Concordia launches a Minor in Black and African Diaspora Studies in the Canadian Context

A new program will be offered at Concordia beginning September 2025: a Minor in Black and African Diaspora Studies in the Canadian Context. 

“The creation of this program responds to a long-standing demand,” says Anne Whitelaw, provost and vice-president, academic. “In addition to being a key recommendation from the President’s Task Force on Anti-Black Racism, it underscores our commitment as a signatory of the Scarborough Charter to combat anti-Black racism and foster Black inclusion in higher education in Canada." 

The Final Report of the President’s Task Force on Anti-Black Racism calls for a broader, more diversified curriculum that fosters critical thinking on racialization, racism and anti-Black racism, and it suggests the university work toward a full range of Black Canadian studies programs.

Christiana Abraham, senior lecturer in communication studies at Concordia, is the program's inaugural director. Her expertise includes Black media and cultural studies; critical race studies; post/de-colonial studies; gender, race, ethnicity and media; media of the Global South; development and rural communications. 

She has also been a task force member, leading the sub-committee on Concordia’s history and its founding institutions’ relations with Black communities. She currently sits on the Advisory Committee for the implementation of the task force recommendations. 

She explains that the demands for a Black studies program stem from the very creation of the university.

“The students involved in the 1969 Sir George Williams University student protest against racism clearly asked that the university consider a Black studies program. Going through the archives, we found multiple and consistent demands from students and faculty over the course of Concordia’s existence. This relates very much to Concordia’s foundations and how it came to be, out of Sir George Williams, a very grounded university with a specific history of Black presence.”

‘It is significant that Concordia is the first in Quebec’

Hosted by the Interdisciplinary Studies section of the Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS), the 24-credit program (using the designation BLST) draws from courses spanning the 200, 300 and 400 levels offered by FAS and the Faculty of Fine Arts and on the strengths of Concordia’s growing community of Black scholars. 

A new course, Introduction to Black Studies in the Canadian Context (BLST 200, cross-listed as FFAR 200) and the existing Race and Ethnic Relations (BLST 230, cross-listed as ANTH 230/SOCI 230) will be among the program's mandatory courses. 

Black Montreal (LOYC 211), taught by renowned scholar and local historian Dorothy Williams, is the third mandatory course for the new minor. Williams created the course and has taught it at the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability since 2019. The popular course is designed to introduce students to the major themes, issues and debates in Montreal’s Black history from its origins until today.

The proposal for the minor was developed by a working group led by Abraham and Angélique Willkie, special advisor to the provost on Black integration and knowledges and associate professor in the Department of Contemporary Dance. Willkie was also the chair of the President’s Task Force on Anti-Black Racism from 2020 to 2022. 

In addition to extensive consultation with Black-identified professors, Pascale Sicotte (Faculty of Arts and Science dean), Richard Courtemanche (FAS associate dean), Elizabeth Bloodgood (FAS interim associate dean) as well as Elaine Cheasley Paterson (Faculty of Fine Arts associate dean) were involved in the program’s development. Support from the Office of the Provost and VP, Academic was integral to the process, with curriculum developer Dalia Radwan providing educational development guidance throughout. 

The program is the first of its kind in Quebec. Among Canadian universities, Dalhousie was the first to introduce a minor in Black studies in 2016, followed by the University of Guelph, Toronto Metropolitan and Queen’s. York University and the University of Toronto both offer certificates. 

“It is significant that Concordia is the first in Quebec to offer a Black studies program,” says Willkie. “Montreal is host to both English-speaking and French-speaking Black communities — in fact, many of Concordia’s Black students are francophone. It’s a reality that must also be considered and addressed.”

‘Black populations in Canada and the United States have different historical contexts’

The Canadian context is central to the program’s approach and distinguishes it from Black Studies in African American and Black and African Diaspora Studies.

“Black populations in Canada and the United States have different historical contexts,” explains Willkie. “Black thought in the US is largely shaped by slave plantation history. In Canada, without discounting the importance of other Black communities, much of the Black population is of Caribbean descent, a region with its own distinct slave plantation history.

“People of Caribbean origin who have moved to Canada, and their descendants, have a different relationship to this territory. The diasporic experience is critical to how racism has manifested and remained unaddressed here, in institutions like ours and in broader society.”

The program also focuses on African diasporic migration beyond Canada and the United States, which includes Black academic traditions in the United Kingdom. The goal is to enrich the student experience by infusing the broad scope of Black histories, knowledges and alternative worldviews into the curriculum. 

“This program will uncover worldviews that stem from the Black experience and culture and the long, rich tradition of Black academic thought,” Abraham says.

“The Black radical tradition is one of the most exciting aspects of Black studies. It has been silenced and kept out of the domain of academia — specifically the Canadian academy — for too long. The intention is to expose students to these traditions through alternative epistemologies and methodologies. When they leave the university, they’ll have a much broader and more complex view of the world.”

Showcasing Black experiences, history, culture and perspectives

The electives are drawn from different disciplines, including Black-focused topics in literature, fine arts, history, and the application of critical thinking skills. They will also explore Black-focused topics in postcolonial and decolonial issues. 

“Professor Williams’s Black Montreal course was groundbreaking, and we’re thrilled that it will be a core course in the new program. We’re also enthusiastic that the existing Black-focused courses in FAS will serve as electives for the minor,” Sicotte says.

“Through this program, we strive to ensure an inclusive pedagogy and provide a course offering enriched by showcasing Black experiences, history, culture and perspectives.”

In addition to holding spaces in relevant courses, the Faculty of Fine Arts will host the new course, Introduction to Black Studies in the Canadian Context. 

“This course will focus on the histories and themes of Blackness in the Canadian context,” says Annie Gérin, dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts.

“Students will be introduced to the artistic and academic traditions of Black scholars and creators through foundational texts, histories, cultures, philosophies, debates and creative expression. They will be able to appreciate the various ways in which experience and knowledge are shared, often through the arts.

“The course will also provide students with the tools they need to develop critical vocabulary and frameworks allowing them to engage with Blackness in the Canadian context, emphasizing the diversity of Black populations in Canada.”

In its first year, the program will admit 25 applicants, with plans to double that in the second year. 

For Willkie and Abraham, the minor is a starting point for what they hope will be a broader project that encourages deeper research, attracts Black graduate students and further engages Black faculty while continuing to leverage existing resources.

“Black students also need to see themselves and their lived experiences reflected in the curriculum offered by their university,” Willkie says. “A program like this one is an important step toward making that a reality.” 

Focusing on Black studies in the Canadian context is crucial to uncovering and understanding the unique historical and cultural experiences and contributions of Black Canadians.

“The Scarborough Charter traces Black history back more than 400 years in Canada, so there are very deep traditions and Black settlements that are largely unknown here,” Abraham explains.

“We can consider this as part of Canada's hidden history. Yet there is so much to do within this emerging field of Black Canadian studies. There are lots of grounded and creative sites to work with and from, including our extensive archives at Concordia. It is a very exciting field and a historic moment for Black studies in Canada.”

Applications to the new Minor in Black and African Diaspora Studies in the Canadian Context are now open. Classes are set to start in September 2025.  

Explore Concordia’s Black Presence Hub.

Learn about the 1969 Sir George Williams University student protest.