Integrating Indigenous ways of thinking and making in all their work, Professor Jay Havens offers audiences, colleagues and students opportunities to learn and reciprocate
Dr. Naila Keleta-Mae’s Black And Free Project is engaging with the public, showcasing Ontario-based Black artists
By Claire Francis
In the Canadian academic landscape, scholar, artist, and professor, Dr. Naila Keleta-Mae (Communication Arts) is a visionary. Her Black And Free Project explores Black expressive culture through various mediums — and this year, Keleta-Mae’s work is going beyond academia and being brought to life for the public. A series of events, classes, and exhibits are planned which explore the themes inherent in her multi-year research-creation project on blackness and freedom.
Vershawn Young is many things: a professor in the department of Communication Arts and English Language and Literature; the director of the new Black Studies program, a program in which he led in the development; a solo performance artist, translating all of his academic work into stage productions; and a writer of books and articles.
