Virtual open sessions offered in partnership with the Maple League of Universities

SACKVILLE, NB — Mount Allison University will host a virtual symposium focusing on racial justice, higher learning, and community February 9-11, 2021. The Symposium is co-presented with the Maple League of Universities, of which Mount Allison is a founding member, along with Acadia, Bishop’s, and St. Francis Xavier universities.

“We hope the symposium will serve as a vehicle for learning and continuing discussion for all members of our university communities,” says Ivan Okello, Mount Allison’s Black Students Advisor and Diversity Educator and co-organizer of the Symposium. “Mount Allison is pleased to host this series of events and speakers, in collaboration with the Maple League of Universities during Black History Month.”

The Symposium will feature keynote speakers and panelists including:

• Dr. Ornella Nzindukiyimana, Professor, Human Kinetics, St. Francis Xavier University
• Dr. OmiSoore H. Dryden, James R. Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies and Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University
• Dr. Joy Mighty, Associate Vice-President (Teaching and Learning), Carleton University

Several panel discussions are being held. Topics include Leadership and Excellence: A guide to being a changemaker, featuring Emelyana Titarenko, Mount Allison alumna and former MASU President; and Solidarity and Community: Building relationships with underserved communities.

To mark Black History Month and the start of the Racial Justice Symposium, Mount Allison will be raising the Pan-African Flag on February 9 to fly over campus for the month of February. Due to current Public Health restrictions, there will be no community gathering to mark this event; instead it will be recorded and shared via social media afterwards.

In addition to the above sessions, which are all being held virtually and open to the public, a discussion forum for BIPOC community members from Maple League Universities will also be held on the topic of Anti-Black Racism: Stories of Resistance and Healing (pre-registration required, email bsa@mta.ca)