Montreal’s Concordia University marks 40 years of Black Women’s studies

Montreal’s Concordia University is honouring Dr. Esmeralda Thornhill with the Simone de Beauvoir Institute Prize on Wednesday. 

Dr. Thornhill created Canada’s first university-accredited course on Black Women’s studies.

“This groundbreaking course, Black Women, the missing pages from Canadian women’s studies, is a direct outcrop of Montreal’s English-speaking Black community,” explained Dr. Thornhill.

The event – marking 40 years since the inception of the course.

“It is an honor. It really is an honor and I accept it humbly in the name, not of myself, but as I said of those predecessors, Black women predecessors, other mothers who have gone before me, who showed me by example, and whose dreams were not fulfilled, but they dream and they did what they did so that those like myself who come after might perhaps be part of that dream,” said Dr. Thornhill.

Dr. Thornhill created the course in 1983. She is a founding member and a former national president of the Congress of Black Women of Canada, an anti-racism educator, and a recognized human rights advocate.

“Her legacy extends beyond Canada. It’s important to have this conversation and to recognize the work that Black women, Black femmes, Black feminists, and activists have been doing since forever. So it’s important to have all these events to highlight that and give recognition to who deserves it,” said Barbara Saldana, a Concordia student.

Graham Carr, president and vice-chancellor of Concordia University – did not attend the event – something that didn’t come as a surprise to the crowd in attendance.

“I say that I too share President Carr’s regrets of not being here. I thank you for this institutional moment,” said Thornhill.

While celebrations are in order for the trailblazer – there are also reminders of what is left to be done – a lot.

“This commemoration could not happen. It didn’t happen by me. It happened because there’s so many other people, especially young upcoming women who saw the necessity because no one person can do something that is a lasting change. While Black women’s studies and what it represented still have to be fulfilled. It’s not yet the lasting change that it should be as far as I’m concerned,” said Thornhill.