Black History Month | Royal Roads University

Royal Roads University celebrates the legacy, achievements and experiences of Black people in our university community and beyond.

The 2026 theme for Black History Month, 30 Years of Black History Month: Honouring Black Brilliance Across Generations — From Nation Builders to Tomorrow’s Visionaries, celebrates the lasting contributions of Black Canadians who have helped shape Canada and continue to inspire future generations.

With thanks to everyone who contributed their time and voices to this page, in particular the Black scholars, learners, workers, alumni researchers and activists in our community and here at Royal Roads.

RRU events

Black History Month keynote: Black Legacies in Canada and the Academy

Yabome Gilpin-Jackson, Vice-President, People, Equity and Inclusion at Simon Fraser University, presents on Black Legacies in Canada and the Academy at RRU's Black History Month keynote event.

Community events

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Celebrate Black History Month at the Royal BC Museum with a dynamic display of booths from local organizations, hosted by the BC Black History Awareness Society.

Heritage Day is an opportunity to meet and talk with direct descendants about their stories and family history. The exhibits include images, artifacts and archival documents. Read more about the nine exhibitors.

Join us as we highlight the elders in our community that do so much to uphold culture, share history and raise the next generation. Bring your parents, family members, or mentors and have the opportunity to share stories and highlight the amazing people in our lives. With special guest, Louise Rose. Tickets are $30 for two.

Hair has always carried meaning. For Black women, it holds memory, resistance, care, grief, creativity, and pride.

The Story of Our Crowns brings together Black women with diverse histories, lived experiences, and expertise to explore the complex and deeply personal relationship we have with our hair. Through honest conversation, the panel will reflect on hair as a site of growth and transformation, a vessel of legacy passed through generations, and a space where hard truths (such as hair loss, alopecia, and medical realities) are often carried quietly.

More details and tickets.

Dive deeper into the current exhibit at the Maritime Museum of BC – 1858: Black Routes, Black Routes, which explores early Black immigration to BC. Hear from writer/researcher Madison Bridal about her experience learning and sharing about the “Pioneer Committee” and their journey to Canada on the Commodore. Then, hear from Barbra Hudlin, a descendent of these early Black immigrants and her family’s history on Vancouver Island. Free with regular admission.

Junie Desil is of Haitian ancestry, born of immigrant parents on the traditional territories of the Kanien’kehá:ka on the island known as Tiohtià:ke (Montréal), and raised in Treaty 1 Territory (Winnipeg). Junie has performed at various literary events and festivals. Her work has appeared in Room Magazine, PRISM International, The Capilano Review and CV2. A UBC alum, a participant in Simon Fraser University’s Writer’s Studio, and current UVic MFA student, Junie’s debut book of poetry eat salt | gaze at the ocean (Talon Books, 2020) was short-listed for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. Her second collection allostatic load (Talon Books) came out April 2025. Junie mentors poets at SFU’s Writers’ Studio and also teaches in SFU’s Leadership Essentials Certificate program.

The event is free but registration is required.

Enjoy an unforgettable evening where art, culture and recognition meet. The Black History Month Closing Gala & Kora Night celebrates the achievements, resilience, and contributions of Black leaders, artists, and community members across Canada, closing the month with beauty, rhythm and reflection. Details and tickets.

2026 Stories and voices

This Black History Month, students in the RRU Black community shared their experiences being Black in Canada. Here's what they said.

Clear path in environmental protection flowed from murky waters

A woman smiles to the camera while standing in front of Hatley Castle.

MA Environment and Management student Debbie Essien received the 2025 Award for Diversity and Community Building for community service and leadership.

Full story

An interview with Donneil McNab, founder of the Award for Diversity and Community Building

A woman gestures to students around an info booth

We asked Donneil McNab, Royal Roads Master of Arts in Tourism Management alum and founder of the Award for Diversity and Community Building, more about why she established this award and the impact she hopes it has on recipients.

Full interview

Explore the RRU Library's digital display

The Royal Roads University Library's digital display features books, films and essays by Black creators on the topics of Black Canadian history, the contemporary Black experience, Black culture and communication, the Black post-secondary experience, Black women and leadership, Black history in law and business, and Black film and fiction.

Visit the digital display

Watch past Royal Roads events

BC Black History Awareness Society: Preserving and co-creating Black history in BC

Roots, Routes and Reckonings: On Blackness and Belonging in North America

Why February, why a month, what's changed?

Voices

Past video messages and stories from the RRU community

Additional resources

BCcampus

In collaboration with B.C.’s Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, BCcampus worked alongside a diverse group of racialized and Indigenous experts to develop The Gift We Give One Another: A Collection of Anti-Racism and Anti-Hate Resources.

This collection includes publicly available resources from B.C.’s post–secondary institutions, a webinar series and much more.

Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion

The Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion has resources for Canadians to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements and contributions of Black Canadians in their communities:

Canadian Commission for UNESCO

This report, Black Canadians and Public Education, summarizes findings from a study undertaken by Turner Consulting Group to review the extent to which Black history and Black representation is embedded in Canadian K-12 social studies curricula.

Government of Canada

The Government of Canada has additional materials available on their Black History Month webpage including a digital toolkit, videos and biographies of notable Black Canadians who helped shape Canada.

Cultural and educational resources

Interested in learning more? Check out 2023 picks as well as items from the 2022 culture and educational resources list curated by assoc. faculty members Athena Madan and Olaolu Adeleye, and other RRU community members.

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Film

National Film Board: Black Communities in Canada

Explore this free collection of films by award-winning Black filmmakers, creators, and allies of the Black community, detailing a rich history to better understand the present.

Journey to Justice
This documentary pays tribute to a group of Canadians who took racism to court. They are Canada's unsung heroes in the fight for Black civil rights. Focusing on the 1930s to the 1950s, this film documents the struggle of six people who refused to accept inequality.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019, UK, about Malawi)

(Available on Netflix) Winner of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture. Directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor, based on the true story of 13-year-old William Kamkwamba’s quest to builds a wind turbine to save his Malawian village from famine.

Two Distant Strangers (2021, USA)

(Available on Netflix) 2021 Oscar Winner, Best Live Action Short Film. In this Oscar-winning short film, a man trying to get home to his dog becomes stuck in a time loop that forces him to relive a deadly run-in with a cop.

National Film Board of Canada playlist celebrating Black History Month

A collection of 30 films by Black filmmakers, creators and allies that portray the multi-layered lives of Canada’s diverse Black communities.

Music

“Hymn to Freedom" by Oscar Peterson and Oliver Jones (2004, Canada)

Canada’s very own Montréalais Oscar Peterson's "Hymn to Freedom" became an anthem of the US civil rights movement during the 1960s. This is Oscar Peterson and Oliver Jones’ last public appearance, playing at the Montreal Jazz Festival in 2004. Peterson died in 2007.

"Tutu" by Miles Davis (1986, USA)

Winner of the 1986 Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist Grammy Award. Miles Davis released the album Tutu in 1986, dedicated to Archbishop Desmond Tutu after being inspired by his humanitarianism and activism against the Apartheid regime.

Podcasts

How to spark change within our unequal education system (2021, Canada)

From the Conversation's “Don’t Call Me Resilient” series. Carl James, professor of education at York University and Kulsoom Anwer, a high school teacher who works out of one of Toronto's poorest neighbourhoods, discuss the inequalities and injustices in the public education system that have been exacerbated by COVID19 – and the way forward.

Black health matters (2021, Canada)

From the Conversation's “Don’t Call Me Resilient” series. Roberta Timothy, assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, talk about her global health research project, Black Health Matters, and why racial justice is a public health matter.

Children's Literature

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre (2021, USA)

Winner of the 2022 Coretta Scott King Book Awards for Author and Illustrator and a 2022 Caldecott Honor Book. Written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Floyd Cooper, a sensitive introduction for young readers (grades 3-6) about the devastation of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in American history.

13 Exceptional Kid Lit Books to Read for Black History Month (2022, USA)

Booklist by the Anti-Defamation League. Recommended books include picture books, chapter books and graphic novels. Each book comes with two discussion guides: one for educators and one for families.

Black History Month Reads for Teens

A list of non-fiction, fiction, graphic novels and poetry that celebrate Black voices and illuminate Black history.

Historical fiction

Africville by Jeffrey Colvin (2019, Canada)

The story of Africville, the settlement for Nova Scotia slaves who built Halifax in 1749, and which became a close-knit and prosperous community until Halifax demolished it in 1960s in what many felt was an act of racism.

Poetry

Celebrating Black Canadian Poets by 49th shelf (Canada)

A handful of collections by Black Canadian poets writing in English curated by Kerry Clare for 49th Shelf.

Celebrating Black History Month

Poems, articles, and podcasts that explore African American history and culture.

NPR 'Fresh Air' remembers Archbishop Desmond Tutu (2021, USA, about South Africa)

In tribute to Archbishop Desmond Tutu who passed away on December 26, 2021: Desmond Tutu was an indefatigable Anti-Apartheid activist and defender of peace and human rights worldwide. In this broadcast, NPR re-airs interviews with Tutu (from 1984 and 1999) about his work and philosophy that grounded his approach chairing the South African Truth and Reconciliation Committee.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Apartheid, War, Palestine, Guantánamo, Climate Crisis & More (2021, USA, about South Africa)

In tribute to Archbishop Desmond Tutu who passed away on December 26, 2021. Desmond Tutu was an indefatigable Anti-Apartheid activist and defender of peace and human rights worldwide. In this broadcast, Democracy Now! re-airs interviews and speeches throughout Tutu’s life and advocacy about a number of global and contentious issues, ranging from South African Apartheid to the present day.

Personal Essay & Memoirs

Race and Storytelling by Esi Edugyan (2022, Canada)

The CBC Massey Lectures & Anansi Press. Two-time Scotiabank Giller Prize winner, internationally bestselling author, and RRU Changemaker Speaker Esi Edugyan discusses the myriad varieties of Black experience in global culture and history, and why centralizing experience on the margins is important.

The Skin We’re In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power by Desmond Cole (2020, Canada)

Winner of the 2020 Toronto Book Award and nominated for the 2021 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing. In this book, activist and former Toronto Star journalist Desmond Cole examines with close-up and brutal honesty how Canada is not immune to the police brutality and anti-Black racism that is thought to uniquely characterize American society.

Whites: On Race and Other Falsehoods by Otegha Uwagba (2020, UK)

Winner of the 2020 Guardian Book of the Year. What does true allyship actually look like – and is it even possible? In this powerful and timely personal essay, best-selling author Otegha Uwagba reflects on racism, whiteness, and the mental labour required of Black people to navigate the two.

Between the world and me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (2015, USA)

A letter from a father to his son about how to grow up navigating being Black given centuries of violence against Black bodies. Available at the RRU Library.

Home and Exile by Chinua Achebe (2001, Nigeria)

Powerful and deeply personal, these three essays by the great Nigerian author articulate his mission: to rescue African culture from the narratives written by Europeans, to confront the persistence of colonial views of Africa, and share stories of the African experience as written and told by Africans.

You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience edited by Tarana Burke and Brené Brown (2022, USA)

Anthology edited by women who founded #metoo. “How do you take the armour off in a country where you’re not physically or emotionally safe?” A collection of essays by Black writers, organizers, artists, academics, and cultural figures about navigating Black humanity in the aftermath of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

Essays

Black History Month: Get Ready to be Blown Away by Five of Paul Lewin's Afro-futuristic Paintings by Charlotte Zobeir Ali

Afrofuturism combines science-fiction, history and fantasy to celebrate Black people. As Paul Lewin stated, "I believe all art by people of colour is important to the concept of valuing Black life." (full text available will free Medium account)

How a Cowboy Helped Me Learn L.A.'s Hidden Black History by Lexis-Olivier Ray

When the smoke cleared...Cowboy and most of his comrades found themselves in jail. Face with serious prison sentences, their only hope at freedom was to strike a deal and join the war effort in Vietnam immediately.(full text available will free Medium account)

In Celebration of Black Freedom, a Cowboy Story by Zaron Burnett III

Born a slave, Black cowboy Nat Love died a legend of the Old West.

In Josephine Baker's Activism, Black Joy and Struggle Live Side by Side by Allison Wiltz

Josephine Baker shattered the activist trope long ago, dispelling the myth that Black activists can't fight against racism while also having a good time.

Please Don't Forget About Black Joy This Month by Raven J. James

What I want people to understand is that the stories regarding our struggles and fights are still important. But there is more to Black life than things that have scarred us the most. (full text available will free Medium account)

The Richest Black Girl in America by Lauren N. Henley

When an 11-year-old Black girl in Jim Crow America discovers a seemingly worthless plot of land she has inherited is worth millions, everything in her life changes - and the walls begin to close in.

What Happened to Playboy's First Black Cover Girl by Morgan Jerkins

Her name was Darine Stern, the first solo Black cover girl for Playboy, and her story offers a glimpse into the opportunities or lack thereof for Black models during the '70s and '80s.

The ZORA Canon by ZORA editors

The 100 greatest books ever written by African-American women. (full text available will free Medium account)

Political science

White evangelical racism: The politics of morality in America by Anthea Butler (2021, USA)

A 2021 Choice Outstanding Academic Title. Dr. Anthea Butler, a professor of religion at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses how evangelical racism has, since America’s foundation, divided the electorate for the purposes of propelling benefits of whiteness.

Book Club Facilitation Guide: How to Be an Antiracist by Olaolu Adeleye (2021, Canada)

The BCcampus free digital resource by Royal Roads associate faculty member Olaolu Adeleye aims to help facilitators lead discussions about anti-racism through book clubs. “The guide will help educators shift to a place of reflection: moving from rebuttal and debate to understanding and appreciation,” Adeleye says.

Calendar of Racial Justice (USA)

Designed by the Equal Justice Initiative, this website pays a daily tribute to events and people that are critically important in engaging truthfully about racial injustice underpinning American history but not well known to the American public.

Interview with bell hooks: Cultural Criticism & Transformation (1997, USA)

In tribute to bell hooks who passed away on December 15, 2021: bell hooks was one of the leading American interdisciplinary thinkers about the function of race and gender in today's culture. In this interview, hooks discusses her work and identities in the contexts of American patriarchal history, capitalism, and white supremacy. Interview excerpt part 1 and part 2. Transcript. Titles by bell hooks at the RRU Library.

Societies and groups

RRU: Diversity Action Group

BC: British Columbia Black History Awareness Society

Canada: Visit the Government of Canada's website for more societies and groups across Canada.