Centering Black voices through dialogue and action
Black History Month invites reflection, dialogue and renewed commitments to equity. Concordia’s Black Perspectives Office (BPO) offers programming that centres on lived experience, historical memory and collective learning. Designed to spark meaningful conversation and connection, this programming encourages the campus community to pause, listen, and engage more intentionally with the work of social change.
“The work of the Black Perspectives Office is foundational to the Equity Office’s mandate,” says Lisa White, executive director of the Equity Office. “Equity work requires us to move beyond statements of principle and toward sustained engagement with the lived realities of our community members. The BPO creates the spaces, relationships and accountability structures that make that engagement possible.”
BPO programming for Black History Month
To kick off Black History Month, “In Conversation with Civil Rights Activist Fred Anderson: From Mississippi to Montreal” offered an opportunity to engage directly with history through lived experience.
In dialogue with Kelann Currie-Williams, a Concordia doctoral scholar and oral historian, Anderson reflected on his journey from civil rights activism in Mississippi to decades of social advocacy in Montreal. Through personal and historically relevant stories, the conversation explored themes of courage, belonging and the evolving meaning of social change across borders and generations. The event drew a fully packed, standing-room-only audience.
On Thursday, February 26, the BPO and the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee at McGill University’s Department of Family Medicine will host “From Stigma to Support: Changing the Conversation on Black Mental Health.” The collaborative event will feature a discussion led by Dr. Myrna Lashley on the stigma surrounding Black mental health in Canada and examine how systemic and practitioner-level biases shape clinical care.
Learning opportunities with the BPO
In addition to these public conversations, the BPO continues to offer an array of workshops throughout the semester. Led by Orphendy Charles, BPO advisor, they are designed to provide learning and developmental opportunities for students, faculty and staff.
“If we want campuses to be fair and welcoming, we have to be willing to have honest conversations rooted in the everyday experiences of faculty, staff and students,” says James Roach, director of both the BPO and the Equity Office. “Creating space for Black perspectives at Concordia ensures those voices are not only present, but shape conversations and decisions. That is how understanding grows, communities are strengthened, and meaningful change becomes possible.”
To better support the distinct realities of students, faculty and staff, BPO workshops are intentionally offered in separate sessions on the same topics. This approach creates peer-based learning environments where participants can speak openly, build trust and engage in shared learning.
For students, workshops such as “Facilitating Difficult Conversations on Race and Racism” and “Black Identity and Belonging in Higher Education” provide structured, supportive spaces to name lived experiences, gain confidence and develop practical skills for navigating complex conversations about race — both inside and outside the classroom.
For faculty and staff, “Breaking Barriers, Building Leaders: Centering Black Leadership” offers insight into the lived experiences of Black students and colleagues, supporting inclusive leadership development and providing concrete strategies for uplifting and sustaining Black leadership within departments and across the institution.
Support for PhD students
New in 2026, the BPO is hosting monthly drop-in sessions for Black doctoral students at the NouLa Lounge. These low-pressure, come-as-you-are sessions are centred on connection, conversation, and mutual support. Attendees are invited to bring a lunch and connect with their peers.
Learn more about and register for upcoming Black Perspectives Office events and activities.
