George Brown College's Black Futures Initiatives (BFI) made a powerful statement at Congress 2025, hosting two career corners and two panel conversations that centred Black voices, experiences, and liberation strategies in academic spaces. On June 3rd, scholars, artists, and activists came together to explore both theoretical frameworks of resistance and practical community-building approaches.
Exploring queer marronage as revolutionary strategy
"Queer Marronage as a Black Liberation Strategy," featured an exceptional panel of scholar-activists who unpacked the connections between historical resistance practices and contemporary Black queer liberation. Moderated by Professor Natalie Wood, the discussion brought together Dr. Ronald Cummings from McMaster University, internationally acclaimed artist-scholar d'bi young, and multidisciplinary creator Ravyn Wngz.
Dr. Cummings grounded the conversation in historical context, explaining how marronage encompasses both grand acts of resistance like fleeing plantations and petit marronage the smaller, everyday acts of rebellion and refusal. The panelists explored how these strategies translate to contemporary struggles, with marronage representing not just escape but active movement toward liberation and the creation of alternative spaces of belonging.
Ravyn Wngz emphasized the importance of claiming heritage and building radical movements for change. As an Afro-Indigenous, 2Spirit, Queer artist, Wngz spoke to the power of creating gathering spaces outside of chaos, noting their unique position as "a Black trans woman that people listen to."
d'bi young shared their three-stage process of transformation through performance: remembering, re-storying, and redreaming. This methodology allows artists and activists to move from biographical experience to mythic possibility, creating what they call "a world of possibilities" that honours both survival and transformation.
The session highlighted Canada's own maroon history and the ongoing need to document freedom work within this territory. Panelists emphasized that queer history cannot be separated from Black Canadian history, highlighting the interconnected nature of liberation struggles.
Building community through Chill and Chat
The "Chill and Chat" session, organized in collaboration with the National Black Graduate Network (NBGN), led by Emmanuel Rutayisirie, featured panelists Funké Aladejebi, rosalind hampton, Qui Alexander, and Cherie Daniel shifted focus to community building and the lived experiences of Black scholars in academia.
This networking event provided a vital and safe space for Black graduate students and researchers to connect, share challenges, and explore collective strategies for thriving in academic institutions.
The session addressed the persistent barriers facing Black academics, including the challenges of securing permanent positions beyond sessional work and navigating intersectional identities within academic spaces. Despite these obstacles, participants emphasized the importance of maintaining "radical hope" and building grassroots networks of support.
Advancing Black futures methodology
Both events showcased BFI's commitment to what they term "maroon technologies" and "reworlding approaches" in addressing anti-Black racism. BFI has adapted these historical practices of self-liberation into contemporary academic and community contexts, creating spaces where Black futures can be imagined and actualized.
The events demonstrated the power of bringing together diverse voices within the Black community, from established scholars to emerging researchers, and artists to activists. This intersectional approach reflects BFI's understanding that Black liberation encompasses multiple identities and experiences, requiring solidarity across differences.
"We felt a kind of absence of queerness, an invisible presence in many of the new academic Black spaces," explains Natalie Wood, Lead Researcher at Black Futures Initiatives, GBC Professor in the Social Service Work Program, and the ideator of BFI. "Given the alarming rise of intolerance and vicious attacks on queerness and transness, I knew we needed to create programming that would name and counter these forces directly."
"These panels offer an opportunity to explore liberation strategies and build community connections that sustain us," Wood continued. "At BFI, we embrace maroon technology because these conversations whether they concern theoretical frameworks or lived experiences ultimately serve the same goal: ensuring that Black liberation also means Black queer liberation."
Wood and Ola's vision for these panels and Congress career corners emerged from recognizing both global threats to hard-won progress and the need for more inclusive academic spaces. By centring queer marronage and creating community gatherings that honour all aspects of Black identity, BFI has positioned itself as a leader in fostering transformative dialogue.
Looking forward
The success of these Congress 2025 events signals BFI's influence in reshaping academic conversations about Black liberation and community building. By combining rigorous scholarship with creative practice and lived experience, BFI continues to develop innovative approaches to support Black futures in educational settings and beyond.
The emphasis on collective memory, community artifacts, and intergenerational knowledge sharing suggests that BFI's work goes beyond individual events, contributing to a broader project of documenting and celebrating Black resistance, creativity, and resilience in Canada.
Learn more about Black Futures Initiatives at George Brown College
