Brandon University is marking February as Black History Month 2024. This is a time we honour the legacy of Black Canadians and their communities in February, and forever.
There are three events planned this month, and BU is kicking off the month with BUSU’s Renaissance Ball.
Renaissance World Tour themed Ball hosted by BUSU and the Racialized Collective:
- Date: January 27th
- Time: 10pm to 2am
- Venue: Bailey’s Cafe
Tickets: $15 (available at the BUSU office or Cafe do Good, 1502 Rosser Ave)
Theme: Silver/Chrome and Black (Participation optional)
Event Highlights: join us for the Renaissance World Tour themed Ball which is our special celebration in honor of Black History Month, aiming to pay tribute to the rich heritage of Black history and acknowledge the invaluable contributions of the LGBTTQ* community.
Special performance by the House of Hex.
Categories for Public Participation: Vogue, Runway, Sex Siren, Lip Synch, Best Dressed, Renaissance, more information regarding the categories can be found on our Instagram (@Racialized_collective)
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The second event will take place on Thursday, February 15 from 5pm-8pm in the Mingling Area at Bailey’s. We will have special guest presenters Akech Mayuom and Sheika Henry to speak on our theme of Black Mental Health & Black Excellence. Bailey’s will be running drink and food specials, and there will be appetizers and drinks for everyone to share for free (food was determined through a survey of students indicating their favourite dishes!) After this, let’s have fun for our mental health, and come together to play. We will play traditional board games, hopscotch, skip rope, and of course dominos and cards.
- Date: February 15, 2024
- Time: 5pm to 8pm
- Venue: Bailey’s Cafe
- Admission: Free
- Theme: Black Mental Health & Black Excellence
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Finally, please join on February 27 in the free slot from 12:40-1:30 in the mingling area to hear Dr. Christopher Schneider’s presentation on Understanding Systemic Racism in Policing and the Failed Promise of Body Cameras. This timely presentation comes off the heels of the UofM International student who was shot and killed by Police. https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/man-fatally-shot-by-winnipeg-police-was-international-student-lawyer-says-1.6707998
This presentation will provide an overview of the social and historical conditions that contributed to both the foundation and evolution of the structure of modern policing across North America to understand why it is Black and Indigenous persons who continue to remain disproportionally affected by police violence and brutality. Police body-worn cameras have been touted as a major police reform measure and a remedy to reduce police violence, among other efficacy claims. Talk of equipping police in Manitoba with body cameras is heating up again after police in Winnipeg shot and killed three people at the end of 2023, including Afolabi Stephen Opaso, a 19-year-old international university student originally from Nigeria. In response, the province has announced its willingness to support some of the costs associated with body cameras. The Brandon Police Service expects body cameras for its officers by late summer. The remainder of the presentation will detail the failed promise of body cameras and explain why it is likely a matter of time until police across the province are outfitted with the devices. The talk will conclude with some suggestions for community stakeholders concerning potential body-worn camera programs.
Christopher J. Schneider, PhD, is an award-winning professor of sociology at Brandon University. Dr. Schneider has published seven books and over 100 scholarly papers, opinion pieces, reviews, and essays. His research and publications have focused largely on information technologies and related changes to police work including having published extensively on police body-worn cameras. A frequent contributor to media, his work has appeared in more than 625 news segments and reports including the New York Times.
- Date: Tuesday, February 27, 2024
- Time: 12:40pm to 1:30pm
- Venue: Bailey’s Café Mingling Area
- Admission: Free
The John E. Robbins Library has also put together a Black History Month and Beyond guide. The guide is available now at Home – Black History Month and Beyond – LibGuides at Brandon University. There you can find information about Black History in Canada, Podcasts, Videos and Anti-Racism Resources.
The BU Bobcats will be honouring the month by sporting the Black History Month Shirts, check them out at the games https://gobobcats.ca/calendar
To learn more about Black history Month, test your unconscious bias, and change your zoom backgrounds check out the BU website.
It’s easier to know where you’re going when you understand where you’ve been.
It’s in that spirit that government of Canada has chosen the official theme for Black History Month events in 2024: Black Excellence: A Heritage to Celebrate; Future to Build. https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/canadian-black-history-month-theme-announced-in-north-vancouver-8125232
Check out these sites for other valuable information!
- https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/black-history-month.html
- https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/plus/2865-black-history-month-honouring-and-celebrating-black-people-canada
- https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/black-history-month/about.html
- https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/statements/2023/02/01/statement-prime-minister-black-history-month
Contact
- Brandon University
- communications@brandonu.ca
To receive any BU publication in an alternate format please contact Communications@BrandonU.ca
About BU
Success is built at Brandon University. Our growing, progressive campus welcomes a diverse and inclusive community that combines proud tradition with shared ambition. Through our excellence in teaching, research, and scholarship, we educate students to make a meaningful difference as engaged citizens and leaders. Join us at BrandonU.ca.