Black Researchers of Southwestern Ontario (BRSO)

We couldn’t think of a better way to wrap up this series of clips than with Elizabeth Clarke, Learning Consultant at Wilfrid Laurier University, who reflects on why Blackademia 2024 was “out of this world”! Thank you, Elizabeth, for seeing and naming so much of what we wanted this UnConference to be.?

We are constantly astounded and humbled by the ways Black researchers working in or on the region of Southwestern Ontario bring creativity and care to their research methods and dissemination practices. From song, to short story, to collage, to academic writing infused with heart, Black researchers offer a multitude of ways for doing and sharing scholarship. Scroll through these catalogue cards and visit the full list at our link in bio to learn more! In this post, we prioritized open access sources. https://lnkd.in/g633a5ab

This is the curator and founder of Vintage Black Canada, Aaron Francis, who is also a doctoral candidate at the University of Waterloo! Aaron led a workshop at Blackademia introducing community archiving and encouraged everyone in the room to uplift the ways they are already practicing archivists. Thank you, Aaron, for sharing your story and process with us. Check out more of this work @vintageblackcanada.

We love these faces of Blackademia! Many of them are the incredible student volunteers who made our inaugural UnConference possible. These youth showed up in their finest, helped us feed each other, wrangled technology, and offered a smile and a helping hand to any Blackademia participant who needed it. We couldn’t have done it without them! Blackademia strives to be an intergenerational network because we know that researchers come in all ages. Do you have ideas for how we could incorporate more youth in our next event? Reach out via our website!?

We really can’t say enough about Chef Boswell’s savored contributions to Blackademia 2024, or about the tireless work of his volunteer assistants for the weekend. Thank you for nourishing us with the tastes of home! For those in need of a Kitchener-Waterloo based caterer, connect with Chef Boswell and Chalice Catering!

Warm up this weekend with the sounds of Blackademia by following the link in our bio to a BRSO member curated playlist! These are some of the tunes we can’t help but dance to – whether we’re telling our stories or trying to meet that deadline. Comment below with the songs you want added and happy listening. https://lnkd.in/gjk96nbd

Congratulations to Charlie Star, who facilitated our fabulous collage workshops at Blackademia! Charlie has been selected by Canada Council for the Arts for the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, from May 10 to November 23, 2025.

Here is Dr. Naila Keleta-Mae sharing her hopes for this network and what she wanted to achieve in delivering her UnKeynote “Black and Free” entirely in song! Thank you, @Nailakeletamae, for embodying creative risk and centering Black communities in your vision. Dr. Naila Keleta-Mae is the Principal Investigator of the Black And Free research-creation project, a Dorothy Killam Fellow, the Tier 2 SSHRC Canada Research Chair in Race, Gender and Performance, an accomplished multi-disciplinary artist, and an Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo.

This month we’ve be sharing the insights of BRSO members who attended our inaugural UnConference last November! Here is Jermal Jones, Associate Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Access and PhD Student at the University of Waterloo. Thank you Jermal, for reminding us of our fullness!?

This is Joni NehRita, and we’re thrilled that her soulful and socially charged music will fill the halls and hearts at Blackademia. You can check out her work at https://joninehrita.com,?@joninehrita