Thank you
As envisioned, the last two days of Black History Month 2024 here at the University of Alberta were full of conversations about Decolonizing the University Curriculum, efforts that are being undertaken globally. February 28th and 29th are now marked in many people's calendars as the beginning of a long-term execution plan focused on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion regarding how we, as educational institutions, bring attention in our classrooms to the history of African peoples prior to colonization. Nearly 500 participants on site and online – including academics, participants and organizers – helped spark the conversation on how to examine the legacy of trans-Atlantic slavery and its impact on the lived experience of Black people today. Six keynotes and eighteen roundtable speakers along with student commentators joined voices to help materialize the need for developing a strategy that decolonizes the University’s curriculum by exposing current and future students to the Pan African Pantheon and the works of Pan African scholars.
Keynote Speakers
City of Edmonton | UofA collaboration
This Symposium was initially inspired by the “Rhodes Must Fall” campaign held in Cape Town in 2015, which initiated calls for decolonization of Universities’ curricula. This moment was crucial in revealing that very little teaching and research on Black History, Black Studies, and Black Lived Experience was present in Canadian educational institutions. This ignited a necessary reaction following the murder of George Floyd in March 2020 that forced us to begin finding new paths for change and the podcast Blacktalk came alive out of that moment to address some of these needs. Finally, since 2024 is the tenth and last year of the commemoration of the UN’s International Decade for People of African Descent, the University of Alberta decided to support this monumentalization by hosting the Pan African Symposium: Decolonizing the University Curriculum. For the University of Alberta, this important reflection and future action takes place with the acknowledgement of our location on Treaty Six territory and the homelands of the Métis Nation and the legacies of colonialism on these lands.
Through the Symposium, we opened our arms to experienced and emerging scholars, colleagues, students, and the public from places like Canada, the United States, South Africa, Ghana, Jamaica, Tanzania, Congo, Trinidad and Tobago to bring their research and thoughts on decolonization together. We were fortunate to include scholars from our institution — the University of Alberta — as well as partner institutions like The University of the West Indies, York University, the University of Ottawa, the University of Texas, the University of Pretoria, Brown University, University at Buffalo, Wellesley College, the University of Calgary and McMaster University. We are also thankful to Elder Christine (White Wolf Woman) Turenne and Elder Terry (Coyote) Aleck for opening our event in a good way.
Dr. Carrie Smith - Symposium Opening
Dr. Andy Knight - Symposium Opening
Words are powerful vehicles to mobilize ideas, but hands-on action can really make all the difference. Further, we have much to learn, including our responsibility to approach engagement intersectionally, mindful of the impact of our scholarly communities in ensuring relational, and respectful dialogue.
While we are gathering the conversations that took place and making them available to everyone through videos and eventually via an edited volume of conference proceedings, we are already experiencing notable success with responses to the launch of the first online course dedicated exclusively to national Black figures who contributed to Canadian society over the years. The free online course Black Canadians: History, Presence, and Anti-Racist Futures promises to support decolonized learning and to fill gaps in knowledge of the Black lived experience in Canada. It also envisages a future free of anti-black racism for our University and beyond.
We want to thank you very much for participating and contributing to this worthwhile cause and we will be communicating with you again in the very near future.
Presenters, Authorities & Guests
Audience, Participants & Volunteers
Our Symposium in numbers
Welcome to the Pan-African Symposium
The two-day event, comprising keynote speeches, presentations, synchronous and asynchronous panels, plenary discussions, roundtables, Q&A sessions, and artistic performances, will feature high-profile scholars and community leaders and activists and is sure to attract not only students, professors, and researchers but also engaged audiences, private and public institutions, and the press.
The Symposium is aligned with the University of Alberta’s concerted efforts to counter anti-Black racism and implement the values of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Indigenization, and Decolonization. This event aligns both with Black History Month and the 10th and last year of the commemoration of the UN’s International Decade for People of African Descent (2015–2024). This is envisioned as an opportunity to create and promote a coalition space where diverse Black thinkers, professionals, academics, students and community members can share their views, thoughts, and perspectives concerning the legacies of and ways of addressing anti-Black racism. As a major scholarly initiative focusing on a "Pan-African" approach to mobilizing an inclusive Black community within post-secondary educational institutions and systems, the Symposium is seen as an important step in a University-wide effort towards decolonization of the institutional curriculum.
Did you know?!
Our distinguished panel of Keynotes and Roundtable speakers has been confirmed and made available! learn about presenters, topics, times, panels and more!
The Pan-African Symposium is an hybrid event, held in person at the
Lister Center, University of Alberta - North Campus and streamed online via Zoom
Join us on February 28th and February 29th!
To participate in the Symposium either in person or online, please register using the link below
Please let us know how we might address accessibility and access needs to ensure your full participation in the conference events using our contact page
Please let us know how we might address accessibility and access needs to ensure your full participation in the conference events using our contact page
What will be the Symposium about?
Honouring the Black community at the U of A
Understanding where we are today and how we can move to a more equitable and inclusive tomorrow, starts with reflections of the past. The U of A is committed to creating a safe and inclusive space that challenges anti-Black and all forms of racism and values everyone's rights, dignity and labour.
Black History Month is a time for us to come together as a community to honour the contributions, achievements, and lived experiences of Black Canadians. This month is an opportunity to collectively listen, engage, and learn about Black Canadian histories and the cultures of newcomers, which greatly contribute to our society.
Learn more about the University of Alberta initiatives during Black History Month 2024
Territorial Acknowledgement
The University of Alberta, its buildings, labs, and research stations are primarily located on the traditional territory of Cree, Blackfoot, Métis, Nakota Sioux, Iroquois, Dene, and Ojibway/Saulteaux/Anishinaabe nations; lands that are now known as part of Treaties 6, 7, and 8 and homeland of the Métis. The University of Alberta respects the sovereignty, lands, histories, languages, knowledge systems, and cultures of First Nations, Métis and Inuit nations.