"A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots." — Marcus Garvey
OUR HISTORY
Queen’s Black Academic Society (QBAS) previously QCBI, was ratified under the AMS in the summer of 2011. After speaking with many students and sharing individual and collective experiences, it was realized that the services black students needed to fully integrate themselves into the Queen’s community were lacking. QBAS was formed to address this need. Through its programming, the group seeks to create a safe space and to foster a sense of community amongst black students, faculty, staff and alumni. We have been well received with great interest, and have quickly built a supportive community of students who feel welcome to share their personal thoughts and debate on social, political, and economic matters.
We use the term “Black” for a general understanding of our targeted group but understand that it is a loose term and is not sufficient to categorize peoples of varying origins and backgrounds. As such, we emphasize self-identification as an important component of our group. Through our efforts, we seek to provide the resources needed for black members of the Queen’s community to develop into socially aware, articulate and confident individuals.
WHO WE ARE...
Mission: To advance Black academics through a focus on education, equity, wellness and, issues pertinent to the Black community.
Our Mandate: The Queen’s Black Academic Society (QBAS) began in 2011 as a passion project between graduate and undergraduate students eager to foster community amongst self-identified people of colour. These students were eager to engage in a dialogue surrounding the issues that faced the Black diaspora, and to discover their role in addressing these issues.Building upon these seeds, our mission is to advance Black academics on a whole through a focus on education, equity, wellness, and issues pertinent to the Black community.
Our
Story
Who we are...
Mission: To advance Black academics through a focus on education, equity, wellness and, issues pertinent to the Black community.
Our Mandate: The Queen’s Black Academic Society (QBAS) began in 2011 as a passion project between graduate and undergraduate students eager to foster community amongst self-identified people of colour. These students were eager to engage in a dialogue surrounding the issues that faced the Black diaspora, and to discover their role in addressing these issues.Building upon these seeds, our mission is to advance Black academics on a whole through a focus on education, equity, wellness, and issues pertinent to the Black community.
What we do...
• Enrich the lives of self-identified Black students at Queen's through fulfilling the mission
• Offer educational and cultural activities that improve the skills and well-being of students at Queen’s
• Strengthen the Black diasporic community by decreasing barriers to internal (Queen's University) and external (e.g. Kingston) collaboration and communication
• Create a safe(r) space and to foster a sense of community amongst Black students, faculty, staff, and alumni
• Provide social functions with the purpose of adding to the variety of university life
