Black History Month 2024

Message from Dean Jason Carey on the occasion of Black History Month 2024

1 February 2024

Throughout February, at Campus Saint-Jean and across Canada, we'll be celebrating Black History Month. We'll be honouring the heritage of Black people in Canada and their communities. It will be a month of festivities, discovery and sharing. The Campus community will join with partner organizations to celebrate.

Above all, this month will be a time to recognize the immense contribution of Black communities to the francophonies of Canada, Alberta and Campus Saint-Jean. It's a necessary recognition, because the contribution of Black communities is too often forgotten or unrecognized. It is, however, rooted in the heart of our French-speaking communities, and it is also their future. They are the bearers of hope for tolerance, altruism and community spirit. These communities make so many cultural, social, political and historical contributions that their dynamism, vitality and, above all, importance ensure the continued development of the French-speaking world and its values.

The words Unity, Diversity, University form more than a motto for Campus Saint-Jean - they reflect our community and our francophonie. At the Campus, we reinforce and apply the principles of inclusiveness and equity, without which diversity risks being merely symbolic or even performative. One example of this reinforcement and application of these principles is the work of Professor Anne-José Villeneuve, our first EDI Director, on these all-important projects.

On this first day of Black History Month, I pay tribute to the members of the black community on Campus, and in particular to my colleagues and members of the student body - they are the strength of the Campus, and I am proud to work alongside them.

I look forward to welcoming many of you to our events throughout the month.

Jason Carey
Dean