The official launch of the Black Scholars Institute is taking place Sept. 26 with a full day of events, including keynote speakers, panel discussions, food, and live entertainment.

The events begin at 9 a.m. with refreshments in the BSI lounge in the lower level of the CAW Student Centre. Activities then move to the student centre atrium, with drumming, a libations pour ritual, and speakers. The first keynote address will be virtual at 10:30 a.m. by George Sefa Dei of the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, followed at 11 a.m by a community panel, and at 11:40 a.m. with an in-person address from Irene Moore Davis of the Essex County Black Historical Research Society.

A complimentary lunch featuring authentic cuisine will be accompanied by live music by the Josh Johnson Band in the BSI lounge at noon before an afternoon that features a panel discussion at 1:30 p.m. featuring OmiSoore Dryden, the James R. Johnston Chair Black Canadian Studies and Director of Black Studies (in STEMM) Research Institute at Dalhousie University; Tanya Sharpe, founder and director of the Centre for Research and Innovation for Black Survivors of Homicide Victims at the University of Toronto; and Cheryl Thompson, director of the Black Creative Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Come learn more about the institute, director Camisha Sibblis, and the institute’s members, including the 13 new faculty members who have joined the campus through the Black Scholars Hiring Initiative.

Admission is free, but registration is recommended. Register here.