About
The Black Scholarship Institute (BSI) is a pan-university initiative aimed at advancing scholarship and research within the Black community. Its mandate is to amplify and promote the work of Black scholars and embed Afro-centric learning across disciplines. The BSI is based in the Faculty of Community Services.
The BSI is dedicated to cultivating an environment where Afro-Diasporic cultural heritage and Black scholarship can flourish. It harnesses the power of interdisciplinary collaborations, community partnerships, and engagement with diverse stakeholders to foster innovative research, teaching, and advocacy to uplift Black communities.
Guided by the echoes of Sankofa, a timeless call to return, to seek, to take, the institute aspires to lead us on a journey to reclaim our sacred origins, to weave back the threads of our culture, heritage, and identities, and, in this sacred tapestry, nurture visions of a re-imagined Black futures.
Background
In 2023, Toronto Metropolitan University launched the Black Scholarship Institute.
The BSI is part of TMU’s commitment to combat anti-Black racism as recommended in the 2020 (PDF file) Anti-Black Racism Climate Review Report. In the report, Black students, faculty and staff shared their stories of how anti-Black racism manifested across every aspect of the university, creating an unwelcoming and hostile environment.
In response to the report, President Mohamed Lachemi established the Presidential Implementation Committee to Confront Anti-Black Racism with three working groups: faculty, students and staff. The working groups were tasked with developing action plans to implement the recommendations outlined in the report. The Faculty Working Group launched the BSI as part of this larger effort to dismantle and uproot anti-Black racism.
The institute’s mandate aligns with the values, academic mission, and scholarly, research, and creative activity commitments of the university as outlined in the (PDF file) Strategic Research Plan and Academic Plan 2020-2025. Senate Policy 144 will inform the development of the terms of reference.
Get Involved
You can take positive action to create conditions for Black flourishing and belonging.
Help us shape the future of the BSI!