NBGN blog
2024-2025 Annual Report
As the founding director of the NBGN I am writing this year’s annual report, marking the end of my term as director of the network. I am tremendously proud of the work we have done in creating and growing the NBGN together over the past five years and am excited that it will now be permanently based at OISE’s Centre for Black Studies in Education (CBSE). I am especially grateful to the PhD students who have worked with me ...
Congress 2025 / Congrès 2025
Black Futures Initiatives / Black Futures Research Institute in collaboration with the National Black Graduates Network (NBGN) invites academic researchers to a networking event and to engage in an in-person Chill and Chat around the theme of coming together. This is an opportunity for NGBN graduates from all universities to network, to meet Black researchers at GBC, to engage in artifact creation (artifact creation - inauguration of the BFRI space where graduates sign something and we create a plaque ...
Happy Black History Month
Hi members, Happy Black History Month! I recently went to a Black History Month event at my local church that was highlighting Black LGBTQ+ folks and their contributions. The event was lovely and it was accompanied by engaging conversations. We were presented with Black queer icons such as James Baldwin, Billy Holiday, Bayard Rustin and Josephine Baker to name a few. As the conversation grew and took momentum, I could not help but think of ordinary Black people in ...
Reconnecting with Our Roots: An Afrocentric Perspective on the Gregorian Holiday Season
As the holiday season approaches, it often brings a mix of reflection, celebration, and connection. For many, it’s a time to gather with family, cherish traditions, and revisit the deeper meaning behind these rituals. But for Black communities, the season offers something more—a chance to reconnect with our roots, honor our ancestors, and reflect on the spiritual legacies that make us who we are. The Gregorian holiday season doesn’t have to be confined to the cycle of consumerism that ...
Solidarity as a foundation for mental well-being among Black graduate students in Canada
Graduate school is demanding for everyone, but for Black graduate students in Canada, the journey often comes with added layers of complexity. Navigating academic spaces that have historically excluded or marginalized Black voices presents unique challenges, from overt systemic racism to the subtle yet insidious daily experiences of microaggressions. These obstacles can lead to a sense of isolation, heightened pressure to overachieve, and the pervasive burden of feeling invisible in environments that fail to reflect or affirm Black identities ...
Afrocentricity in academia: Embracing Black knowledge systems in higher education
In the pursuit of equity, diversity and inclusion in education, Afrocentricity has emerged as a transformative framework that challenges dominant, Eurocentric narratives in academia. This approach, rooted in the experiences and wisdom of Black scholars and the lived realities of African-descended communities, is essential for creating academic spaces that foster self-determination, agency, and resilience against the harmful effects of systemic racism and institutional oppression. At the National Black Graduate Network (NBGN), we embrace Afrocentric perspectives as an essential lens ...
Exploring Identity in Black Diasporic Communities: Navigating the Intersection of African and Black Identities in Canada
At the National Black Graduate Network (NBGN), we engage deeply with the complexities and nuances of identity within Black communities across Canada and the diaspora. One of the key questions we explore is: Why do some Black Canadians of various diasporic backgrounds not identify as African? And why do some Africans from the continent not identify as Black?These questions reveal the multifaceted layers of belonging, identity, and history with Peoples of afro-descendance. They challenge us to reflect on ...
Is higher education enough?
Exploring the earnings gap for Black Canadians Does earning a degree translate into financial stability for Black Canadians? At the National Black Graduate Network (NBGN), we believe that education should be an engine of social mobility, but recent data tells a troubling story. Even with advanced degrees, Canadian-born Black populations face persistent wage gaps and barriers to career advancement, revealing how systemic racism continues to impact Black lives in subtle yet harmful ways What the Data Tells Us Research ...
Honouring Alexandra Martine Diengo Lumbayi: Confronting Gender-Based Violence Against Black, Indigenous, and All Women in Canada
Gender-based violence in Canada continues to disproportionately affect Black, Indigenous, and other marginalized women. As members of the National Black Graduate Network (NBGN), we reflect today on the tragic loss of Alexandra Martine Diengo Lumbayi, whose death serves as both a devastating reminder and a call to action against systemic gender-based violence. The Tragedy of Alexandra Martine Diengo Lumbayi On October 8, 2024, Alexandra’s body was discovered near the marina on Saint-Quentin Island in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. Alexandra, a 21-year-old ...