The Faculty of Arts is the academic home of Black Studies academic programming, research and Black excellence.
These webpages represent current, past and upcoming Black Studies initiatives, people and resources that are based primarily within the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ– although may include contributions from community partners, researchers and beyond.
Black Flourishing (programs and courses)
Diplomas
The Faculty of Arts offers programs open to students from any faculty at À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ:
- Diploma in Black Studies - provides students with foundational knowledge into Black Arts, culture, life, history, society, and politics through an intersectional framework (i.e., intersection of race, class, gender, identity, sex, sexuality, and region).
- Diploma in Fundamentals of Anti-Racist Communication -Ìý provides students with essential skills to combat anti-Black racism, develop broad racial awareness and Black cultural competency, and engage in effective interracial communication, and interracial allyship.Ìý
Upcoming courses: Fall 2025
- BLKST 103 / COMMST 103 / ENGL 103 - Combating RacismÌýÌý
- BLKST 203 / COMMST 203 / ENGL 203 - Intro to Anti-Racist Communication
- BLKST 308 / ENGL 373 - Writing Anti-Racism
- BLKST 340 / ENGL 340 - Contemporary African Literature and Film
- BLKST 399Ìý - Special Topics - Philosophy of Education: Tool for State or Resistance (held with GSJ 472 and PHIL 471)
- BLKST 399Ìý - Special Topics- Reading Black Prize Writers (held with ENGL 486)
Note: The above courses are those that we plan to offer in the term but may be subject to change.
How to add a diploma credential
Degree students:
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Once you've completedÌýyour degree, including all diploma requirements, includeÌýthe diploma along with your other academic plans onÌýtheÌýApply to Graduate FormÌýfor that year.
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Degree students cannot declare diplomas prior to graduation.Ìý
Non-degree or post-degree students:
Reminder: you need to apply toÌýNon-degree or Post-degree studiesÌýfirst, and be admitted.
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Once you're admitted, fill out aÌýPlan Modification FormÌýto declare the diploma (this applies to ND/PD students only),ÌýOR
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Upon completing all diploma courses, claim the credential by declaringÌýthe diploma on theÌýApply to Graduate FormÌýÌýfor that year.
Contact us
For more information about diploma requirements, course offerings and scheduling, or how to enrol in Black Studies courses please contact Dr. Laura Mae Lindo - Director of Black Studies or Kelli MacCulloch.
Black Excellence (meet our faculty and staff)
Laura Mae Lindo, Director
Dr. Laura Mae LindoÌý(she/her/elle) is a respected activist and educator who holds both a Masters and PhD in Education. Dr. Lindo is a knowledgeable advocate for the rights of womxn and girls, a respected ally to vulnerable communities, and, most importantly, a courageous public speaker, ready, willing, and able to speak to issues often left unaddressed. Her research includes an exploration of the use of humour to initiate discussions of race and racism in pre-service classrooms and forms the foundation of her upcoming book, Unthinkable Laugher: (Re)Imagining Anti-Racist Education (the University of Toronto Press).ÌýDr. Lindo has worked at Toronto Metropolitan University in the Diversity Institute as well as lectured at St. Francis Xavier University (Antigonish, Nova Scotia), the University of Prince Edward Island (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island), York University (Toronto, Ontario), and Wilfrid Laurier University (À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, Ontario). A former Member of the Provincial Parliament for Kitchener Centre and Ontario’s Official Opposition Critic for Anti-Racism and Equity as well as Colleges and Universities, Dr. Lindo was the inaugural Chair of Ontario’s first Black Caucus. She is currently an Assistant Professor in Philosophy at the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ (À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, Ontario) and Founder and Director of the eÌýwhere she continues to put anti-racist theory into practice.Ìý
More faculty and staff profiles coming soon!
Black Mobilizing (research, scholarship and creation)
Additional research resources and news coming soon!
Resources
President's Anti-Racism Task Force
The President’s Anti-racism Taskforce is team of advisors representing Black, Indigenous and other racialized peoples, who will help advance anti-racism initiatives at the University.ÌýPART reports to the President of the University.
Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism
The OfficeÌý works collaboratively on and off campus to build, incubate and enhance EDI-R competency and capacity across campus to identify an interrupt institutional barriers and embed equity within policies, processes, environments and experiences at the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ.
In NovemberÌý 2021, the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ joinedÌý more than 40 other post-secondary institutions in becoming a signatory to the Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in Canadian Higher Education.
Selected resources for students and faculty
- Student Awards, Entrance Awards Designated to Black Students
- À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, Black-led student clubs and activities
- Faculty,
- Office of Research,
- Library,
- Centre for Teaching Excellence, Educational Developers , Anti-Racist Pedagogies
- Community Research, Sankofa Network for Transformative & Community Research
News
Events
Upcoming events
- Check back again for updates.
Other opportunities
- Are you a Black Engineer working in Canada? ÌýConsider participating in this research project!
A Balancing Act: Black Engineers Industry Experiences in Canada. For more information contact: Dr. Kim Borden-Penney kim.bordenpenney@acadiau.ca
Past events
- A Discussion with Author Tess Chakkalakal -Friday, April 4, 12:00 pm - À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Public Library (Main Branch)
- Author Discussion with Too Black and Rasul Mowatt on - Friday, April 4, 5:30 pm -Ìý Kitchener Public Library
- Laundering Black Rage Study Group - March 27, 2025