About us

History & values

Our Office was established by founding coordinator Annick Maugile Flavien and resides within Concordia University’s Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic. The work of the BPO is informed by the generations of Black student and community activism in Montreal and at Concordia that have laid the foundation for work that addresses and challenges anti-Black systemic racism. It is this engagement that has made it possible for the original pilot initiative to become its own office and we are honoured to be shaping an office that best represents, serves, and is informed by the rich and diverse Black perspectives at Concordia. 

At core, the Black Perspectives Office works from an anti-racist, anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive framework. We are committed to our evergrowing practice of being inclusive and accessible to all, and we actively aim to oppose all forms of discrimination and oppression. The BPO serves all Black students, staff and faculty at Concordia University and engages with all members of the Concordia community. Though our impact is most directly focused towards the Concordia community, we make intentional efforts to foster relationships with local and international Black communities and universities.

Maurice Riley Case

Manager, Black Perspectives Office

Maurice Riley Case is the Manager of Concordia’s Black Perspectives Office (BPO).
His knowledge and experience in Black flourishing spans academic admissions, hiring, retention, teaching, learning and working environments.

In his role, Maurice provides guidance to faculty who seek to embed anti-oppressive and anti-racist pedagogies in their classrooms and research. He also develops training, facilitates workshops and provides one-on-one consultations to faculty and staff.
Maurice's approach to advocacy is informed by the Scarborough Charter (on Anti-Black Racism and Inclusion in Canadian Higher Education), whereby he is committed to redressing anti-Black racism and fostering Black inclusion and flourishing. Of particular interest are the ways in which classroom environments, curricula and assessments reflect issues of experiential knowledge, access to education, justice, and collective action. It is Maurice’s hope that through this consideration, all students can meaningfully engage in, access, and thrive in their learning environments. 

Prior to joining Concordia’s Black Perspectives Office, Maurice spent 12 years as an educator, and 3 years as the Instructional Coordinator for Black Student Flourishing at the Peel District School Board (PDSB) in Ontario. Maurice supported and trained educators on embedding racial, gender, sexuality, disability, and class justice in their pedagogies and practices at all levels in the PDSB. Maurice completed his Master of Education at York University where his research considered abolition and reform, and how Blackness is taken up in the education system. He also holds a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto.

Isabelle St-Louis 

Facilitator, Black Perspectives Office 

Isabelle St-Louis is the Facilitator for the Black Perspectives Office (BPO). In this role, she provides culturally safe support, advocacy, and programming for Black students. She develops networks of exchange and advancement for Black faculty and staff. As well, her role engages the entire Concordia community in workshops, trainings, and conversations on topics related to anti-black racism and integration of Black perspectives. 

Isabelle holds a Bachelor’s in Communication (UQAM, 2014). While doing her Master's in Business Administration (Université Laval, 2018), she seized the opportunity to study in Belgium and in Mexico, where she coordinated a Summer Campus. Fluent in French, Haitian Creole, English and Spanish, she explores cultures especially through dance and travel, appreciating the differences and the beauties that bring people together.  

As a former international program coordinator at HEC Montréal, she cofounded the school’s first steering committee for Black History Month raising awareness and encouraging openness of some challenges faced by Black communities, encouraging the university population in learning about one another. Optimistic at heart, Isabelle believes that well-intentioned actions lead to change and will put her efforts along with her team’s in creating un campus à l’image de chacun. 

Ludyvine Daisy Kodjane

Office Assistant, Black Perspectives Office 

Ludyvine Kodjane is the office assistant for the Black Perspectives Office and the Equity Office at Concordia University. They hold a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and maintain a queer, anti-racist and decolonial gaze and attitude in and out of professional life.

They bring their experience in community work to this role, working to connect Concordians to equity resources and Black-centered opportunities with kindness, understanding and empathy. They also plan to pursue graduate studies and continue their research centered on Black communities, gender, sexuality, and systemic racism.

Christine White

Office Assistant, Black Perspectives Office

(on leave)

Christine White is the office assistant for the Black Perspectives Office and the Equity Office at Concordia University. Christine began her career in administrative support in 2015. She has held high level executive support roles in various organizations, primarily in the retail industry.

She is passionate about matters of equity, diversity, inclusion and social justice as well as the fight against anti-Black racism. Passionate about serving the community, working with both the Black Perspectives Office and the Equity Office allows Christine to advance this commitment in her day-to-day work.

Statement on Black Lives Matter

The Black Perspectives Office, located on traditional Kanien’kehá:ka Nation Territory, stands in solidarity with and will always be informed by Black communities and activists in Canada, the US and around the world who continuously fight against anti-Black interpersonal and systemic racism, violence, and oppresion. We honour and stand with the Black Lives Matter movement in the fight for freedom, liberation, and justice.

As part of a Canadian university, we are committed to examining, addressing and teaching about the systemic violence and structural inequalities that shape the Canadian university and affect its communities. We acknowledge that systemic racism exists within academia and commit to denouncing and addressing its injustices within our own institution. As such, we also recognize the legacy of systemic racism at one of Concordia’s founding institutions, Sir George Williams University, in the late 1960s, and highlight how students have then as now been at the forefront of demanding racial justice.

In addition to the resources, services, advocacy, and consultative support we offer at the Black Perspectives Office, we work alongside the President's Task Force on Anti-Black in the examination of the eight following areas at Concordia University, towards addressing anti-Black systemic racism and ensuring an inclusive university: Campus security and relations with external security forces, Anti-racist education and resources for the campus community, Concordia and its founding institutions’ relations with Black Communities, Curriculum and educational tools, Student Services, Faculty Development and supports, Employment initiatives, and Fundraising.