By: Lucaiah Smith-Miodownik, News Writer
Editor’s Note: C Icart, humour editor at The Peak, was a panelist at this event. He was not involved in the production of this article.
On February 3, a snowy afternoon on Burnaby Mountain coated the campus in a blanket of reflection. Inside, SFU Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry (SOCA) held their Black History Month kickoff ceremony. Formed in 1994, SOCA “is an equity-seeking constituency group focusing on raising awareness on issues relevant to people of Black, African, and Caribbean descent on campus and globally.” They also provide community and a safe space for Black students on campus. The event, themed “From Past to Future: Black Canadian History and Leadership,” began with a slideshow on the history of Black Canadian influence, hardship, and success. It was followed by a musical performance from local artist TKID, a speech from SFU sociology professor Prof-Collins Ifeonu, and a panel of Black speakers working to make change. The panel was moderated by SFU Student Balqees Jama. The Peak attended the ceremony.
Professor Ifeonu’s speech recognized the complexities and importance of defining Blackness from a Canadian perspective. “Blackness in Canada, it struggles for visibility,” he said. “It’s always articulated as what I would call an ‘elsewhere identity.’ Something that exists outside of Canada.” Yet, this “couldn’t be further from the truth,” Ifeonu explained, acknowledging the kickoff’s theme of history and leadership. “Black history is Canadian history,” he said, quoting Jean Augustine, the first Black Canadian woman elected to Parliament who served multiple roles.
The Peak also spoke with SOCA’s president, Adanna Nduagu. She discussed how the ceremony not only touched on the past but highlighted the history of tomorrow for Black Canadian leaders: “I’m seeing Black people aspire to leadership positions [ . . . ] irrespective of the systemic barriers they encounter in the way. So that was my goal — to inspire whoever attended.”
The panelists spoke to a variety of questions about their work and the impacts they’ve made. A common thread between them all was their commitment to building community. One of the panelists was recording artist, educator, and SFU alum Ndidi Cascade. Cascade has opened shows for stars like Wu-Tang Clan and also led “youth empowerment workshops and hip-hop education school programs.” Cascade spoke about her love for cyphers within the Canadian hip-hop scene as one example of building community. Cyphers are gatherings where performers “rap, break, [and] beatbox tightly together in a circle where each person just might get a moment in the spotlight.” Another panelist, Sosa Eweka-Valentine, a registered nurse and mental health advocate, founded Talks with Sosa, “a public speaking platform that seeks to bring experts to discuss issues from social justice to mental health.” She discussed how her platform works to end the negative stigma around mental illness.
“I’m seeing Black people aspire to leadership positions [ . . . ] irrespective of the systemic barriers they encounter in the way. So that was my goal — to inspire whoever attended.” — Adanna Nduagu, president, SOCA
Naa Sheka Riby-Williams spoke via Zoom. Riby-Williams is a clothing designer and founder of NaaSheka Fashion, a streetwear brand inspired by and produced in Ghana. She spoke about how her brand works to showcase authentic Ghanaian fashion and provide jobs and education to Ghanaians. For one, Riby-Williams helped build libraries for students in Ghana. She is also the creator of this year’s Canucks’ Black Excellence Night logo. Another panelist was Brian Seremba — co-founder of the BC Community Alliance (BCCA). The BCCA is a non-profit focused on “addressing the structural inequities created by racism” in educational settings. The organization “advocated, organized, and collected community data” for the Anti-Racism Act, which requires the Canadian government to develop an action plan to confront systemic racism. The BCCA also created the BC school racism tracker, allowing community members to report incidents of racism to address harm and provide healing support for those affected. C Icart, humour editor at The Peak, SFU teaching assistant, and communication PhD student studying “Black Twitter meme culture as a form of political engagement,” also spoke as a panelist. He discussed the importance of representation in developing a sense of community, discussing how many students may have never had a Black TA before.
The panel also explored the ongoing Black Class Action discrimination case. Black Class Action Secretariat (BCAS) alleges that the Public Service of Canada “has failed to achieve equality in the workplace” for Black Canadians. Nicholas Marcus Thompson, a human rights advocate and the leader of the BCAS, told Amnesty International that the Canadian government “repeatedly acknowledged the existence of anti-Black racism in its institutions but has failed to take real action in response.” He stated that “Black public service workers deserve better and expect no less.”
Icart expressed how first reading about the case felt like reading a lot of stuff that they already knew about, stating, “If you’re Black in this country, you’ve experienced it or you know someone who has.” He also spoke to the dangers of the recent anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion push in the US and the abundance of misinformation about minority groups online that can convince people that “this is not happening.”
This employment-related discrimination case against the federal government is the “largest and most high-profile” of its kind in Canada. Currently, the class action is awaiting certification from the court. To be certified, the lawsuit must be found to have a “legally valid claim” and must apply to at least two individuals with common issues, known as a class.
After the event concluded, Nduagu shared she was “grateful that we had this amazing set of panelists who could come speak to us and share their journey, share knowledge, share why it’s important to always be rooted in community.”
For more Black History Month events from SOCA, see their calendar on their Instagram, @sfusoca.
