Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Open House 2024 & Networking Event on October 3rd! It was a fantastic opportunity for scholars, students, and members to come together and engage in meaningful conversations, spark future collaborations, and reflect on key topics in Africa and its Diasporas.

Journal of African and African Diasporic Studies (JAADS) / La revue officielle de l’Institut Harriet Tubman pour la recherche sur l’Afrique et ses diasporas (READA)

JAADS/READA is the official journal of the Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on Africa and its Diasporas. It is an international, peer-reviewed, bilingual journal that publishes research advancing our understanding of Africans and people of African descent across the diaspora. Students and scholars publishing for the first time are guided and supported throughout the publishing process via ScienceOpen.

Black History Month 2025

Each year, The Harriet Tubman Institute hosts a series of events dedicated to a chosen theme. Black History Month at Tubman addresses anti-Black racism that impacts the Black community at both local and international levels. The upcoming Black History Month’s theme is Labour. Please contact tubman@yorku.ca if you would like to propose a panel or event.

Virtual Museum Project: The Underground Railroad to St. Catharines: Harriet Tubman’s Canadian Legacy

This project will become a digital museum that tells the story of Harriet Tubman’s time in St. Catharines and how her efforts helped fugitives establish their lives in Canada. St. Catharines was the last stop on the Underground Railroad and for several years it was Tubman’s northern base of operations. Through historical photographs, textual records, and the voices of their descendants, this project pays homage to the early Black settlers in southern Ontario, Harriet Tubman, and to the descendants of those whom she guided to Canada. The Virtual Museum will go live in February 2025.

International Conference 2026: Jamaica

The Harriet Tubman Institute hosts international conferences every few years. In 2023, the International Conference, Africa and its Diasporas’ Contributions to World Civilizations, was held at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal. The upcoming conference will be held in Jamaica in 2026. Planning is still underway—stay tuned for more information.

Tubman Talks

The Harriet Tubman Institute offers Tubman Talks on Thursdays in the Resource Centre (314 York Lanes). They provide an intellectual space that fosters debate among scholars whose research interests focus on the history and contemporary experiences of Africans and people of African descent. Tubman Talks provides individual researchers, as well as research teams, with a platform for exchange. Students especially are encouraged to sign up for Talks to strengthen presentation skills and receive feedback on research. Contact Bianca Beauchemin <biancab4@yorku.ca>, Tubman Talks organizer, if you are interested in presenting.

Grants

The Harriet Tubman Institute provides various forms of support to researchers managing their grants through the Institute. Contact tubman@yorku.ca to learn more.

Research Clusters

Attendees of the Open House & Networking Event engaged in productive discussions on how members wish to organize and participate in Research Clusters.

• Labour, Movement and Mobility
• Expressive Culture and Belief Systems
• Politics, Economics and Social Justice
• Theories and Methodologies, including Oral Sources and Digital Humanities
• Genders and Sexualities
• Health and Disability
• Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics

If you are a Tubman member and would like to join a Research Cluster, please fill out the . If you would like to become a Tubman Member, .

We invite everyone to stay connected with the Harriet Tubman Institute, whether through upcoming events, contributing to our research clusters, or publishing with JAADS. Let’s continue building a strong community together!

Time: 12:00 - 2:00pm ET

Location: 314 York Lanes

English language version follows

Le fĂ©minisme est un humanisme, avec le docteur Denis Mukwege

ÉvĂ©nement organisĂ© par la Professeure Gertrude Mianda, ancienne directrice de l'Institut Harriet Tubman (Harriet Tubman Institue), et le Professeur James Orbinski, directeur de l’institut de santĂ© (Dahdaleh Global Health Institute). Soutenu par Pascal Arseneau et le campus Glendon de l'UniversitĂ© York.

Lorsqu'on a demandĂ© Ă  l'Ă©crivain et philosophe V.Y. Mudimbe, de la RĂ©publique DĂ©mocratique du Congo (RDC), pourquoi il Ă©crivait si souvent Ă  propos de l’exploitation des femmes dans ses romans, il a rĂ©pondu: parce qu'elles partagent la mĂŞme nature humaine que moi.

Cette impulsion humaniste guide le travail du mĂ©decin fĂ©ministe, le Dr Denis Mukwege. Il a consacrĂ© ses compĂ©tences mĂ©dicales au soutien des femmes ayant subi violences sexuelles en tant qu’armes de guerre. En tant que fĂ©ministe, il a Ă©levĂ© sa voix pour demander la fin de ces attaques, qui violent les droits humains fondamentaux des femmes et des filles.

Lors d'un Ă©vĂ©nement Ă  Glendon, l'UniversitĂ© York, le 15 juin 2023, organisĂ© par l'Institut Tubman et l'Institut Dahdaleh pour la SantĂ© mondiale, en vue de l’octroi du doctorat honoris causa en droit que l’universitĂ© York lui a dĂ©cernĂ© le 16 juin, la communautĂ© de la RDC de la rĂ©gion du Grand Toronto a cĂ©lĂ©brĂ© le travail du Dr Mukwege et son engagement infatigable contre les violences faites aux femmes en pĂ©riode de conflits et de guerres.

Comme le dĂ©crit son mĂ©moire La Force des Femmes, le Dr Mukwege a fondĂ© l'hĂ´pital Panzi en 1999 Ă  Bukavu, dans l'est de la RDC. Son objectif initial Ă©tait de soutenir les femmes pour un accouchement sain. Cependant, il s'est rapidement rendu compte que les patientes qu'il recevait Ă©taient des femmes ayant subi des violences sexuelles pendant des conflits. Il s'est alors engagĂ© Ă  les soutenir avec ses compĂ©tences professionnelles. Parallèlement, il a compris qu'une approche plus holistique serait nĂ©cessaire pour permettre Ă  ces femmes de redevenir des actrices de leur propre corps et de leur vie.

L'hĂ´pital Panzi apporte un soutien mĂ©dical aux femmes, mais comme l'a soulignĂ© le Dr. Mukwege lors de son discours, les soins mĂ©dicaux ne suffisent pas. Pour aider les femmes Ă  se reconstruire, d'autres femmes les guident et les accompagnent. Les arts, en particulier la danse et le chant, aident les femmes ayant subi des violences sexuelles Ă  retrouver leur corps et leur pouvoir d'agir.

Si cette soirĂ©e Ă©tait une cĂ©lĂ©bration du travail important du Dr. Mukwege, pour lequel il a reçu le prix Nobel de la paix en 2018, il a soulignĂ© que ses efforts ne sont pas toujours bien accueillis. Son engagement fĂ©ministe en faveur des droits humains des femmes a Ă©tĂ© critiquĂ© comme atypique pour un homme. Son travail dans les zones de conflit a fait de lui et de son hĂ´pital des cibles d'attaques meurtrières. Le Dr. Mukwege a survĂ©cu Ă  plusieurs tentatives d'assassinat et a passĂ© une pĂ©riode d'exil avant de retourner en RDC pour poursuivre son travail.

Dans son introduction Ă  la soirĂ©e, le Professeur Orbinski, directeur de l'Institut de SantĂ© mondiale Dahdaleh, a soulignĂ© que la vie du Dr Mukwege est un exemple de courage. Le courage exige d'affronter le pire de l'humanitĂ© et de dĂ©cider que, malgrĂ© le coĂ»t pour soi-mĂŞme, il faut agir avec pragmatisme dans la reconnaissance de la dignitĂ© de la victime.

Enfin, si cette soirĂ©e a Ă©tĂ© une cĂ©lĂ©bration du travail du Dr. Mukwege au nom des femmes en RDC, cette soirĂ©e a aussi offert une occasion de reconnaĂ®tre les contributions essentielles de la Professeure Gertrude Mianda. Comme l'ont soulignĂ© le Dr. Mukwege et le Professeur Orbinski dans leurs discours respectifs, la Professeure Mianda est remarquable pour ses propres engagements fĂ©ministes.

Ses recherches ont remis en question l'oppression partout oĂą elle se trouve. Son travail dĂ©crit et critique la “triple marginalisation” des femmes migrantes africaines francophones au Canada anglophone, qui subissent l'oppression en raison du racisme, du sexisme et de la langue. En mĂŞme temps, le Professeur Mianda s'oppose aux â€śtraditionalismes” africains lorsqu'ils dĂ©fendent des valeurs patriarcales. Elle a soutenu les Ĺ“uvres fĂ©ministes des africaines, notamment les Ă©crits d'Awa Thiam et celui de quelques romancières, mettant en avant sa contribution Ă  la littĂ©rature contemporaine et Ă  la connaissance du monde, en dĂ©nonçant les injustices et en rĂ©clamant les possibilitĂ©s de relations plus justes et Ă©quitables.

Cette soirĂ©e a mis en avant le travail essentiel du Dr. Mukwege et ses efforts pour mettre fin aux violences sexuelles contre les femmes en pĂ©riode de guerre, elle a Ă©tĂ© en mĂŞme temps l’occasion de cĂ©lĂ©brer tous ceux en RDC et dans la diaspora qui, en tant qu'humanistes et fĂ©ministes, cherchent Ă  soutenir le droit des femmes Ă  vivre libres de violences sexuelles. Leur travail est un rappel des responsabilitĂ©s que nous avons tous dans cette lutte, en RDC, ici, et partout dans le monde.

Feminism: The Humanist Impulse, with Dr. Denis Mukwege 

Event organized by Professor Gertrude Mianda, then Director of the Harriet Tubman Institute and Professor James Orbinski, Director of the Dahdaleh Global Health Institute. Supported by Pascal Arseneau and the Glendon Campus, żě˛ĄĘÓƵ.

When the writer and philosopher V.Y. Mudimbe, from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), was asked why he wrote so often about women’s subjugation in his novels, he answered: because we share the same human nature. 

This humanist impulse informs the lifelong work of feminist physician Dr. Denis Mukwege. He has devoted his skills as a physician to supporting women who have experienced sexual violence as a weapon of war. He has raised his voice as a feminist, insistently, to call for an end to such attacks, as violations of women’s fundamental rights to dignity and freedom.

At an event held at Glendon, żě˛ĄĘÓƵ on June 15, 2023, organized by the Tubman Institute and the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health, on the occasion of the honorary doctorate in law awarded to him by żě˛ĄĘÓƵ on June 16. The DRC community in the Greater Toronto Area celebrated Dr. Mukwege’s work and steadfast commitment to ending sexual violence against women in conflict and wartime. 

As his memoir, La Force des Femmes, explains, Dr. Mukwege founded Panzi hospital in 1999 in Bukavu, in the eastern part of the DRC. There, he hoped to support women to healthy childbirth. Instead, the patients he received were women who had suffered sexual violence during conflict. He committed to supporting these women with his professional skills. At the same time, he quickly realized that a more holistic approach would be required to enable these women to become, once again, actors in their own bodies and lives.

The Panzi hospital supports women medically but, as Dr. Mukwege emphasized in his talk, this medical care is not enough. In helping women to recover, women mentor other women. The arts, especially dancing and singing, are important to enabling women who have suffered from sexual violence during conflict, as they reclaim their bodies and their agency. 

If the evening was a celebration of Dr. Mukwege's important work, for which he was recognized by a Nobel Peace Prize in 2018, Dr. Mukwege emphasized that his efforts are not universally embraced. His feminist commitment to women’s human rights has been critiqued as anomalous for him, as a man. His work in conflict zones has made him and his hospital a target for murderous attacks. Dr. Mukwege has survived several attempts on his life, and a period in exile, before returning to the DRC to continue his work.

In his introduction to the evening, Professor Orbinski, Director of the Dahdahleh Global Health Institute, emphasized that Dr. Mukwege's life is an example of courage. Courage demands that you face the worst that human beings can do to each other and decide that, despite the cost to yourself, you will act pragmatically to recognize the inherent dignity of the victim

Finally, if the evening was a celebration of Dr. Mukwege's life's work on behalf of women in the DRC, it was also a moment to recognize the critical contributions of Professor Gertrude Mianda.

As both Dr. Mukwege and Professor Orbinski emphasized in their respective remarks, Professor Mianda is remarkable for her own determined, feminist commitments. 

Her scholarship has challenged oppression wherever it is found. Her work describes and critiques the "triple marginalization" of francophone African migrant women in anglophone Canada, who face oppression because of racism, sexism and language. At the same time, Professor Mianda challenges African “traditionalisms” when these defend patriarchal values. She has championed the works of African women novelists, notably Awa Thiam’s writing and those of various novelists, highlighting contributions to contemporary literature and knowledge about the world, in its injustices and possibilities for right relationships.

This evening foregrounded the critical work of Dr. Mukwege, and his lifelong efforts to end sexual violence against women in war. At the same time, the evening celebrated all those in the DRC and diaspora who, as humanists and feminists, seek to support women’s right to live free from sexual violence. Their work is a reminder of the responsibilities that we all have in this struggle, in the DRC, here, and around the world.

Location: l’UniversitĂ© Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal

The Harriet Tubman Institute is going to Dakar! The Conference will be hosted at l’Université 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.

Dr. Winston LaRose is the Executive Director of the Jane- Finch Concerned Citizens Organization (JFCCO) and has worked in this capacity with the Organization, since January of 1999. He worked as a Registered Nurse in Canada from 1964 until retirement at age 65 in 2002. Most of his professional work has been as a psychotherapeutic counsellor in the mental health field at the Clarke Institute in Toronto and several other mental health Facilities in Toronto, Burlington and Hamilton. In addition to this, he operated a counselling service called “the Fairview Counselling Services” in Burlington Ontario for approximately five years.

Date: Every Thursday

Time: 1-2pm ET

Location: In front of YL 347; 3rd floor, York Lanes

Light refreshments will be served!

Cancellations: Feb. 2, 2023; April 20th, 2023.

Date: January (TBD)

Time: 2:00pm - 4:00pm EST

Location: Resource Centre (314 York Lanes)

Time: 1:00PM-2:30PM EST

Location: Zoom

Register in advance for this meeting:

Sailing to Freedom: Maritime Dimensions of the Underground Railroad

Abstract: Underground Railroad scholarship has focused almost exclusively on interior overland routes used to escape enslavement in the Antebellum South. Largely overlooked, however, is the great multitude of enslaved persons who made their way to freedom aboard merchant vessels plying coastal routes along the Atlantic seaboard. This crucial but neglected aspect of the Underground Railroad story is the focus of a groundbreaking volume of ten essays edited by Timothy Walker. Sailing to Freedom: Maritime Dimensions of the Underground Railroad demonstrates that escaping bondage by sea was commonplace -- especially from southern coastal regions where slave labor in maritime industries was ubiquitous. Such work gave enslaved people experience with vessels and seafaring, a knowledge of coastal geography, contact with ships’ crews from northern free states, and access to ocean-going northbound voyages. Documented successful escapes from the far South were almost all achieved by sea. By highlighting these little-known stories and describing the less-understood maritime side of the Underground Railroad, this talk will reshape our perception of how it functioned, to provide a more comprehensive, accurate historical perspective.

Speaker:

Lorenzo Serravalle, M.A. student in Anthropology at YorkU

Biography: M.A. student at żě˛ĄĘÓƵ in the Social Anthropology program. During his undergraduate career, he assisted Dr. Annie Bunting with her research on forced marriage in conflict situations in various African countries by producing knowledge mobilization pieces in the form of posters, flyers, social media posts, videos, and podcasts.

Abstract: This workshop reflects on the experience of research assistants from the Conjugal Slavery in War partnership project, CSiW working on knowledge mobilization and engagement with community partners in Africa.  The focus of this session is on the methodologies and concepts involved in the production of research posters and the use of easily available tools, such as PowerPoint Office.

Moderator:

Mariam Elzeiny, Lead Researcher at Qazzaz Education and Development (QED)

Time: 2:30pm-4:00pm EST

Location: Virtual

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://yorku.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEoc--grzosHdHojHn_B84zxOTpY7YjmwgZ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

The Necessity of Black Educational Space

Abstract:

Research suggests that for Black students in K-12, Black-led educational spaces equip them with education to succeed in society (Andrews, 2014). Based on focus groups and interviews with Black Canadian university students, this presentation extends the literature arguing that Black-led educational spaces may serve as a crucial tool for the educational and professional success of Black post-secondary students. It also argues that Black community organizations remain a venue for cultivating these spaces.

Bio:

Tka Pinnock is a PhD candidate in the Department of Politics at żě˛ĄĘÓƵ. Her doctoral project lie at the intersection of feminist political economy, political ecology, and critical development studies where she explores the everyday politics of life work. Her research interests extend to diaspora studies and community-engaged research.