“This university is your place. You are not foreign in this place.”
On Oct. 6th, the University of Ottawa organized a Black Excellence Gala hosted by the vice-provost for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Awad Ibrahim.
The speeches lasted half an hour, and the rest of the time was dedicated to dancing, delicious food, and conversations with new friends. Black undergraduate and graduate students listened as Awad gave the opening address.
“I want you to look me in the eye and be very proud,” he said. “This university is your place. You are not foreign in this place.”
–
He urged Black students to come to him in their time of need, directing them to the diversity office in the Jock-Turcot University Centre.
Next were the speeches by the two graduate student organizers dedicated to Black and racialized initiatives, Marthé Foka and Karine Coen-Sanchez.
Coen- Sanchez began with a poem written for Black History Month by her 9-year-old daughter, titled “What You See Is Different From What I See”.
“The education system stands as a powerful catalyst for change,” said Coen-Sanchez. She encouraged Black students to challenge colonial norms in their day-to-day lives, to reject the popular narrative.
“I have learned two things from my time in school,” said Foka. “One, I have the right to be here. Two, I am not alone.”
Foka spoke of an incident where a professor singled her out along with the only other person of colour in the entire class. The professor asked her and the other students where they were originally from without asking the same question to the rest of the class.
“Now I know that when someone comes with their questions, I have the right to say no,” Foka said. “You don’t need to take that interview.”
She urged Black students to never apologize for their race or their accents. She assured them that the university had a wealth of community and support if they knew where to turn, such as clubs on campus like the Black Student Leaders Association, AfriqCan, and L’association des Étudiants Congolais.
Finally, Foka announced the launching of a new Black mentorship program, currently in development. The program will provide Black graduate and undergraduate students with career services, such as seminars on interview skills, guidance on internship opportunities in Ottawa, and one-on-one sessions.
