Black History Month at McMaster begins with joy and a focus on community 

A student in traditional Maasai clothes and jewelry smiles with three friends in the atrium of MUSC.

Third-year student and spoken word artist Naisula Mollel, second from right, performed at the launch event for Black History Month at McMaster. Marked by stirring words, soulful music and a strong sense of community, it was just the beginning of weeks of events and programming.

February 7, 2025

 

I come from a lineage of Black women 
Whose hands hold history too rich to be buried 
— Dear Black Girl, a poem written and recited by Akilah Walcott

With stirring words, soulful music and a strong and joyful sense of community, Black History Month at McMaster has begun.

“This year’s theme, Diasporic Dreams: Reclaiming the Past, Shaping the Present and Crafting Futures, nicely encapsulates the very best of what Black History Month still has to offer, and it reminds us why it is still relevant,” said Barrington Walker, vice-provost (Equity and Inclusion).

Five people stand together and smile at the BSSC club table in MUSC
Staff and volunteers from the BSSC share a smile with Marlice Simon, the centre’s spiritual mentor.
Five smiling students at the Black BHSc club table in MUSC
Swag from the Black BHSc Association was very popular at the 2025 launch of Black History Month at McMaster.
Two people smile at the students running a club table in the student centre.
Juliet Daniel and Clare Warner chat with students at the table for the National Black Students in Engineering table.

Seen from behind, students seated at a club table talk while others stand in front of the table, chatting

A group of students at a club table pose and smile
MACaws had a table at the 2025 launch of Black History Month at McMaster.

Held in the atrium of MUSC, the event featured tables for a number of student clubs and groups, as well as representatives from African and Black Diaspora Studies and the Black Student Success Centre.

A Black woman holding a notebook speaks into a mic while standing on stage.
Poet Akilah Walcott reads her poem “Dear Black Girl” at the 2025 launch of Black History Month at McMaster.

Poet, singer and McMaster Nursing graduate Akilah Walcott recited her new poem Dear Black Girl, a powerful reminder of the strength, history and potential of Black women and girls. She followed that with a song, stunning everyone with her powerhouse vocals.

After her performance, Walcott stopped by the tables of MacAWS and MacAfricans, clubs that she was part of during her years at the School of Nursing.

A big group of students stands behind two club tables in MUSC
Students from MacAfricans and MACaws stand with McMaster graduate Akilah Walcott, in white at the centre.

“It’s so great to be back and see students again,” Walcott said.

“When I was in school I thought I could only be a nurse, but now I realize I am — we all are — multifaceted.”

“I hope they get a sense that anything is possible. Their gifts are all valuable.”

In light of the theme’s focus, it was only fitting that students past and present performed at various points.

Spoken word artist Naisula Mollel performs on stage.

Third-year student, entrepreneur and spoken word artist Naisula Mollell complemented her compelling performance with a striking Maasai outfit from head to toe.

David Farrar speaks into the mic at the podium
McMaster President David Farrar speaks at the 2025 launch of Black History Month at McMaster.

President David Farrar thanked the students, faculty and staff whose tireless efforts continue to advance inclusive excellence. “Through their dedication to equitable access to education and academic success, they are helping shape a future where brilliance is nurtured and celebrated.”

Barrington Walker and Eve Nyambiye stand together in MUSC
Barrington Walker, Vice-provost, Equity and Inclusion, and Eve Nyambiya, coordinator of Anti-Black Racism Education and Programs in the Equity and Inclusion Office.

Black History Month “gives us cause to reflect upon how Black people have shaped histories across countries and across the diaspora,” said Barrington Walker, vice-provost of Equity and Inclusion.

“It’s also an opportunity for us to think about what is at stake during a time of resurgent identity-based exclusions and the backlash against the gains of the long civil rights and anti-colonial movements that are upon us right now.”

A man speaks at a podium, in front of a big screen that introduces him by name and title.
Vice-provost (Equity and Inclusion) Barrington Walker speaks at the podium at the 2025 launch of Black History Month at McMaster.

Instructor Rodrigo Narro Perez brought his students from SCIENCE 2AR3 — Foundations of Science: Equity, Justice and Anti-Racism in Science — to the BHM launch event for the final 20 minutes of their class.

“We’re talking about Black scientists, so I thought I should bring them over to see for themselves,” said Narro Perez.

The launch event was just the kickoff for a month-long slate of activities, programming and events to celebrate, honour and recognize Black excellence.

This weekend, student groups Blackspace and BlackPrint are hosting the Black Formal, bringing together students and allies for a glamorous evening of connection and celebration.

On Feb. 11, McMaster Libraries and the Equity and Inclusion office present Diasporic Dreams: Afrofuturism as Anti-Oppression, a reading series of Afrofuturist literature by authors who include Octavia Butler and W.E.B DuBois.

Click here for a week-by-week listing of Black History Month events and programming.