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Speaker

Dr. Katherine McKittrick

Presentation

“Black Studies at ���ϳԹ���Դ and Elsewhere"

Date and Time

February 25, 2026 (12 - 1:30 pm EST)

Event Registration

Please - a Zoom link will be sent to you closer to the date of the event.

Event Format

This session will include a 30-minute talk followed by a moderated 45-50-minute Q&A session with the attendees. 

Moderator

Dr. Tracy-Ann Johnson-Myers, Human Rights and Equity Office

���ϳԹ���Դ the Event

This conversation will highlight the development of Black Studies at ���ϳԹ���Դ. The discussion will highlight the field's history and ongoing focus on interdisciplinarity and freedom-making, while also attending to how activities, rather than simply the enumeration of Black people, sustain our work at ���ϳԹ���Դ and elsewhere. 

���ϳԹ���Դ the Speaker

Katherine McKittrick is Professor of Gender Studies and CRC in Black Studies at ���ϳԹ���Դ. Her book projects include Dear Science, Demonic Grounds, Sylvia Wynter: On Being Human as Praxis, and Black Geographies and the Politics of Place. Her collaborative projects include, Trick Not Telos, Twenty Dreams, and the installation, A Smile Split by the Stars.

Making Sense of Conflicts on Our Campuses in Polarizing Times

Date and Time: Monday, March 10, 2026; 3:00 - 5:00 pm

Collaborators: Human Rights and Equity Office; Centre for Teaching and Learning

Throughout the ages, the core purpose of the public university has been relatively consistent: to develop the capacity for disciplined and critical thinking, to pursue evidence and build new knowledge, and to prepare citizens for a pluralistic society. To do this, universities commit to protecting a multiplicity of perspectives, approaches and worldviews – a virtuous path that is inevitably paved with conflict. How do we understand conflict and the dynamics of its escalation at this moment in time? What does it mean to be inclusive and trauma-informed in our approach to working together without shying away from difficult or polarizing subjects? What are the qualities we need to foster in our collective social body to hold the complexities of this moment in time?

Open to the university community, this talk introduces a number of conceptual frameworks and weaves in stories of practice to help make sense of the dilemmas of pluralism we are facing and envision ways to navigate them. The idea is to be thought provoking, giving people language, inspiring/painting a picture of something better that may be possible. There will be a question-and-answer period following the talk. 

Dr. Aftab Erfan is a scholar-practitioner, serving as the Executive Director of Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue, and Associate Member in the School of Public Policy. She was previously Director of Dialogue and Conflict Engagement at the University of British Columbia, and the inaugural Chief Equity Officer at the City of Vancouver. Educated as an urban planner, Dr. Erfan specializes in the study of deep-rooted conflicts and methods of deliberative democracy. She is a master facilitator who has worked on four continents. She is cautiously optimistic about the future of humanity.

This Series is supported by the Office of the Principal; Office of the Vice Principal Culture, Equity, Inclusion; Robert Sutherland Visitorship.

More information can be found at: /ctl/programs-and-events/public-talk-dr-aftab-erfan

This Accessibility Café session is the second event connected to Dr. Rheanna Robinson’s Accessibility First talk, Decolonizing Disability.

How might teaching, learning, and student support change when accessibility is grounded in relationship rather than accommodation alone? This gathering invites educators, students, staff, and community members to explore how Indigenous knowledges can inform more inclusive, relational, and justice-oriented approaches to accessibility in higher education.

Together, participants will reflect on the Four R’s - Respect, Relevance, Reciprocity, and Responsibility - and consider how these principles can shape their roles and practices at ���ϳԹ���Դ.

The session will also focus on institutional change and responsibility, with attention to different levels of influence and accountability: individual, unit/department, and institution. The guided discussion will explore:

• What shifts could move ���ϳԹ���Դ toward more decolonized approaches to accessibility?
• What does accountability look like across individual, unit, and institutional levels?
• How can reciprocity be meaningfully practiced in institutional change?

If you have time, participants are encouraged to read First Nations and Higher Education: The Four R’s - Respect, Relevance, Reciprocity, Responsibility by Verna J. Kirkness and Ray Barnhardt (1991) in advance. The article is available at the link provided 

**This is a hybrid event!

As part of International Women’s Week, SVPRS has partnered with the Ban Righ Centre to host a lunchtime discussion featuring local speakers and experts exploring the often-unseen labour of care in academic life.

The Weight of Care: Beyond Balance in Academic Life opens a conversation about caregiving, boundaries, healthy relationships, and safety within the university community. Together, we’ll reflect on how care work is distributed, valued, and experienced and what it means to move beyond the idea of “balance” toward more sustainable and supportive approaches.

More details, including speakers, will be shared shortly.

Join Health Promotion and Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Services for a panel discussion focused on navigating relationships online. From dating and sex to friendships and boundaries, digital spaces can make relationships complicated.

This panel discussion will bring together experts to talk about what healthy relationships look like in a world of direct messages (DMs), dating apps, group chats and constant connection.

Location and Time to be confirmed closer to the event!

In this workshop, learn how to respond empathetically to disclosures of sexual violence. We’ll cover how to build approachability, receiving a disclosure, resources, and caring for yourself. 
 
*Note: This workshop is facilitated by a student facilitator and a SVPR representative.

Learning Outcomes

1. Recognize the importance of being approachable and open to receiving a disclosure from those who have experienced sexual violence.
2. Respond to a disclosure with an emphasis on listening, believing, and support.
3. Identify resources available on campus for those who have been impacted by sexual violence.

Register Now

In this workshop, learn how to respond empathetically to disclosures of sexual violence. We’ll cover how to build approachability, receiving a disclosure, resources, and caring for yourself. 
 
*Note: This workshop is facilitated by a student facilitator and a SVPR representative.

Learning Outcomes

1. Recognize the importance of being approachable and open to receiving a disclosure from those who have experienced sexual violence.
2. Respond to a disclosure with an emphasis on listening, believing, and support.
3. Identify resources available on campus for those who have been impacted by sexual violence.

Register Now

Please join us for a drop-in open house to mark the launch of Black Histories and Futures Month. This informal gathering offers an opportunity to connect, reflect, and celebrate the contributions and ongoing impact of Black communities at ���ϳԹ���Դ and beyond.

Light refreshments will be available.

Hosted by: Office of the VPCEI and the Human Rights and Equity Office

This session is designed to give all employees an overview of how to effectively respond to student disclosures of sexual violence. Some policy considerations will be discussed.

Audience: Staff, Faculty, Senior Admin - Grades 10 and above.

Length: 1.5 hours

Register at: /hreo/education/responding-student-disclosures

In this session, participants will explore the concepts of identity, power, privilege and their relationship to oppression. Through the use of practical examples and strategies, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of anti-oppression.

Audience: Faculty, Staff Students.

Length: 2 hours

Register at: /hreo/education/anti-oppression