âBlack excellence on full displayâ: Black Grad returns to U of T with virtual event
In recent weeks, dozens of Black students graduating from the ÖŰżÚζSM received a special package in the mail: a kente cloth stole with the words âU of T Black Gradâ emblazoned on one end and âClass of 2021â on the other.
Organizers of this yearâs Black Graduation â a student-run event that celebrates the achievements of the ÖŰżÚζSMâs Black graduates â shipped the stoles as far away as London, England.
The fifth annual Black Grad will be , three days after U of Tâs virtual spring convocation. It will feature a keynote performance by Ontarioâs first poet laureate.
Lead organizer Cindy Njoki Kamau says the stoles are fixtures of events celebrating Black graduates at Canadian and U.S. universities â and she wanted to be sure U of Tâs graduates had a physical reminder of their accomplishments.
âOut of anything I think theyâre the biggest symbol of being a Black graduate in North America,â said Kamau, who is also the president of U of Tâs and a political science specialist and African Studies student at Victoria College in the Faculty of Arts & Science.
She added that, on top of the regular demands that come with earning a university degree, Black students often deal with the added stress of microaggressions and a lack of representation in the classroom.
âSeeing the stole worn, it symbolizes that, despite all the barriers â systemic, social, everything â youâve gone through it, youâve persevered and graduated.â
In a bid to support local businesses during the pandemic, the student association sourced the stoles from , Kamau said. In addition to Kamau, the Black Grad organizing team includes: Debora Oresajo, Bianka Okine, Massoma Kisob, Adriana Williams, Saron Tecle, Etienne Oshinowo, Yasmin Draman and Venus Asamoah.
So far, more than 85 graduating students from U of T confirmed they will attend Black Grad, which was cancelled last year because of COVID-19. Their photos will appear alongside personal quotations in a digital yearbook that will be sent to graduating students after the event. The theme of this yearâs event is resilience.
âMore than any other class of graduates, I think, honestly, resilience is what has gotten us through school in the midst of a pandemic,â Kamau said.
Randell Adjei, a spoken word artist who was named the provinceâs first poet laureate in April, will address the Class of 2021 at the virtual event. Adjei founded R.I.S.E. (Reaching Intelligent Souls Everywhere), a youth-led initiative to help young and emerging artists express themselves positively. Last year, prior to Canadaâs first reported case of COVID-19, before a crowd of 6,000 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
the Ghanian born Adjei spoke about how he learned resilience through his upbringing in Scarborough. âYou think about people like The Weeknd, Shamier Anderson, Stephan James that have come out of Scarborough,â he said. âI think Scarborough has taught me about being resilient. Understand that you may be the underdog, but use that to propel you forward. You know, donât see that as a crutch. I think, if anything, it can be a trampoline for us.â
This yearâs Black Grad event will also feature performances by graduating students: Destiny Mae Ramos-Alleyne, Stephane Martin Demers and Petra Alfred.
Martin Demers, a pianist graduating with a bachelorâs degree in music, will be performing , who is known as whose music was performed by a major symphony.
âDuring the Black Graduation Ceremony, Black excellence will be on full display, affirming our great ability to thrive and prosper â whatever we pursue, wherever we go, and whoever we become,â Martin Demers says.
Family, friends and invited U of T faculty will be attending the virtual ceremony to cheer on the graduating class. Kamau says her mother, Muthoni, will be staying up late into the night to watch from Kenya.
âI wish I could see her face enjoying this celebration with me,â Kamau said. âSheâs going to cry for sure.â