Odette School of Business faculty, staff, and students participated in a number of events commemorating Black History – Black Futures month.

The month kicked off Feb. 2 with a guided tour for faculty, staff, and Master of Management students of the Amherstburg Freedom Museum, a curated archive of African-Canadians’ journey and contributions. The town of Amherstburg was a destination for many freedom seekers escaping slavery in the United States. As part of the tour, attendees visited Nazrey African Methodist Episcopal Church, a national historic site and stop on the Underground Railroad.

On Feb. 29, Craig Pinnock, chief financial officer of the Northbridge Financial insurance group, visited the Odette Building to share an important message: diversity offers competitive advantages and should be embraced in the business world.

“Innovation does not come from everyone in the room thinking the exact same thing, doing the same thing, and saying ‘yes, yes, yes’,” Pinnock said.

The conversation continued into the following month with a March 1 workshop for staff and faculty on “Evidence-Based Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace,” presented by Stephanie J. Creary, assistant professor of management and faculty fellow of the Coalition for Equity and Opportunity at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Creary shared her research and insights, from both practice and academia, on creating more inclusive environments.

Interim dean Ashish Mahajan says his faculty embraced the opportunity to celebrate Black excellence and diversity: “We hope to continue learning and furthering inclusion not just in February, but all year round.”