New program equips Black scholars with resources and funding to further their careers
By: Tiyahna Ridley-Padmore
October 19, 2023
Some of the world’s most important technological, social and creative advancements originate from Africa and its Black diasporas. From pioneering medical practices like surgical techniques and herbal remedies to significant contributions in the fields of mathematics, astronomy and architecture, the continent has accumulated an immense history of intellectual wealth. Over the years, revolutionary thinkers descending from the continent have built upon beliefs, practices and methodologies originating from African cultural groups and ancestral knowledge, sparking social change in the process.
Despite this, Black scholars remain disproportionately under-represented (external link) in academia and higher education in Canada. At TMU, although Black people make up roughly (PDF file) 10 percent (external link) of the population of Ontario, Black faculty only represented 3 percent of full-time tenure-stream faculty in 2020.
To address this and respond to recommendations of the (PDF file) Anti-Black Racism Campus Climate Review Report published by the Office of the Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion (OVPECI), TMU’s Presidential Implementation Committee to Confront Anti-Black Racism (PICCABR) launched the Postdoctoral Fellowships for Black Scholars program in December 2022. Housed within the Yeates School of Graduate Studies and funded through the PICCABR and the Office of the Provost, the program equips Black scholars with resources, guidance and funding to further their careers and expand Afro-centric, Black-led and Black-focused research and innovations.
TMU News
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