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The Centre for Black Studies in Education opened its doors in January 2023, with the official unveiling taking place in the summer of 2023. The CBSE exists primarily to harness the knowledge of Black scholars and address anti-blackness & inequities that impact Black people in all aspects of Canadian life including education. Since its opening, the center has slowly grown, getting a reputation within the Black community at 91���� as a go-to place for peer support and resources as well as a meeting place where the community is key.

The centre's student graduate assistant (GA), Merva Hutchinson (PhD, Educational Leadership and Policy, LHAE) and volunteer Paul Douglas II (M.Ed Developmental Psychology and Education, APHD) from the CBSE kindly agreed to share their plans for the centre this semester. They also spoke candidly about what Black History Month means to them personally.

How is the Centre being used currently?

Merva: Currently, the space is open Monday through Friday and is open as early as 9:00 a.m. and sometimes stays open until 8:30 p.m. Students come into the centre during their breaks and some students use the space to take online courses, usually when they have had an earlier in person class in the building. The space is utilized by students to discuss their experiences in their classrooms. We hear from a lot of students concerning issues surrounding anti-Black racism and how they are coping, and so the centre is where students can share common experiences and get feedback and support.

Paul: The centre is mainly used as a study space, a place where students can come together and debrief from life experiences.  Students have come into the centre upset about incidents in class such as microaggressions and misunderstandings. Students also come in happy and excited to speak about what they are learning and gaining from their studies, so we see both sides of the equation.

What are the Centre’s plans for this semester?

Merva: CBSE hopes to start a speaker series which would include prominent Black scholars that the students would be interested in hearing and learning from. The centre is also looking to begin a Black focused research workshop. I think the students that are at the CBSE want to understand how to do the research piece so that is something the Co-directors have in mind to do. So those are the things that we have and are planning to proceed with for this year.

So, is this a time for the centre’s growth in respect to establishing events and engagement?

Merva: Yes, CBSE is working on developing and maintaining community while also keeping in mind that as a new centre it takes time to flourish.

Paul: We have a lot of students who have given us positive feedback and a lot of students who have been at the centre in different capacities. Many remember what it was like before this space existed. People appreciate CBSE because other departments don’t have a space like this. People come to the centre on their lunch break and others come in and spend hours in the centre just hanging out having conversations. It's nice to have a space to build community and discuss topics that are relevant to them, for example, anti-black racism courses that they are currently taking.

Who is responsible for the day to day running of the centre?

Merva: The centre has a dynamic group of volunteers who give of their time and support the community space. However, with regards to day-to-day service CBSE provides, the Graduate Assistant (GA) has the primary responsibility and has the support of co-directors, Paul and Shernett Auld (PhD, Educational Leadership and Policy, LHAE) who work closely with the daily issues. Paul also plays an instrumental role being at the CBSE throughout the week, and he looks after CBSE’s social media channels, which include the centre's Instagram account. (). 

Black History Month is in February. What does Black History Month mean to you as an individual?

Paul: So, for me, Black is an imposition. It's a social construct. It was created as a sub form of race, deviating from ethnic heritage and ascribing a color to a people. When the English came to North America, they stated that they were Free, White, Christian, and English and the social construct of “Black” was created to extrapolate resources from Africans. So, when I think about Black History Month it's often joked that February is the shortest month of the year and that's the month that was chosen for Black history (formerly being only a week) So called Black history is much more than one month and I would like to see this pushed during the month of February by thinking of different ways where focus can be increased on this aspect throughout the year. I've seen specifically for my department APHD that they are increasing research when it comes to anti-black racism and throughout 91���� departments, I'm hearing others are doing the same such as LHAE. I'd just like to see them keep that up and I'd like to hear testimonials from people about their experiences and how they are perceiving the process.

Merva: Black History Month is about paying homage my enslaved ancestors and what they went through. Considering the centre as well, thinking of Black students and the opportunities that we have to improve our lives, and to make sure that research is a part of it. To Paul's point, using that research to fully understand what we were prior to the imposition of “Blackness”, what is being omitted from history, to reconstruct what was constructed, and to bring that forward through research and dissemination within the community; that to me is what Black History Month represents.

Merva: The CBSE is for all Black folks, the awareness that this space is not just for graduate students, but it's for those who identify as being Black and want to utilize the space.

Paul: The centre is for everyone, Professors, Undergrads, Grads, Prospective Students, Staff, Alumni, and Community members. And we'd like to see them here, we genuinely want professors to feel safe coming into the space. I think a lot of times, due to the systemic issues of anti-blackness when groups of “Black” people come together, it is often seen as problematic, and I have a strong desire to be able to use this space in a beneficial way, where everyone can come together and benefit from the purpose of the centre’s creation.

Thanks Merva and Paul for taking the time to chat with us. Make sure to visit the centre in person at room 225 in the 91���� building or contact them via email cbse.oise@utoronto.ca or (416) 978-6631.

Learn more about the centre by visiting their website /cbse