to 9 p.m.
  • Location: Robson Hall, 224 Dysart Road
  • Hosted by the Black Law Students’ Association in partnership with the Manitoba Indigenous Law Students Association, the event will include a panel discussion and opportunities for networking among BIPOC students, faculty, and legal practitioners. 
  • Register here.

 

Empowering Voices: Amplifying Black Narratives in Leadership

  • Date and time: February 28, 2025 from 5 to 9 p.m.
  • Location: Manitou a bi Bii daziigae, 319 Elgin Avenue. Red River College, Exchange District Campus, and online (zoom)
  • This Black History Month event is presented by the Afro-Caribbean Mentorship Program (ACMP), UM Faculty of Arts, UM Black Alliance (UMBA), Red River College, and University of Winnipeg. It will feature a keynote address from the Honourable Uzoma Asagwara (MLA for the Manitoba legislature).
  • Register here.

 

The Black Experience podcast

  • The soon-to-launched podcast, created by four University of Manitoba students, explores the challenges, triumphs, and everyday realities of Black students on campus, including topics like mental health, academics, and community life.
  • Instagram: @theblackexperiencepod
  • Email: contact@tbepod.com

 

 

See more Black History Month events

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