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During the month of February, UNB celebrates and commemorates Black History Month by honouring and acknowledging the achievements and contributions of Black Canadians and people of African descent – achievements that have far too often been erased or ignored.

At UNB, we stand beside Black New Brunswickers and Black students at UNB and acknowledge the violent histories of Black dispossession in Canada. Black History Month also serves as a reminder for non-racialized people to stand in allyship with those who continue to face discrimination and bias.

Our world has changed a great deal in the past year. Although Black History Month is a time to reflect on the past, we must also acknowledge the present. The coronavirus pandemic, which has taken the lives of thousands of Canadians, has upended our lives and changed the way we live, work and socialize. Black Canadians and people of colour are disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Racialized people across our country and within our communities face deep-rooted health inequities and are dying at twice the rate of non-racialized people.

In honour of Black History Month, Black Canadians, and the Black Diaspora, the following online events and initiatives will be taking place on our campuses throughout the month of February:

Feb. 1

• Black Lives Matter in New Brunswick Education Project: Black Lives Matter-Fredericton and members of UNB’s faculty of education, with support from St. Thomas University’s faculty of education and Office of Experiential Learning, will be launching its resource website on Friday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. AST. The Black Lives Matter in New Brunswick Education Project was formed in 2020 and seeks to address the erasures of past and present Black histories, communities and experiences in New Brunswick social studies education. This is an evolving collection of K-12 resources that aim to bring Black histories and experiences into New Brunswick classrooms. The website features lesson plans, power points, films, readings and videos in one convenient place, easily accessible to teachers. The launch will be streamed live Facebook. We hope many of you will be able to attend this boundary-breaking event.

• Rediscovering the Roots of Black New Brunswickers: The UNB Art Centre, in partnership with UNB’s Bi-Campus Standing Committee on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Human Rights have produced banners and poster boards for display in Fredericton and Saint John. Featuring the stories of 28 Black New Brunswickers who made meaningful contributions to the province, they will be displayed on Regent and Westmorland streets in Fredericton, and at the Saint John Free Public Library, Market Square, throughout the month of February. Share your images of the initiative by tagging the @unb.art.centre on Instagram.

• The UNB Art Centre Black History Month Online Exhibit: Visit the UNB Art Centre’s online galleries to hear the voices of young black artists from the New Brunswick Black Artists Alliance. Poets Chevelle Malcolm, Thandiwe McCarthy, Savannah Thomas, Emmanuelle Jackson and singer/songwriter Ms. Thomas will perform original works. The online exhibition also features Dr. Mary McCarthy reading and discussing a letter written by UNB Alumnus Mary Matilda Winslow to her classmates in 1954 for their 50th class reunion. Mary Matilda Winslow was the first black woman to graduate from UNB in 1905 and her letter chronicles her experience of racism as a black educator.

Feb. 3

• The World Through Our Eyes: Addressing Racial Experiences in Higher Education: On Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. AST, see the faculty of education as it livestreams The World Through Our Eyes: Addressing Racial Experiences in Higher Education, a student-led panel moderated by UNB PhD in Education candidate Alicia Noreiga-Mundaroy, featuring student panelists Chevelle Malcolm, Ashley Malcolm, Olivia Rowinski and Brien-Orel Mugisha, as they reflect on their experiences as Black students at the University of New Brunswick.

Feb. 4

• The UNB Saint John winter 2021 film series presents: I Am Not Your Negro: On Thursday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. AST, join us on Microsoft Teams for the first screening of the UNB Saint John winter 2021 film series, I Am Not Your Negro, open to all members of the UNB community. The film will be introduced by Dr. Joe Galbo, Professor, Social Sciences, and you are invited to stay after the screening for the discussion.

Feb. 11

• The Department of History’s 5th annual Black History Month Lecture: On Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. AST, Dr. Melanie Newton, associate professor of history at the University of Toronto will present her talk entitled “‘This island’s mine, by Sycorax my mother’: Afro-Indigeneity, Gender and Survival in the Lesser Antilles.” The event will stream live on Microsoft Teams.

All members of the UNB community are encouraged to take part in these informative events to learn more about the rich history of Black New Brunswickers. Together, we work towards building a university environment based on the shared values of equity, diversity and inclusion.