Balqees Jama
Union Street captures Vancouver’s vibrant Black community through history
October 17, 2023By: Balqees Jama, SFU Student Content warning: mentions of systemic racism and displacement. Union Street is a documentary film highlighting Vancouver’s historic Black neighbourhood located in Strathcona. Known colloquially as Hogan’s Alley, it was systemically disrupted and displaced by the City of Vancouver’s construction of the Georgia Viaduct in the 1970s. Union Street features archival visuals and local Black community members’ current efforts in building Black community spaces. The film was directed by Jamila Pomeroy, a “Kenyan-Canadian writer, director, actor, and producer.” It debuted at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) in September and sold out all three showings weeks…
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Free resources of SFU
July 25, 2023By: Balqees Jama, SFU Student The university offers many resources, and students self-organize a variety of supports too. This non-exhaustive list highlights lesser-known free* resources available on the SFU Burnaby campus for graduate and undergraduate students, including Fraser International College…
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Building Black community in Vancouver on social media
March 2, 2023By: Saije Rusimovici, Staff Writer On February 15, the Vancouver Public Library hosted an event called “Building Black British Columbia with Social Media.” Moderating the discussion was Dr. Handel Kashope Wright, the director of UBC’s Centre for Culture, Identity, and…
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Monday Music: Uplifting Afropop
January 19, 2023By: Balqees Jama, SFU Student Listening to Afropop makes me wish I fully understood Pidgin so I could get even more lost in its euphonic bliss. Afrobeats is an umbrella genre of contemporary pop and music from Nigeria, Ghana, and their…
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Black excellence at SFU
February 20, 2022by Tamanna T., Staff Writer and Marco Ovies, Features Editor Dr. David Chariandy [caption id="attachment_121246" align="alignnone" width="350"] Courtesy of SFU[/caption] One of the most accomplished professors at SFU is Dr. David Chariandy. A professor who teaches creative writing and literature,…
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SFSS Spring 2022 Referenda: Equity Through Democracy
February 16, 2022by Balqees Jama, SFU Student Editors note: The author is president of SOCA and is currently advocating for this referendum. The Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) 2022 Executive Elections are currently underway and among the five referenda questions, two are…
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President of Students of Caribbean & African Ancestry removed due to negligence
April 3, 2021Written by: Jaymee Salisi, News Writer On March 12, 2021 former president of SFU Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry (SOCA) Tim Maruti was removed for failure to fulfill his presidential duties throughout 2020 and 2021. Upon removal, Maruti posted a…
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SFU C19 Coalition condemns tuition hikes
October 29, 2020Written by: Karissa Ketter, News Writer The SFU C19 Coalition is asking SFU Senior Administration to formally defer tuition and withdraw fee increases for the 2020–21 academic year. The Coalition is a grassroots organization of students and staff at SFU…
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SFSS 2020 AGM: Moving towards equity and democracy
October 19, 2020By Balqees Jama, SFSS Board of Directors (At-Large Rep) Recent SFU Student Activism SFU has witnessed a wave of student activism over the last couple of years that was inspired in 2018 by an interconnected combination of movements on campus.…
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Board Shorts – July 24
August 2, 2020Written by: Paige Riding, News Writer Roundtable discussion regarding Fall U-Pass With the deadline approaching to make a decision about reinstating the U-Pass program for SFU students, the Board discussed its options before agreeing to vote at a later time.…
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