The Faculty of Arts is the academic home of Black Studies academic programming, research and Black excellence.
These webpages represent current, past and upcoming Black Studies initiatives, people and resources that are based primarily within the University of Waterloo– although may include contributions from community partners, researchers and beyond.
Black Flourishing (programs and courses)
Diplomas
The Faculty of Arts offers programs open to students from any faculty at Waterloo:
- Diploma in Black Studies - provides students with foundational knowledge into Black Arts, culture, life, history, society, and politics through an intersectional framework (i.e., intersection of race, class, gender, identity, sex, sexuality, and region).
- Diploma in Fundamentals of Anti-Racist Communication - provides students with essential skills to combat anti-Black racism, develop broad racial awareness and Black cultural competency, and engage in effective interracial communication, and interracial allyship.
Upcoming courses: Fall 2025
- BLKST 103 / COMMST 103 / ENGL 103 - Combating Racism
- BLKST 308 / ENGL 373 - Writing Anti-Racism
- BLKST 340 / ENGL 340 - Contemporary African Literature and Film
Note: The above courses are those that we plan to offer in the term but may be subject to change.
How to add a diploma credential
Degree students:
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Once you've completed your degree, including all diploma requirements, include the diploma along with your other academic plans on the Apply to Graduate Form for that year.
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Degree students cannot declare diplomas prior to graduation.
Non-degree or post-degree students:
Reminder: you need to apply to Non-degree or Post-degree studies first, and be admitted.
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Once you're admitted, fill out a Plan Modification Form to declare the diploma (this applies to ND/PD students only), OR
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Upon completing all diploma courses, claim the credential by declaring the diploma on the Apply to Graduate Form for that year.
Contact us
For more information about diploma requirements, course offerings and scheduling, or how to enrol in Black Studies courses please contact Dr. Laura Mae Lindo - Director of Black Studies or Kelli MacCulloch.
Black Excellence (meet our faculty)
Laura Mae Lindo, Director
Dr. Laura Mae Lindo (she/her/elle) is a respected activist and educator who holds both a Masters and PhD in Education. Dr. Lindo is a knowledgeable advocate for the rights of womxn and girls, a respected ally to vulnerable communities, and, most importantly, a courageous public speaker, ready, willing, and able to speak to issues often left unaddressed. Her research includes an exploration of the use of humour to initiate discussions of race and racism in pre-service classrooms and forms the foundation of her upcoming book, Unthinkable Laugher: (Re)Imagining Anti-Racist Education (the University of Toronto Press). Dr. Lindo has worked at Toronto Metropolitan University in the Diversity Institute as well as lectured at St. Francis Xavier University (Antigonish, Nova Scotia), the University of Prince Edward Island (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island), York University (Toronto, Ontario), and Wilfrid Laurier University (Waterloo, Ontario). A former Member of the Provincial Parliament for Kitchener Centre and Ontario’s Official Opposition Critic for Anti-Racism and Equity as well as Colleges and Universities, Dr. Lindo was the inaugural Chair of Ontario’s first Black Caucus. She is currently an Assistant Professor in Philosophy at the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Ontario) and Founder and Director of the e(RACE)r Institute where she continues to put anti-racist theory into practice.
More faculty profiles coming soon!
Black Mobilizing (research, scholarship and creation)
Additional research resources and news coming soon!
Resources
President's Anti-Racism Task Force
The President’s Anti-racism Taskforce is team of advisors representing Black, Indigenous and other racialized peoples, who will help advance anti-racism initiatives at the University. PART reports to the President of the University.
Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism
The Office works collaboratively on and off campus to build, incubate and enhance EDI-R competency and capacity across campus to identify an interrupt institutional barriers and embed equity within policies, processes, environments and experiences at the University of Waterloo.
The Scarborough Charter
In November 2021, the University of Waterloo joined more than 40 other post-secondary institutions in becoming a signatory to the Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in Canadian Higher Education.
Selected resources for students and faculty
- Student Awards, Entrance Awards Designated to Black Students
- Student Life, Black-led student clubs and activities
- Faculty, Black Faculty Collective
- Office of Research, Inclusive Research Resource Hub
- Library, Black Studies Research Guide
- Centre for Teaching Excellence, Educational Developers, Anti-Racist Pedagogies
- Community Research, Sankofa Network for Transformative & Community Research