Advisory — University of Lethbridge celebrates Black History Month
** Media are invited to a special availability in advance of the Coffee with the Artist on Tuesday, February 4 from 2:30 to 3 p.m. in the ULethbridge Hess Gallery (W600).
The University of Lethbridge celebrates Black History Month under the theme Reclaiming the Narrative: Celebrating Black History and Black Presence.
Black History Month is a celebration of the achievements and contributions of Black Canadians as well as persons of Black, Caribbean or African Heritage. Every February, we recognize the contributions of Black people and Black communities, highlighting their significant and ongoing role in shaping Canada’s identity.
Black History Month celebrates the resiliency, flourishing and determination to work towards a more equitable, inclusive and diverse country.
WHAT: Black History Month kickoff events
WHEN: Tuesday, Feb. 4
- 11 a.m. — Virtual BHM opening ceremony featuring Dr. Yabome Gilpin-Jackson, Simon Fraser University’s first Vice-President of People, Equity and Inclusion.
- 3 p.m. — Coffee with the Artist Erika DeFreitas in the ULethbridge Hess Gallery (W600).
Join the ULethbridge community in celebrating the launch of Black History Month. The virtual event will feature a presentation on Black Women in Leadership: Why Representation Matters, by Dr. Gilpin-Jackson.
At 2:30 p.m., media will have an opportunity to interview artist Erika DeFreitas and Martha Mathurin-Moe, ULethbridge’s Vice-Provost of Accessibility, Belonging and Community. it’s because of the shimmer, the verge, and the yet., on view in the Dr. Margaret (Marmie) Perkins Hess Gallery from January 18 - March 29, 2025, is DeFreitas’ largest solo exhibition of works to date. Spanning a timeline of almost two decades, the exhibition serves as an invitation for viewers to become intimately acquainted with DeFreitas’ artistic practice.
About Dr. Yabome Gilpin-Jackson
Dr. Yabome Gilpin-Jackson (she/her/hers) is a multi-award-winning scholar-practitioner in human and organizational development with awards and professional recognitions in Canada, UK and the United States including the prestigious Harry Jerome Award given in recognition of Black-Canadian achievements. She is an executive leader, consultant and educator in academia and across the private, public and nonprofit sectors. Dr Gilpin-Jackson is a two-time Beedie School of Business graduate with a Bachelor in Management/Organization Studies and an MBA in Leadership and Organization Change and holds a Master of Arts in Human Development and a PhD in Human and Organizational Systems from Fielding Graduate University where she is a post-doctoral Institute for Social Innovation Fellow. Her publications include, Transformation After Trauma, The Power of Resonance, co-editor for the 2022 Palgrave Handbook of Learning for Transformation, the We Will Lead Africa book series and short story collections about global African experiences: Identities, Ancestries, Destinies.
About Erika DeFreitas
Erika DeFreitas’s interdisciplinary practice includes performance, photography, video, installation, textiles, drawing and writing. Placing emphasis on gesture, process, the body, documentation and paranormal phenomena, DeFreitas mines concepts of loss, post-memory, legacy and objecthood. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including: Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery; Platform Centre for Photographic and Digital Arts, Winnipeg; Gallery TPW, Toronto; Project Row Houses and the Museum of African American Culture, Houston; Fort Worth Contemporary Arts; and Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita. DeFreitas holds a Master of Visual Studies from the University of Toronto.
Visit the Black History Month web page for more.
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Contact:
Melissa Villeneuve, Communications Specialist
403-329-2282
403-892-0467 (cell)
villemm@uleth.ca
Trevor Kenney, Manager of Public Affairs
403-329-2710
403-360-7639 (cell)
@ULethbridge
Our University’s Blackfoot name is Iniskim, meaning Sacred Buffalo Stone. The University is located in traditional Blackfoot Confederacy territory. We honour the Blackfoot people and their traditional ways of knowing in caring for this land, as well as all Indigenous Peoples who have helped shape and continue to strengthen our University community.