The Government of Canada announced the theme of Black history month for the year 2025 as “Black Legacy and Leadership: Celebrating Canadian History and Uplifting Future Generations.” This theme represents the diversity, strength and leadership of the Black communities who have taken control of their legacies. It’s deeply important to recognize the contributions of Black students, as well as the barriers they face when pursuing higher education. The Black community at UVic is deliberately minimized. Dismissive narratives fuel isolation and give the University and its institutions cover to ignore and neglect Black students, staff, and faculty. This isn’t just oversight; it’s systemic erasure. There are thriving Black communities on this campus and in this community and it is unacceptable that academic structures participate in their minimization.

Black students navigate constant barriers, including systematic marginalization, delegitimization, erasure, and the trivialization of their experiences and contributions—both in the classroom and beyond. They face persistent racism from authority figures within the institution and the broader community. Too often, Black voices are silenced, dismissed, or tokenized when their truths become inconvenient for the structures and systems that oppress them.

This is unacceptable. The lives, leadership and legacy of Black students, faculty, and staff — their communities, and their families — are necessary and vibrant contributions to UVic’s campus. Without their presence, this space lacks the richness, resilience, and brilliance they bring. The barriers and exclusions placed in their path do not just limit them—they diminish us all, leaving a community less whole. Black students deserve to take up space and should be uplifted. 

The racism Black students endure is an ongoing struggle. Institutions, including UVic and the UVSS, have a responsibility not only to acknowledge this reality but to take meaningful action to support Black students and address our failures.

Despite the challenges they face, Black university members at UVic have done an excellent job of building community in this environment. The African and Caribbean Students’ Association has a number of incredible events and we highly recommend Black students seeking community to engage with them. The BC Black History Society is partnering with Royal BC Museum and the University of Victoria on February 8th to host a Black History Month Fashion Show, which we highly encourage people to attend. We also recommend that students engage with our Students of Colour Collective (including their in-person lounge), who have been building safe and protective community spaces for all racialized students.

On behalf of the UVSS Board of Directors, we wish you a happy and meaningful Black History Month. We empower our Black students to find joy and celebration in community, and hope that our non-Black students take responsibility to educate themselves, engage meaningfully with Black history, and take part in impactful anti-racist work.