When the Black-led Research Network Initiative (BRNI) had the grand opening of their new space on October 17, 2025, the atmosphere was joyful, with attendees gathering for conversation and exploring the renovated space in HUB Mall.
Jared Wesley vividly recalls the moment when the true impact sunk in for several of the BRNI committee members and other senior Black faculty members in attendance.
“We shared a few emotional glances across the room when we all realized that the young scholars there wouldn’t have to go through their careers wondering if they had a place on campus. It was quite touching,” says Wesley, a Professor and Associate Dean (Graduate) in the Faculty of Arts.
“I’ve never had a space anywhere I’ve worked in my 30-odd year career that was for Black faculty, students and staff, for the Black community to meet and work,” says Shirley Anne Tate, Professor in the Faculty of Arts and Academic Lead on Race Equity in the Office of Access, Community and Belonging. “I just find it really amazing that this has happened here.”
The grand opening event, Opening Doors to Black Excellence, was co-organized by BRNI’s co-leads, Tate and Eniola Salami, Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Black Health Lead for the MD Program. It marked an exciting new chapter for the initiative — and an important milestone for many involved.
“As a junior colleague, this space is incredibly special. Having a space where you can be mentored, connect with colleagues and explore new ideas is critical for professional growth,” says Salami. “My hope is that new academics find a home here and are able to flourish with the support of a community that is invested in their success. Walking into the space, it’s really a breath of fresh air — everything around you says ‘you belong here’.”
“Some of our more senior faculty members, many were at one point the only Black faculty member in their department or in their entire faculty," says Wesley. "For them, I think seeing this space filled with Black researchers was really an achievement. They might not have been involved in the blueprints for the space, but they laid that path for us. So to me, it was a real intergenerational moment.”
André McDonald, a Professor in the Faculty of Engineering, established BRNI in 2023 along with several other colleagues during his tenure as Associate Vice President of Strategic Research Initiatives and Performance. Housed in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, the initiative received initial funding from the Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub and Kule Institute, and conducted an initial visioning workshop to help solidify their mission and purpose.
“The workshop was important to bring us together as a community,” says Tate, who is on the BRNI steering committee along with McDonald, Wesley and eight others.
From the outset, McDonald had his sights set on a network that spanned across campus and beyond. “I wanted this to be institutional, so we could have folks from the arts, from business, from science, health, engineering, all involved.”
Mentorship and training for both early career researchers and youth was identified as a core purpose of BRNI, with the aim of creating a pipeline to build capacity, underpinned by long-term external funding for sustainability, explains McDonald. BRNI also intended to take a global approach to research, forging connections with scholars across the world and seeking research opportunities within Africa and Small Island Developing States to promote Black academic excellence on an international scale.
When funding became available for a physical space to house BRNI, a similar visioning workshop, led by Wesley, gave the group insight on priorities to consider. Rather than discussing design details, the goal was to focus on what the space would help BRNI achieve, says Wesley.
Participants wanted a flexible, multi-purpose space that integrated the necessary technological infrastructure and incorporated art that reflects Black culture and history. They desired an environment where researchers felt safe, supported and inspired, with the ability to host events that foster collaboration between scholars, students and the wider community.
Erin Ellis, Darin Bridges, Erin Rogers and Carrie Rogerson — the designers and project managers who brought the BRNI’s vision to life — created a warm, welcoming space with pan-African colours such as vibrant red, yellow and green throughout. Over the next few months, BRNI plans to put together a charter and guidelines for the use of the space.
“The space is really about bringing people together where they feel comfortable and where they feel most authentic,” says Wesley.
The space’s opening is a major achievement for BRNI, which has grown tremendously over the two years since its founding. According to McDonald, Black researchers as principal investigators have gone from securing one million dollars in external funding per year to over five million dollars since the launch of BRNI, thanks in part to larger institutional efforts such as the Black academic excellence cohort hire.
Much of the growth is less tangible, although no less important. “The thing you don’t see in metrics is the network that is being created,” says McDonald. He recalls a conversation with Adetola Adesida, a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, where Adesida expressed that creating community should be an integral part of any initiative like BRNI. “You need people to build relationships because if they don’t, then they cannot work together on these interdisciplinary partnerships, collaborative opportunities and activities.”
BRNI’s priorities remain consistent, with a continued focus on internationalization and support for early career researchers and students. “They’re the future generation of academics,” says Tate. “I think we’ve already begun to see the impact of that mentoring and support on people’s careers.”
Tate envisions a future where BRNI evolves into a full institute or centre for Black-led research on campus, and having a space for BRNI could very well be the first step in that direction.
“Having some kind of infrastructure, a landing place, allows researchers, scholars and students to gather and have conversations about the activities they’re doing,” says McDonald. “It creates a sense of ownership and pride, but it also gives us a place to ideate, to train the next generation of scholars.”
Carrie Smith, Vice-Provost (Access, Community + Belonging) shares greetings.
(L-R) Anne-José Villeneuve, Associate Professor and Director of Access, Community + Belonging at Campus Saint-Jean, and Carrie Smith.
Natacha Louis, Assistant Professor at Campus Saint-Jean
Michael A. Bucknor, Canada Research Chair in Black Global Studies and Decolonial Practice and Professor, English and Film Studies.
(L-R) Michael O'Driscoll, Professor in the Faculty of Arts and Director of the Kule Institute for Advanced Study, and Jared Wesley, Professor and Associate Dean (Graduate) in the Faculty of Arts.
(L-R) Samira Schultz, Akunna Izugbokwe, Neriah Otu and Moriah Otu, executive members of the 伊人直播 Black Students' Association.
Ajibola Adigun, President of the 伊人直播 Black Graduate Student's Association.