Greetings, dear members of the National Black Graduate Network (NBGN)! We, the NBGN staff, wish you all a happy new academic year. We are extending positive energy and thoughts to each and every one of you who are continuing on this journey as academic scholars or graduate students and students of Black Studies in Canada. To our new members, we would like to send a special shout-out welcome to you and let you know that the NBGN is an initiative to promote communication and collaboration among Black academics and graduate students across Canada.
We are very excited about this year as we look forward to this network growing and serving Black graduate students and students of Black studies in the future. I am happy to let you know that I will continue serving on the leadership team this year and would like to extend a warm NBGN welcome to my colleague, Ph.D. student Aayah Amir. Please find Aayah’s welcome message below.
As we stand on the cusp of a fresh academic year, there’s an air of excitement and anticipation around Black studies in Canada, and with every new year comes a time to renew our dedication to learning, research, and community engagement. We, the NBGN Staff, are thrilled to embark on this journey with you, empowering and supporting Black graduate students attending universities within the ten provinces of Canada.
Embrace the Opportunities
This academic year presents many opportunities for growing the network among Black graduate students personally and professionally. As members of the NBGN, you are part of a dynamic community that values your aspirations, contributions, and voice. We recognize the importance of advocacy and representation within academia and are committed to being a platform for you to advocate for the rights and interests of Black graduate students, address systemic challenges, promote equity, and amplify your voices through the powerful practice of writing.
We invite you to share your experience, thoughts, and work on the website’s blog, message board, and research page. The NBGN blog page is where you can engage in the powerful practice of writing by providing information and inspiration for your peers and the broader academic community. Your unique perspective matters and has the potential to spark meaningful change by just writing. We are offering one hundred and fifty dollars to two members of the NBGN who would like to write a blog to post on the website. We post a blog the first week of every month. If you want to write a blog during the 2023–24 academic school year, please contact us at hello@nbgn.ca. Please note that we are extending a special invitation to our francophone members to write a blog in French.
The best way to stay updated with what’s going on throughout the school year is by utilizing the message board. Please embrace the opportunity to post and respond to the website’s message board posts. Aayah or I will post new messages on the board at least twice a week, so please feel free to respond to those posts to keep communication and engagement going.
Our research page on the NBGN website is the best way to share your work, so please feel free to use this option to share with other members of the NBGN about what you are doing. You never know if another NBGN member is doing similar work to embrace opportunities to collaborate.
Although we are located in Ontario, we would love to learn more about the work our members are doing at university campuses in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. There is a platform on our website for your voice as well.
Again, please embrace every opportunity to engage with the powerful practice of writing by blogging, posting and responding to post on the message board, and sharing your work on the research page on the website. This academic year, we encourage you to engage actively by sharing your experiences, insights, and expertise.
A Supportive Community
One of the pillars of the National Black Graduate Network is fostering a supportive and inclusive community. You do not have to work in isolation anymore, and we encourage each and every member to be intentional about building and engaging through the community with fellow NBGN students, mentors, and scholars who share your passion for the workaround Black Studies. We hope you will take advantage of multiple ways you can connect with other Black graduates in Canada. For those who do not know, we have a WhatsApp group for us to communicate in real-time with each other. If you are not connected to our WhatsApp group, please contact us at hello@nbgn.ca, and we will connect you.
We will also host Chill and Chats monthly to engage in critical dialogue and networking opportunities. The NBGN aims to provide the resources and support you need to navigate the academic landscape successfully as Black graduate students in Canada. Please check the message board on the website periodically for updates on upcoming events, workshops, and opportunities to network with each other.
Conclusion
Welcome back to the National Black Graduate Network! The academic year ahead is brimming with promise and potential. Let’s embrace the opportunities, support one another, and strive for excellence. Together, we will make a lasting impact on academia, our communities, and the world. We have come a long way, and we can achieve so much more together. Let’s celebrate our resilience, determination, and dedication to the important work around Black studies.
Here’s to a fruitful and empowering academic year!
in peace and solidarity,
marcus singleton
NBGN Leadership Team
PhD Candidate, Social Justice Education
OISE, University of Toronto
Hello NBGN Family!
I am grateful for the opportunity to join the NBGN Leadership Team alongside my brilliant colleague marcus. My commitment to this work stems from many years of considering how one might improve the plight and conditions of those Frantz Fanon has referred to as the “wretched of the earth,” both within Turtle Island (Canada) and abroad.
As I write this, I know my heart and its nervous beating. I find myself filled with excitement but also a sense of worry about the weightiness of the responsibility before us – how does one go about helping facilitate an effort to nurture ongoing avenues for comradery and the promotion of Black scholarship and Black excellence?
I am immediately relieved when I remember that this work has been and will always be held in community – a reality that fills my heart with a sense of peace. With this, I began to dream about the possibilities before us. What generative ideas will propel us forward this year as we continue to move from within the deeply rooted twin traditions of resilience and excellence?
The future looks expansive, and I’m excited to organize alongside you all as we strive to fulfill the important mission that NBGN is committed to. We are eager to see your active participation and mutual mentorship this year and beyond.
With love and fellowship,
Aayah Amir.
NBGN Leadership Team
PhD Student, Social Justice Education
OISE, University of Toronto.
