Introducing BlackTalk - a new podcast about the personal experiences of global Black experts and Black Canadians contextualized within the historical experience of being Black. Ethnic, modern, inclusive and informative, BlackTalk leaves listeners with new perspectives about anti-Black racism and Black achievement.

BlackTalk Promotional Spot

On this episode of BlackTalk, Dr. Ivelaw Griffith joins us to talk about his distinguished career including his time as the President of Fort Valley State University. Dr. Griffith shares accounts of how racism has impacted him personally throughout his career and life. He discusses the systemic, structural racism that plays out in universities, the “celebration of whiteness” in our bigger culture, and the role of funding in holding the status quo in place. Dr. Griffith sheds light on how society as a whole needs to change in order to reshape the paradigm.

BlackTalk Podcast

Episode 05 Dr Ivelaw Griffith

On this episode of BlackTalk, we welcome speaker, author, academic and former MP, Celina Caesar-Chavannes. Celina speaks candidly about her early life and struggles with mental health issues, which she documents in her memoir, Can You Hear Me Now? Celina was the sole Black female MP in a predominantly white and male government. She shares how and why she entered and exited politics, including her clashes with Justin Trudeau. She talks about why she is so passionate about the work she is doing now as Senior Advisor of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Initiatives and Adjunct Lecturer at Queen’s University and as an advocate for mental health.

Episode 04 Celina Caesar-Chavannes

On this episode of BlackTalk our guest is University of Alberta associate professor in the faculty of nursing, Dr. Bukola Salami. Dr. Salami shares the impact racism had on her parents’ careers and in her own career where she has been constantly underestimated. She talks about the importance of mentoring and why she is investing her time as a mentor to young Black students. We also cover the health crisis in the Black community,  how COVID-19 has exacerbated health inequities, mistrust in public health institutions and the importance of race based health data.

Episode 03 Dr Bukola Salami

On this episode of BlackTalk, we’re joined by academic, author and journalist, Dr. Cecil Foster. Dr. Foster weaves his own story of arriving in Canada from Barbados in the 1960s into the larger historical patterns of racism that Black people experience immigrating to Canada. He shares the struggle of being isolated as the only Black journalist in the newsroom and being held back from opportunities to advance. In academia, he faced similar racist behaviour, as both a student and later as a young Black academic. Dr. Foster continues to advocate for a multicultural society and to educate in academia and beyond.

Episode 02 Dr Cecil Foster

On this episode of BlackTalk, we explore the historical economic links of slavery with Vice- Chancellor of The University of the West Indies and global activist, Sir Hilary Beckles. He shares a disturbingly frank look at the British colonial practices of the Black slave code. These practices were institutionalized and legitimized in order to commoditize Black people as labour and assets. Sir Hilary explains how the economic and societal underpinnings of this new island society of Barbados were exported throughout the Americas. As we find ourselves at this “George Floyd moment”, Sir Hilary illustrates how modern experiences of racism are the appalling legacy of these early colonial practices and institutions.

Episode 01 Sir Hilary Beckles

Episode 00 - A846Z

BlackTALK launches season two with actress Olunike Adeliyi, star of CBC’s The Porter. In this candid conversation we learn about Olunike’s backstory, and how it informed her approach to her work. From her debut in theater, to her premier roles in the popular Canadian crime drama Flashpoint, and the historically significant CBC drama The Porter, we trace the path that led to her current success and the values that informed the choices she’s made to proudly tell her own story.

“Know where you actually came from….don’t let somebody write the narrative for you.” - Olunike Adeliyi

Episode 06 - Olunike Adeliyi

Dr. Tony Fields is one of Canada’s leading figures in oncology, and now serves as MacEwan University's first Chancellor. He is the former president of the National Cancer Institute of Canada, and he has served on the boards of the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance, the Canadian Oncology Society, and the Canadian Association of Provincial Cancer Agencies. Dr. Fields was awarded an Order of Canada for his contributions to oncology, and he was named one of Alberta’s top 100 Physicians of the Century.

"When you come to a fork in the road, take it" - Dr. Tony Fields

Episode 07 - Dr. Tony Fields

Miriam Zinter is a Black woman who can easily be mistaken as a White woman. As a result of her appearance, she’s had a unique experience in observing racist attitudes. Miriam began her career as a community organizer, following this, she served as the Executive Director of a not-for-profit neighborhood organization. Recently, she served as the senior housing programmer for the City of Rochester, New York, and she now works in the housing finance sector as a Mortgage Officer.

“We were one out of how many? How many other Black families tried to get a house, tried to invest in equity, tried to grow their wealth and at every turn were denied?” - Miriam Zinter

Episode 08 - Miriam Zinter

Yona Knight-Wisdom is an Olympian and rising Jamaican athlete in the fiercely competitive, and technical sport of diving. Yona began his diving journey in 2004 at the City of Leeds Diving Club and quickly rose through the ranks to achieve a top five finish at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. From there, it was onto the Olympics, where he became the first male diver in history to represent Jamaica at the 2016 Olympic games. He has since returned to the Olympic stage, representing Jamaica in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

“In my head, that was the only thing that was happening… I would qualify for the Olympics. That was the only outcome.” - Yona Knight-Wisdom

Episode 09 - Yona Knight-Wisdom

Dr. Clinton Hutton a professor, author, researcher, and artist. Through his research, he has made many significant contributions to the areas of Afro-Caribbean thought, Africana political philosophy, Caribbean political philosophy, and African-Caribbean spirituality, including Rastafari. His writing tackles salient topics such as the Haitian Revolution and the Morant Bay Rebellion. He’s won numerous awards including the Caribbean Hall of Fame Award for
Excellence in recognition of his outstanding contributions in the field of visual arts. Dr. Hutton currently serves as Professor of Caribbean Political Philosophy, Culture & Aesthetics at the University of the West Indies.

“The world of white supremacy is dangerous to all human beings - all of the human family….teaching about Black history is not for Black people alone.” Dr. Clinton Hutton

Episode 11 - Clinton Hutton

Dr. Afua Cooper is a multi-award-winning speaker, scholar, historian, author, poet, performer, and cultural commentator for equity, diversity, and inclusion strategies within organizations worldwide. She was presented with the Nova Scotia Human Rights Award in 2015 from the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, she served as Halifax’s seventh Poet Laureate, and she won the Portia White Prize, Nova Scotia’s highest award for artistic excellence. She currently serves as a full professor at Dalhousie University’s Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology.

“For years now, I’ve been giving lectures to Boards of Directors, institutions, universities in terms of the struggle against anti-Black racism….when the public murder of George Floyd happened…that was a point where I really had to go deep in myself, [and ask] what is the purpose of my life?...I want to end racism in the world in my own small way.” - Dr. Afua Cooper

Episode 10 - Afua Cooper

The Honourable Kojo Yankah has had a career which spans the world of journalism, government, and education. He served as editor of Ghana’s most widely circulated newspaper, the Daily Graphic, which led to his appointment as the Director of the Ghana Institute of Journalism. In the 1992 Ghanian parliamentary election, he won the seat for Agona East Constituency, which led to service in various ministries including Minister of State. In 2001, he established the African University College of Communications, and most recently, he founded the Pan African Heritage Museum, a multi-million dollar, state of the art repository dedicated to showcasing the history, culture, and achievements of the Pan African World. He currently serves as Executive Chairman of this project.

“In terms of Pan-Africanism… I’m looking at a united family of people of African descent, knowing about themselves." - Hon. Kojo Yankah

Episode 12 - Hon. Kojo Yankah

We're back for the third season of BlackTalk, and we are excited to kick off with Professor Rinaldo Walcott! 

Dr. Walcott is Professor and Chair in the Department of Africana and American Studies at the University of Buffalo; there he is also the Carl V. Granger Chair in Africana and American Studies. Rinaldo’s research focuses on the cultural expression of Black life with an interest in the transnational, diasporic, and the national crosscurrents of Black creativities. Rinaldo is the author of a number of single-authored, co-authored, and co-edited books. His more recent work is The Long Emancipation: Moving Toward Black Freedom (Duke, 2021) and On Property: Policing, Prisons, and the Call for Abolition (Biblioasis, 2021) which was shortlisted for the Toronto Book Award in 2021. Currently, Rinaldo is working on two monographs, one on freedom and the sea, and another on Black queer expressive culture. A third work seeks to grapple with the possibilities of achieving utopia from the grips of the catastrophe that threatens to consume all of planetary life. Rinaldo was born in Barbados. He divides his time between the city of Buffalo and the city of Toronto. 

In this episode, Rinaldo speaks about what it means to decolonize a curriculum, campus, and country. He also examines the role of Black studies in our broader community and unpacks the meaning of “diaspora,” the “myth of multiculturalism,” and the Black Canadian experience.

https://arts-sciences.buffalo.edu/africana-and-american-studies/faculty/faculty-directory/walcott-rinaldo.html

https://www.dukeupress.edu/the-long-emancipation

https://www.biblioasis.com/shop/non-fiction/cultural-criticism/on-property/

Episode 13 - Dr. Rinaldo Walcott

Prof Gina Awoko Higginbottom was appointed in 2015 as the Mary Seacole Professor of Ethnicity and Community Health at the University of Nottingham – the first nurse of Black and Minority Ethnic origin (BME) to hold a professorial role in a Russell Group university in England and is now Emeritus Professor. 

Dr. Higginbottom is formerly a Canada Research Chair in Ethnicity and Health (now renewed) for 8 years at the University Alberta, Canada. She is also the first women of colour to hold a Canada Research Chair, awarded in 2007. She holds a substantial track record of publication and grant acquisition,  and Sage research textbook.

Her research focuses on ethnic minority populations and immigrant health, including social exclusion and equity in healthcare and ethno-cultural diversity in care giving. Her experience as a midwife and health visitor has further informed her studies of international migration and maternity, including parenting issues, early parenthood and postnatal depression in different ethnic minority groups, and experiences of diverse ethnocultural groups in accessing and navigating maternal healthcare services. Gina is a member of the UK NHS Race and Health Observatory’s academic reference group and Maternity Action Group. Is Vice President of the Health Visitors Association and a member of the NIHR Research Professor Selection Committee.

In this episode, Gina breaks down the role of race in the healthcare system, the importance of culturally congruent care and Black women’s maternal health, and the importance of health justice for migrant and ethnic minority communities.

Episode 14 - Dr. Gina Awoko Higginbottom

Dr. Rhoda Reddock is a sociologist and development studies scholar with expertise in a range of areas including feminist and gender studies, and critical race and ethnic studies. With an academic career spanning many years she is a former deputy campus principal of the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine campus, and head of the Centre (now Institute) for Gender and Development Studies and lecturer in sociology. Among her many published works, she has written 8 books and over seventy peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. As an activist in the Caribbean Women’s movement, Dr. Reddock was a founding member and first chair of the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA). Her advocacy positioned her as a pioneer of Gender and Development Studies programmes, and she continues to champion the inclusion of women and gender studies in the field. She was recently elected to the Executive Committee of the International Sociological Association, and is the first Caribbean person elected to that role. Dr. Reddock has also served on the Council and advisory committee of the Caribbean Studies Association. 

In this episode, Dr. Reddock speaks to what it means to practice decolonial feminism and decolonize our academic institutions, defines pan-African feminism, points listeners to the wisdom of African and Caribbean women thought-leaders, and examines the future of the Gender and Development Studies field.

Episode 15 - Dr. Rhoda Reddock

Selwyn R. Cudjoe is currently a Professor of Africana Studies at Wellesley College. He teaches courses on the African American literary tradition, African literature, black women writers, and Caribbean literature. A graduate of Fordham University where he received both a B.A. in English and an M.A. in American Literature, Professor Cudjoe also earned a Ph.D. in American Literature from Cornell University. Prior to joining the Wellesley faculty in 1986, he taught at Ithaca College and Cornell, Harvard, Brandeis, Fordham, and Ohio universities. He has been a lecturer at Auburn (N.Y.) State Prison and taught at Bedford-Stuyvesant (N.Y.) Youth-In-Action. Professor Cudjoe is the author and editor of several books, and has produced several documentaries. He has written for the New York Times; The Washington Post; Boston Globe; Harvard Educational Review; International Herald Tribune; New Left Review; Baltimore Sun; the Amsterdam News; Trinidad Guardian; and Trinidad Express. As president of NAEAP, Prof Cudjoe significantly raised the level of consciousness and activism of peoples of African descent living in the Caribbean island of Trinidad & Tobago.

In this episode, Dr. Cudjoe addresses the importance of knowing our literary history, building solidarity between Black American theorists and Pan African theorists, the activist legacies of Pan-African leaders, and the role of struggle and resistance in Black literature, among other topics.

Episode 16 - Dr. Selwyn Cudjoe

In this episode, Amb. Ward discusses his upbringing in Jamaica and his influences, his thoughts on colonial reparations and justice in the African continent and the Caribbean, and building democracies in post-colonial societies, among other topics. 

Ambassador Curtis Ward is an Attorney-at-Law and International Consultant, and former Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the United Nations with Special Responsibility for Security Council Affairs, serving on the UN Security Council from 2000 to 2001. He has extensive knowledge and experience in national and international legal and policy frameworks for effective implementation of UN and other international anti-terrorism mandates, including countering and preventing violent extremism. 

Ambassador Ward traveled to over 30 countries representing the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee for meetings and discussions with government leaders and high-level officials, on counter-terrorism capacity building and related issues; and has provided advisory services to the UN, regional organizations, governments, and NGOs. He has participated as a keynote speaker at various forums, and has lectured globally on a number of security and related issues.

Ambassador Ward holds a Master of Laws from Georgetown University, a Juris Doctor from Howard University, and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) (Economics and Political Science) from Howard as well. As an academic, he is also an Adjunct Professor in the Homeland Security Graduate Program at the University of the District of Columbia (since 2012); and is a former Adjunct Professorial Lecturer at George Washington University – Elliott School of International Affairs (2010-14). He has given a series of lectures at the National Defense University; at the NATO School (SHAPE), Oberammergau, Germany; the Kofi Anan International Peacekeeping Centre, Accra, Ghana; and lectures on WMDs at the Caribbean Maritime University, Kingston, Jamaica.

Episode 17 - Ambassador Curtis Ward

Dr. Abi Williams is a scholar and international affairs practitioner who has held leadership positions in academia, think tanks, and the United Nations. He is Professor of the Practice of International Politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and the Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. He has also served as Director of the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University and President of The Hague Institute for Global Justice. Prior to these appointments, Dr. Williams served at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) first as Vice President of the Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention, and later as Senior Vice President of the Center for Conflict Management. He led USIP's work on prevention and in major conflict zones, including Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and Libya. 

From 2001 to 2007, Dr. Williams served as Director of Strategic Planning for UN Secretaries-General Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-Moon. As an academic, he has served as Associate Dean of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., and held faculty appointments at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and the University of Rochester. He was Chair of the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS), and a member of the UN Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters, the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Justice, the U.S.-Netherlands Fulbright Commission, the Lester Pearson College UWC Board of Trustees, and the International Board of Directors of the United World Colleges. He is currently a professor of international politics at Tisch College, Tufts University. 

In this episode, Dr. Williams speaks to the role of race in international justice institutions, unpacks personal lessons learned from his extensive career as diplomat and academic practitioner, and explains his role as a mentor and community builder, among other topics.

Episode 18 -  Abi Williams

BlackTalk producer Nicolás Arnáez chats with Dr. Andy Knight, creator and usual host of the BlackTalk podcast, and with multidisciplinary storyteller Brandon Wint, about the new Black Studies microcourse they have developed, "Black Canadians: History, Presence, and Anti-Racist Futures", soon to be available for the public to attend through Coursera. 

More course information will be found at the end of the month here: https://www.ualberta.ca/admissions-programs/online-learning.html

Brandon Wint is an Ontario born poet and spoken word artist who uses poetry to attend to the joy and devastation and inequity associated with this era of human and ecological history. Increasingly, his work on the page and in performance casts a tender but robust attention toward the movements and impacts of colonial, capitalist logic, and how they might be undone. In this way, Brandon Wint is devoted to a poetics of world making, world altering and world breaking. For Brandon, the written and spoken word is a tool for examining and enacting his sense of justice, and imagining less violence futures for himself and the world he has inherited.

W. Andy Knight is Professor of International Relations in the Political Science Department, University of Alberta, and past Chair of the Department. He is Provost Fellow for Black Leadership and Excellence. He is the former Director of the Institute of International Relations (IIR), The University of the West Indies (UWI), Trinidad & Tobago, and co-founder and the former head of the Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean (DAOC). Professor Knight serves as Co-editor in Chief of both African Security journal and International Journal -- two globally prestigious peer-reviewed academic publications. During his secondment in the Caribbean, Knight established the Caribbean Journal of International Relations and Diplomacy and he was co-editor of a highly regarded and award-winning journal -- Global Governance from 2000 to 2005.

BlackTalk Special Episode - Andy Knight and Brandon Wint

BlackTalk host Dr. Andy Knight talks with Dr. Adekeye Adebajo of the University of Pretoria, and Lula Adam of the University of Alberta, discussing their experiences at the Pan-African Symposium held at the University of Alberta in February 2024. All three speakers reflect on the ideas presented in the symposium, especially ideas of intellectual reparations, African scholarship, the publishing gap between Euro-North American and African journals, and practical, constructive paths forward for working to decolonize the University curriculum. 

Professor Adekeye Adebajo is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Pretoria's (UP) Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship (CAS). Professor Adebajo holds a doctorate from Oxford University in England, and served with United Nations (UN) missions in South Africa, Western Sahara, and Iraq.

Lula Adam is the Student Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Co-Ordinator with the Dean of Students Office at the University of Alberta, and the host of the upcoming podcast "You, Me, and Us: Equity and Belonging"

BlackTalk Special Episode - Pan-African Symposium with Adekeye Adebajo and Lula Adam

Ethnic, modern, inclusive and informative, BlackTalk leaves listeners with new perspectives about anti-Black racism and Black achievement. 

BlackTalk is a podcast about the personal experiences of global Black experts and Black Canadians contextualized within the historical experience of being Black. Ethnic, modern, inclusive and informative, BlackTalk leaves listeners with new perspectives about anti-Black racism and Black achievement. The show is conversational, not judgmental. It provides a unique take on the Black experience to help people of all backgrounds open their eyes, reflect and challenge their thinking.

BlackTalk Podcast

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