Growing up in Oakville, Ont., Christian Purboo, ArtSci ’25, never thought much about race when playing hockey. As a young goaltender, he was more focused on stopping pucks, not the fact he was often the only Black player on the ice. It wasn’t until high school he began to understand the barriers that made hockey inaccessible to so many kids who looked like him.As of 2019, less than five per cent of the National Hockey League (NHL) is comprised of Black athletes. In Purboo’s 2016 Ontario...| The Queen's Journal
I’ve been connected to The Journal for a long time, and it’s in part because of the Black History Month issue. It all started in Vol. 148 when the then Editors in Chief sent out an e-mail call-out looking for Black writers and artists to contribute to a Black History Month special issue of The Journal. While Matt and Raechel couldn’t craft a Black History Month issue at the time, their efforts to include more BIPOC creatives in The Journal are what got me started at the paper.| The Queen's Journal
“How do you feel?”This is the question I get asked the most by my non-Black peers.“How do you feel being one of a few Black students at Queen’s?”| The Queen's Journal
The opening ceremony for Black Histories and Futures Month (BHFM) brought to light the past, present, and future of Black experiences at Queen’s. Hosted jointly by the Queen’s Black Clubs Caucus (QBCC) and the Human Rights & Equity Office (HREO), the ceremony kicked off BHFM on Feb. 3 in the Rose Innovation Hub at Mitchell Hall. The two-hour long ceremony’s theme was “Threads: Weaving Black Joy & Experiences at Queen’s.”In a statement to The Journal, QBCC detailed the signific...| The Queen's Journal
From a young age, Victoria Okwudi, Nurs ’25, was drawn to the art of braiding and styling Black hair. She grew up in admiration of her aunt, who owned her very own salon, and revered all the “grown folks” getting their hair done while chatting about their grown-up lives. She quickly realized her aunt’s salon wasn’t only a place for primping and preening, but also an essential hub for connection in her local Black community.| The Queen's Journal
In honour of Black History Month, I thought it was a good time to assess the policies and initiatives present at Queen’s and nationwide that aim to promote inclusivity and diversity in sports.Traditionally, a lack of representation, along with economic barriers, has kept Black children from participating in organized sports. Inclusivity and diversity, I believe, are products of accessibility can only be achieved by reducing the barriers surrounding sports in Canada.Although professional lea...| The Queen's Journal