By: Kay Tracey

I am not property.

I have autonomy.

I am not smart for a Black girl.

I am just smart.

I am not a slave.

Because I was born free

My ancestors ran away, so I could be set free.

While your life is filled with opportunities, emancipation, deregulation, and social integration.

Mine is filled with segregation, institutionalization, disengagement, and other forms of barriers

that threatens my existence and yet I have more barriers, but you still fight to silence my voice

when I have made the right choice. So, do not blame me when I steal the chips that I was going

to pay for, but you treated me like a criminal for simply being, so now screw you because now I

have seen that no matter how hard I fight, I will always be iligitimized.

They say that I am pushy, lazy, noisy, shitless, crazy, servile.

But why must you treat me differently? because I am dark, is it my skin or is it from within.

The door is a place, real, imaginary and imagined, but no not a door of opportunities.

It is more a door of pain and sorrow that is filled with deep dark sadness that plagues the lives of

people like me.

Think it is fun to go through the door of no return.

Where you feel captive as you clutch to the false sense of security of that which might exist, but

not for me but exists for another.

We talk of surveillance, but what is being surveilled?

We talk about discipline but what does that entail?

We talk about power and mobility but where are we going?

Do all these plans include me?

Do all these plans include me?

Or will the decision as to my autonomy, be in your hands.

What is this social contract and who signed it?

Should my ancestors' decision be on my shoulders?

Black lives matter but in what context?

Is it the Black lives that has to make sure they wear the white mask of conformity according to

Fanon or is it the power structure that places me in a box, or is it the power that has the

responsibility of change, but rather they put me in imaginary slavery boxes and asks me to

conform, assimilate but not create or equate?

Am I a rebel because I think and want equality?

Or should I be seeking equity?

But does that dark matter prohibit me from ever transitioning?

Am I scared to cross that line that stop me from shaking a white person's hand, the same I would

a Black and is that trauma and how should I deal?

Criminalized rather than victimized.

Tolerated rather than accepted.

Situated and oh no! do not forget perpetuated.

Dehumanized and radicalized.

But why? Did they ever ask or was it just assumed?

That it might be because this system was never built for me.

It was built for the cleanliness but not for the darkness.

It was built for the pure, but not for those who endure.

So why box me in when I create a voice?

If not for all but just because I have found power, discipline and created sousveillance as a form

of protection, protection from what you might ask and my response.

From the system not built for me but acknowledged for the institution that we have formed

inside, the one that keeps us separate yet safe and until then that鈥檚 where I shall reside.

Artist Bio

Kay Tracey is a poet, aspiring philanthropist, and Ph.D. Student at 快播视频 studying Social and Political Thought with a focus on Black Studies. Her research interests include anti-Black racism in Canada, Black diasporic identity, and the human. As a developing intersectional scholar, her educational background and interests range from social justice, criminology, education, policy, human rights, and political thought.

Her research interests stem from the fact that often Black folks find themselves in precarious situations that require them to change their identity or wear some form of mask of conformity, depending on the space they are entering. Kay鈥檚 research interests explore why this is still an occurrence while aiming to deconstruct the harmful narratives that continue to perpetuate anti-Black racism in Canada and other spaces.

Kay works closely in the community as an advocate for disadvantaged youths and refugees, by providing/sourcing different resources including but not limited to educational, mental health, legal/human rights, accessibility, and housing.

Kay intends to use her research, platforms, and knowledge learned as a vehicle to continue the change, while disseminating research findings and information through varying formats, such as the arts, to create more accessibility for all folks and not just those who can understand the academic jargon.

Photographer: Cyrus Sundar Singh

Written by: Omosalewa O. Olawoye

From October 9th-October 11th, 2023, the Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on Africa and its Diasporas (快播视频, Canada) and l鈥橧nstitut Sup茅rieur des Arts et des Cultures (Cheikh Anta Diop University, Senegal) hosted an interdisciplinary conference under the theme: Africa and its Diasporas鈥� Contributions to World Civilization. This conference welcomed academics and students around the world for rich discussions on the contributions of Africa and its diasporas.

The bilingual conference had panels on Gender, Migration and Blackness; Decolonizing Global Health and Education; and Black Resistance. Panelists include Vivien J. Bediako, Channon Oyeniran, Henry Gomez, Cyrus Sundar Singh, Sharon Henry, Amarachi Chukwu, Matthew Randolph, Gustave Rodady, and Kay Tracey. The conference had rich discussions on the narrative around Black women鈥檚 healthcare; the healing journey of people from the diaspora through the slave trade routes in Ghana; the experiences of first and second generation Ghanaian-Canadian immigrants and their emotional connections to the Motherland; exposing African and African diaspora children to their African roots through written words; the African influence in the Caribbean and Calypso as a tool of social change; the role of the African diaspora and Afrobeats in musical globalization; stories from the displaced Africville community in Halifax; the notion of Black superiority through the history of Haiti; how colourism and identity confusions are exploited in the division of Haiti and the roles of Creole and voodoo in the creation of the Haitian identity; and the racial segregation in Canada even among refugee selection.

There were two workshops in English and French on Decolonizing Museums and representations of Africans and people of Black Descent, and Debating on Decolonizing Knowledge on Africa. Here, contributions on Africa and its diaspora to education and the world were highlighted. Discussions included how to decolonize the current curriculum to include the contributions of Africa and its diasporas.

The conference ended on Wednesday with a visit to the Museum of Black Civilizations and a visit to Ile de Gor茅e (Gory Island). These visits were educational and participants got to go on a real-life healing journey through the slave routes in Gory Island. Overall, it was a successful conference and we look forward to many more international conferences by the Harriet Tubman Institute.

Dates: June 26-29, 2023

Location: l鈥橴niversit茅 Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal

The Harriet Tubman Institute is going to Dakar! The Conference will be hosted at l鈥橴niversit茅 Cheikh Anta Diop in Senegal. HTI extends a huge thank you to our supporters, York International, The Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, the African Studies Program, and the Resource Centre for Public Sociology.

Location: l鈥橴niversit茅 Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal

The Harriet Tubman Institute is going to Dakar! The Conference will be hosted at l鈥橴niversit茅 Cheikh Anta Diop in Senegal. HTI extends a huge thank you to our supporters, York International, The Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, the African Studies Program, and the Resource Centre for Public Sociology.

From Saturday, May 27 to Friday, June 2, 快播视频 will be hosting Congress 2023鈥攖he largest gathering of academics, educators, and policy makers in Canada鈥攖o reflect on the theme, 鈥淩eckonings and Re-Imaginings.鈥�

We are extending a special invitation to community members who may not have attended Congress before to participate this spring. Organizers have put together a rich suite of open programs, including 4 Big Thinking lectures with Black and Indigenous speakers, 20 professional development workshops in Career Corner, and over 200 other open programs and exhibitions. 

To attend open programs, you will need to register as a community attendee, but this year the cost of community passes will be waived at registration for Black and Indigenous community members. Community members are students, faculty, educators, friends, family, and members of the public who are only attending open programs. The link to register is available here: . Please make sure you select the correct registration type for complimentary registration if this applies to you.

A sample list of open programs you may be interested in is attached, as well as a list of exhibitions that will run throughout the week. This is only to give you a sense of the range. There are many more. You can find a complete list of open programs at Congress along with room locations and other details here: . 

Thank you so much.

Andrea A. Davis, PhD (she/her)

, Department of Humanities

Co-editor, 

Coordinator, Black Canadian Studies Certificate

Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

快播视频

Toronto, Canada

416-736-2100 x 44344

(The English version follows the French version/ La version anglaise suit la pr茅sente version fran莽aise)

Conf茅rence internationale de l鈥檌nsititut Harriet Tubman

Les contributions de l鈥橝frique et ses diasporas 脿 la civilisation du monde

Organis茅e par :

Institut Harriet Tubman pour la recherche sur l鈥橝frique et ses diasporas (Universit茅 York, Canada) en collaboration avec l鈥橧nstitut sup茅rieur des arts et des cultures (Universit茅 Cheikh Anta Diop, S茅n茅gal).

Lieu : Universit茅 Cheikh Anta Diop, S茅n茅gal

Date : 26-29 juin, 2023

L'Afrique est la m猫re patrie des diasporas africaines n茅es de l'esclavage transatlantique. Actuellement, il y a des millions de personnes de descendance africaine qui vivent en en Am茅rique du Sud, en Am茅rique centrale, en Am茅rique du Nord et dans les 卯les des Cara茂bes. De plus, au cours des derni猫res d茅cennies, des millions d鈥橝fricaine-e-s ont quitt茅 le continent pour diverses raisons afin de s鈥櫭﹖ablir ailleurs 脿 travers le monde. 

L鈥橝frique est consid茅r茅e comme le lieu de tous les maux :  la pauvret茅, la mauvaise gouvernance, les conflits, les violences sexuelles bas茅es sur le genre, les in茅galit茅s de genre, les pand茅mies, les d茅sastres 茅cologiques etc. L鈥橝frique est d茅shumanis茅e ainsi que ses diasporas noires africaines qui font l鈥檈xp茅rience du racisme antinoir quotidiennement telle que l鈥檌llustre le meurtre de George Floyd aux USA diffus茅 en direct sur les 茅crans du monde en 2020.  

En r茅action 脿 cet acte horrible de brutalit茅 polici猫re qui rappelle tant d鈥檃utres, on a assist茅 脿 la r茅surgence du mouvement Black lives Matter aux USA entrainant une vague de solidarit茅 脿 travers le monde et en Afrique. Partout, les manifestants exigeaient le d茅mant猫lement de tous les symboles de la colonisation et critiquaient le capitalisme mondial racial.

Cette solidarit茅 des peuples noirs qui d茅borde les fronti猫res incite 脿 l鈥檜rgence de penser le panafricanisme dans la perspective de ses p猫res fondateurs. Tout comme, elle invite une r茅flexion sur la d茅colonisation sur tous les plans au-del脿 de l鈥櫭﹔adication les symboles externes. Quelles le莽ons tirer du panafricanisme ?  Comment le re- actualiser dans ce contexte pour penser un futur pour l鈥橝frique et ses diasporas ? Comment forgeront-elles un futur fait de justice sociale et d鈥櫭﹒uit茅 qui puise dans le pass茅 pour en tirer des le莽ons utiles et n茅cessaires en vue de comprendre le pr茅sent, le rectifier si besoin est, afin de construire un meilleur avenir ? Comment des configurations 茅pist茅mologiques telles que celles de Senghor, Cheikh Anta Diop et Valentin-Yves Mudimbe dialoguent-t-elles aujourd鈥檋ui dans le devenir de l麓础蹿谤颈辩耻别&苍产蝉辫;? 

Les diasporas africaines ainsi que celles qui vivent actuellement sur le continent ont apport茅 une contribution remarquable 脿 la civilisation du monde, m锚me si leur savoir n鈥檈st souvent pas reconnu 脿 sa juste valeur, dans divers espaces.

Comment mettre en lumi猫re les contributions des Africain-e-s et de ses diasporas au cours de l鈥檋istoire ?  Comment penser leur r茅silience et innovation dans tous les domaines.  Comment l鈥橝frique et ses diasporas peuvent-elles 茅tablir des collaborations soutenues en tirant profit de leur histoire 鈥� le pass茅, le pr茅sent en vue d鈥檈nvisager un monde 茅quitable b芒ti sur la justice sociale. Nous voulons r茅fl茅chirsur les voies et moyens pour b芒tir le futur. Comment rendre concr猫te la d茅colonisation 脿 tous les niveaux ? Quelles le莽ons peut-on tirer du panafricanisme ?

 Au cr茅puscule de la d茅cennie des Nations unies pour les peuples (2015-2024) proclam茅e par la r茅solution 68/239 de l鈥橝ssembl茅e G茅n茅rale des Nations unies, l鈥橧nstitut Harriet Tubman pour la recherche sur l鈥橝frique et ses Diasporas (HTI) de l鈥檜niversit茅 York en collaboration avec l麓Institut sup茅rieur des arts et des cultures de l麓UCAD organise cette conf茅rence internationale qui vise 脿 mettre en 茅vidence contributions des diasporas africaines et de celles des du continent dans divers domaines, y compris, mais sans s鈥檡 limiter, les arts et la musique, la science et la technologie, l'茅ducation, l'茅thique, l'alimentation, la m茅decine et l'architecture, etc.. . 

La conf茅rence est bilingue (Fran莽ais et Anglais) et multidisciplinaire. Les 谤茅蝉耻尘茅s en anglais ou en fran莽ais qui abordent des questions li茅es au th猫me sont les bienvenus. 

Nous acceptons des propositions individuelles et celles de panel 茅galement.

Envoyer votre 谤茅蝉耻尘茅 de 250 mots maximum 脿 l鈥檃dresse courriel ci-apr猫s: tubman@yorku.ca

Date limite pour recevoir votre 谤茅蝉耻尘茅 : 15 d茅cembre, 2022

Tous les participants 脿 la conf茅rence r茅sidant dans les pays du Nord paieront les frais d'inscription. Les participants 脿 la conf茅rence r茅sidant dans les pays du Sud sont exempt茅s du paiement des frais d'inscription.

Harriet Tubman Institute International Conference

Africa and its Diasporas鈥� Contributions to World Civilization

Organized by:

Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on Africa and its Diasporas (快播视频, Canada) in collaboration with l鈥橧nstitut Sup茅rieur des Arts et des Cultures (Cheikh Anta Diop University, Senegal) 

Venue: Cheikh Anta Diop University, Senegal  

Date: June 26 - June 29, 2023

Africa is the motherland of the African diasporas which were born out of the trans-Atlantic enslavement. There are currently millions of people of African descent living in North America, South America, Central America, and the islands of the Caribbean. In addition, over the past decades, millions of people of African descent have moved from the continent for various reasons to settle elsewhere around the world.

Africa is considered a problem-ridden continent (e.g., poverty, bad governance, conflict, gender-based sexual violence, gender inequalities, pandemics, ecological disasters, etc.). Africa is dehumanized and its diasporas experience anti-Black racism, as illustrated by the murder of George Floyd in the USA; the video of his killing immediately ricocheted around the world in 2020.

In response to this horrific act of police brutality, reminding so many others of such acts, we have witnessed the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in the USA, resulting in a wave of solidarity across the world, including Africa. Protesters demanded the dismantling of all symbols of colonization and criticized racial global capitalism.

This solidarity among Black people, that goes beyond borders, reignited conversations about Pan-Africanism from the point of view of its founding fathers. At the same time, it invites us to reflect on decolonization at various levels beyond the eradication of external symbols. How can we make decolonization concrete at all levels? What lessons can be extracted from Pan-Africanism? In today鈥檚 context, how can Pan-Africanism be redefined as we envision Africa鈥檚 future and that of its Diasporas? How can we create a future characterized by social justice and equity which draws upon the past in ways which extract useful and necessary lessons to rectify and construct a present oriented towards a better future? How do epistemological configurations such as those of Senghor, Cheikh Anta Diop and Valentin-Yves Mudimbe interact today in the future of Africa and its diasporas?

The African diasporas as well as those based in the continent have made an immense contribution to world civilization even though this is not often acknowledged or recognized in various spaces. How can the contributions of Africa and its Diasporas across the course of history be brought to light?  How can we think about their resilience and innovation in every domain?  How can Black Africa and its Diasporas establish collaborations which are supported by and profit from their history 鈥� the past, and the present 鈥� in light of envisioning an equitable world built on social justice?

As the International Declaration of the Decade for Peoples of African Descent (2015-2024), proclaimed by United Nations鈥� General Assembly Resolution 68/239 draws to a close, The Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on Africa and its Diasporas (HTI), York university, in collaboration with l麓Institut sup茅rieur des arts et des cultures de l麓Univerist茅 Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD), is organizing an international conference which aims to highlight the contributions of the African diasporas and those in the continent in various areas including but not limited to arts and music, science and technology, education, ethics, food, medicine, and architecture. 

The conference is bilingual (French and English) and multidisciplinary, so abstracts in English and French which address issues related to the theme are welcome. We accept individual and panel proposals as well.

Abstracts (250 words maximum) should be sent to: tubman@yorku.ca  

Deadline for abstract submission: December 15, 2022

All conference participants from the Global North shall pay a registration fee. Conference participants from the Global South are exempted from paying the registration fee.

HTI organized this two day event on 11鈥�12 May 2022 to mark the International Decade for People of Africa Descent, and in consideration of the ongoing struggles of African peoples, including those in diasporic communities.

To mark the International Decade for People of Africa Descent, and in consideration of the ongoing struggles of African peoples, including those in diasporic communities, the Harriet Tubman Institute is organizing a virtual interdisciplinary conference on Wednesday and Thursday, 11鈥�12 May 2022.

Dr. Han茅tha V茅t茅-Congolo will give the conference keynote lecture on Africa Tomorrow: Building Modernity, Economic Wealth, and 聽Human Freedom and Dignity Through Knowledge on 11 May 2022 at 09:00 EDT. Professor V茅t茅-Congolo is the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures, Bowdoin College; President, Caribbean Philosophical Association.

African Studies and Development Studies scholar Dr. Pablo Idahosa (快播视频) will offer closing remarks鈥擶ithin聽and Beyond the Faultlines of Black Atlanticism鈥攐n 12 May 2022 at 16:30 EDT. .

Panels

• Diasporic Identity Formations and the Continent
• Histories and Geographies of Blackness
• Migration (African and Caribbean) and Blackness in Canada
• Blackness and the Performing Arts (Music, Film, Theatre and Visual Arts)
• Space and Black Bodies (Historical, Contemporary Occupation)
• Memory/Memories: Blackness and the Performing Arts
• Histories and Geographies of Blackness
• Moving Forward: Africa and Diasporic-African Futures
• Within and Beyond the Faultlines of Black Atlanticism

The conference program is available at this link.

For more information: tubman@yorku.ca.