The Gravest Crime: Canada’s Abstention and the Call for Reparatory Justice

ByIka Washington on March 26, 2026 On March 25, 2026, the United Nations General Assembly made a landmark decision. The global body formally adopted a resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans as the gravest crime against humanity. The Declaration of the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and Racialized Chattel Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime … Continue reading The Gravest Crime: Canada’s Abstention and the Call for Reparatory Justice

CARICOM pleased as UN declares slavery the “gravest crime ever”

BVI News on March 27, 2026 The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has welcomed what it describes as a “historic” United Nations resolution declaring the transatlantic trafficking and enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity, a move leaders say strengthens the region’s long-running push for reparatory justice. The resolution, adopted by the United Nations General … Continue reading CARICOM pleased as UN declares slavery the “gravest crime ever”

Nelson Mandela’s great-grandson brings leader’s legal legacy to TMU

Siyabulela Mandela pauses for a video interview moments before delivering his keynote presentation to 150+ community members at TMU By: Wendy Glauser March 17, 2026 Most people know Nelson Mandela as a revolutionary. But at a packed event held at TMU in February, his great grandson offered a different lens: Mandela as a lawyer – … Continue reading Nelson Mandela’s great-grandson brings leader’s legal legacy to TMU

UWI Vice-Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles on Reparations: Video available

Presentation to the 2026 CCI Research Symposium, February 19-10, 2026 The VC is also the Chair of the CARICOM Reparations Commission and is leading the effort to secure reparations for chattel slavery in the Caribbean. https://youtu.be/cKcIT1d5KSo See our 2026 Research Symposium page for additional videos and information.

TMU prof wins international prize for book on Black women and political power

Lahoma Thomas is the only Canadian to win Oxford's inaugural Early Career Researcher First Book Prize By: Savara Khokhar March 13, 2026 Long before Lahoma Thomas became a scholar, she was a child sitting beside her grandmother in the Caribbean, surrounded by women talking about their lives, their communities and the challenges they faced. Those … Continue reading TMU prof wins international prize for book on Black women and political power

George Brown Professor Natalie Wood wins Michael Baptista Essay Prize

Photo: Professor Natalie Wood, centre, with colleagues and guests at William Peyton Hubbard Atrium naming event, February 5, 2026. March 13, 2026 George Brown Polytechnic professor and researcher Natalie Wood has been awarded the Michael Baptista Essay Prize by York University’s Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLAC).   Wood, a professor in the Social Service Worker program and co-designer of the Black Futures Research Institute, … Continue reading George Brown Professor Natalie Wood wins Michael Baptista Essay Prize

Haiti nominates Le Nouvelliste archives for UNESCO heritage register

Old building of Le Nouvelliste on Rue du Centre in Port-au-Prince before the gang attack on April 25, 2024. Photo credit: Archives of Le Nouvelliste The Haitian government and Le Nouvelliste’s leadership hope recognition will help preserve and digitize more than a century of Haiti’s oldest daily newspaper by Juhakenson Blaise Mar. 12, 2026 Overview: Haiti’s … Continue reading Haiti nominates Le Nouvelliste archives for UNESCO heritage register

Keynote Presentation from The Hon. Bob Rae to CCI Research Symposium now available on-line

The Canada-Caribbean Institute 2026 Research Symposium opened today at the St. Augustine Campus of The UWI. In his Keynote Presentation, Canada's former Ambassador to the United Nations, the Hon. Bob Rae shared wide-ranging views on Canada-Caribbean relations, the shared colonial history of the Caribbean and Canada, reparations, security challenges in Haiti and the importance of … Continue reading Keynote Presentation from The Hon. Bob Rae to CCI Research Symposium now available on-line

Jimmy Cliff and the roots of Toronto’s Reggae scene

Jamaica Observer Cheryl Thompson (an Associate Professor of Performance at Toronto Metropolitan University) has written a couple of great articles on Jimmy Cliff and the roots of Toronto's Reggae scene. The two articles appear in Spacing. From the introduction... On November 24, 2025, Jamaican reggae legend Jimmy Cliff (né James Chambers) died at age 81. … Continue reading Jimmy Cliff and the roots of Toronto’s Reggae scene

Massey College Fellowship to allow professor to complete major projects

December 29, 2025 | Neil Armstrong/Gleaner Writer Dr Hyacinth Simpson, a Jamaican-Canadian associate professor in the Department of English, Faculty of Arts, at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), has been named a 2025-2026 Massey College Visiting Scholar and is pleased that her work aligns with the prestigious honour. Simpson is among three faculty members, who are … Continue reading Massey College Fellowship to allow professor to complete major projects