Education

Black Brilliance 

Tshepo Fellows Drs. Karen Cyrus and Heena Mistry partnered with Teneile Warren and Pauline Janke from the Waterloo Region District School Board's EDI office to organize and convene the second annual Black Brilliance Elementary Conference at Laurier. The conference welcomed elementary students of African descent from 45 public schools across the Waterloo Region.

There were over 350 persons in attendance, including elementary students from grades 5 to 8, their teachers, and guests. The day began with a plenary session, followed by seven concurrent workshops. Attendees then enjoyed a lunch featuring African and Afrodiasporic cuisine before participating in another round of seven workshops. The event concluded with an African dance party.

The workshops were facilitated by Laurier’s faculty and staff, including several Tshepo fellows, members of Laurier's Black Faculty and Staff Caucus, and community members. Additionally, 25 undergraduate event assistants supported the event. The conference also received support from the Faculty of Music, Lazaridis Hall, WLUFA, Office of the Dean, CSEDI, Black Faculty and Staff Caucus, Office of the President, Faculty of Arts, Office of the AVP-EDI, ICT, and the Kitchener Public Library.