This February, your University of Alberta Students’ Union has been honouring Black History Month by sharing stories of Black contributions to our campus community from the U of A’s past and present. Black students have been breaking barriers and shaping our community throughout the last century, and continue to make history today.

There are many examples of Black students making huge strides and challenging racism at the U of A. Students like Violet King Henry (’52 BA, ’53 LLB) who was the first Black UASU Executive, the first Black person to graduate law in Alberta, and the first Black lawyer admitted to the Alberta Bar. Or Francis Sam (‘67 MD) who was turned away from renting a basement suite near campus just for being Black, prompting the University housing officials to blacklist the racist landlords. In 1990, when the Graduate Students’ Association invited a South Africa government official to speak on campus, Henry Service (‘91 BA) strongly opposed the University “lending its legitimacy as a higher educational institution to racist views.”

Visit our Instagram to see our historic profiles of Black students and instructors who helped shape our campus community, and testimonials from current Black students about their academic experiences today. And don’t miss the “In Conversation With” video series with Emily Kimani, your UASU VP Operations & Finance, discussing the Black experience and the different aspects that make up those experiences with members of the campus community.

Black History Month is a time to celebrate the historic achievements of Black students in our community, and to recognize that there is still more work to do. We thank you all for joining us in honouring Black History Month!