Afua Cooper began her tenure as the James Robinson Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies in August, and she鈥檚 moving quickly to increase the chair鈥檚 profile.
鈥淥ur mandate is vast, but at its core, it鈥檚 about knowledge mobilization鈥攔esearch, teaching, publishing鈥攐f black Canadian studies,鈥� explains Dr. Cooper. 鈥淔urther, it is also to serve as a bridge between the Dalhousie community and the broader community鈥攕pecifically the black community here in Halifax and across Nova Scotia.鈥�
The chair is also the first black studies chair in Canada, giving it a national mandate in addition to its important local role.
Next week, the chair is hosting its first two major events to mark the launch of Dr. Cooper鈥檚 tenure. The first is a memorial service dedicated to the chair鈥檚 namesake. James Robinson Johnston (1876-1915) earned his Bachelor of Letters degree from Dalhousie in 1896, followed by his Bachelor of Laws in 1898. This made him the first African Nova Scotian to graduate from university, and in addition to a noted career in criminal and military law, he was also a strong advocate for civil rights.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a chance to recognize a true community leader,鈥� says Dr. Cooper. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think he really has the profile that he deserves, given his accomplishments.鈥�
The service takes place on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 3 p.m. at Cornwallis Street Baptist Church. Mr. Johnston was an active member of the church 鈥撀爃e played the organ, organized choirs and raised funds to help pay off its mortgage.
"Rocky" Jones' living history
The second event is the inaugural lecture in the chair鈥檚 Distinguished Lecture Series, which will be ongoing throughout its tenure. The lecture will be delivered by Burnley 鈥淩ocky鈥� Jones, Halifax lawyer and human rights advocate, speaking on 鈥淭he Struggle for Human Rights in African Nova Scotian Communities, 1961-2011.鈥� The lecture takes place Wednesday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. in the Potter Auditorium of the Rowe building.
鈥淸Mr. Jones] doesn鈥檛 often share his experiences, so this is a remarkable opportunity for the community to hear about the living, current history of African Nova Scotians,鈥� says Dr. Cooper. 鈥淭he lecture series was established, really to bring together Dal and the community to investigate some topics in black Canadian studies, and this is will be a wonderful start.鈥�
Meanwhile, Dr. Cooper works to build out the chair鈥檚 mandate. She鈥檚 working on establishing its research program and has spent the fall reaching out to black Nova Scotian leaders in Halifax鈥攕ecular and spiritual鈥攚ith plans to travel the province for more community consultations in the months ahead. The chair is also starting plans for events to mark Black History Month in February.
鈥淭hrough our work, we hope to make black Canadian studies visible in our community in a very real way, and hopefully these lectures can help with that.鈥�