For Black History Month 2026, OISE librarians conducted interviews with 14 Black OISE students to learn about their research and projects. We're delighted to share summaries of these interviews, showcasing their work and celebrating their passion as researchers and educators!

Norty Antoine

Quote that reads: "Bob Marley said it best, ‘In this great future you can't forget your past’...if we do not understand what happened to us before, we are bound to allow a repeat of the same atrocities."

“Bob Marley said it best, ‘In this great future you can't forget your past.’  This paper is a reminder that if we do not understand what happened to us before, we are bound to allow a repeat of the same atrocities. I firmly believe that HBCUs can unite and operate as niche institutions to embrace the things they do well while still educating and training students for the world beyond themselves, but they are trapped trying to compete with historically white institutions (HWIs) by attempting to be more like them when HWIs' own history has already positioned them to be far ahead in the current neoliberal marketplace. HBCUs are also losing their identities through the homogenization of the sector.” (Click to read more): Norty’s research draws on his experiences studying higher education administration as a first-generation immigrant Black Caribbean man. While studying at OISE, Norty did not always see his identities represented in his courses. He felt driven to explore the links between higher education’s conceptions of leadership and their conceptions of colonialism and whiteness.
In his paper, How Systemic Inequities in The USA’s Postsecondary Sector Are Influencing Tenure at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Norty examines “the correlation between the origins of America’s HBCUs and their current treatment of tenure”. Applying Critical Race Theory, Norty argues that historical, cultural, and socio-economic factors directly impact the current challenges surrounding tenure at HBCUs.  
However, Norty firmly believes that HBCUs can unite and leverage their expertise and strengths without being “trapped” in competition with HWIs in the neoliberal marketplace. As one solution, Norty recommends that HBCUs include mentorship, and other unpaid job responsibilities disproportionately expected of Black faculty, as a formal criterion in their tenure considerations.
Norty strives to contribute to discussions of the social issues that impact his life and his wider communities. He is motivated by the desire to have his research contribute practical applications and lead to measurable improvements in the systems he is studying. Norty is inspired by his instructor, OISE professor Glen Jones, and many Black and Jamaican creators and activists, including Bob Marley, Anthony Winkler, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Langston Hughes, Lorraine Hansberry, Derek Walcott, Alice Walker and Louise Bennett Coverley.
Check out our Bluesky and Instagram posts highlighting Norty!

Kimone Brown

Quote by Kimone Brown: "...this research honors the humanity and constrained agency of enslaved Blacks, especially women, whose voices are largely absent from traditional archives.”

“The same dual codification that operated in colonial Jamaica, where Black people were simultaneously property and intimate subjects, operates today when Black Jamaican bodies, labor, and culture are commodified for consumption while most Black Jamaicans remain economically marginalized. My research isn't merely a historical account of slavery, my research is about understanding power structures that continue to shape inequality today...this research honors the humanity and constrained agency of enslaved Blacks, especially women, whose voices are largely absent from traditional archives.” (Click to read more)

Kimone’s research examines the contradictory depiction of enslaved Black people in Jamaica’s colonial archives, where documents describe them as both “depreciating property” and “beloved intimate partners and children of white colonizers”. These archives reveal and amplify colonial patterns of commodification and intimate exploitation that Kimone has noticed in her own lived experience as a Black Jamaican woman. Her work identifies the connection between systems of slavery and the exploitive frameworks of Jamaica’s contemporary economy.

In archives, Kimone has encountered stories of survival, strategic agency, and uncomfortable complexity. She has also felt energized by the tactility of archival records, connecting her through time and space with her ancestry.

“Working directly with the archival documents at the National Archives of Jamaica and the West Indian Collection at the University of the West Indies Mona has been deeply moving. Holding wills written 250 years ago, seeing the names of enslaved people inscribed sometimes with notations like "my mulatto daughter" or "the Negro woman with whom I have cohabited" connects me viscerally to my ancestors' experiences.”

Kimone is motivated by her personal connection to the research, a drive to demonstrate the historical roots of contemporary injustice, and the Jamaican proverb “Today fi me, tomorrow fi you -- those experiencing hardship today will experience success tomorrow.” Kimone’s goal is to create a different tomorrow where Black Jamaicans are free of colonial structures and have genuine economic justice.

Kimone’s work is informed by Critical Race Theory, Social Cognitive Theory and bell hooks’ frameworks of document analysis. She is inspired by OISE professors Njoki Wane and George Dei, as well as theorists bell hooks, Frantz Fanon, and Dr. Tom Amonde.

Check out our Bluesky and Instagram posts highlighting Kimone!

Ashana Dublin

Quote that reads: "I emphasize the necessity of prioritizing equity for all students—not merely as a nominal gesture but as an essential component in ensuring equal opportunities for success."

“Educational inequality within the Canadian system is deliberate. It is systematically intertwined with colonial history and persists through policies, data management, governance, and institutional structures that frequently resist substantive reforms aimed at Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB)...

I emphasize the necessity of prioritizing equity for all students—not merely as a nominal gesture but as an essential component in ensuring equal opportunities for success.” (Click to read more): Influenced by her own experiences of racism and obstacles in Canadian higher education, Ashana seeks to challenge how institutions “reproduce inequity while claiming neutrality.” Her research pursues a shift from deficit-based narratives to accountability-based analyses, using equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDIB) as a framework to investigate how systemic barriers impact success for racialized students. Through her work, Ashana strives to transform policy, practice and culture from something performative into something meaningful.
“I chose to do academic upgrading but was told I had to take a lower level of English because my accent was not “clear enough” or my writing style was not “good enough.” I decided to investigate further to see if any patterns resembled my experiences.”
Ashana’s research reveals continual reproduction of inequity in education, such as the assigning of Black students to lower academic streams and categorizing them as “high-risk”. She calls out the lack of analyzed race-based data, which renders racialized students “invisible” and perpetuates the myth of Canada’s “equitable” education system. In her work, Ashana has encountered and empathized with the experiences and resilience of other racialized students and their counterparts.
“I am motivated by the hope that research can help rebuild pathways so future students do not experience the same issues of degradation and silence as many of us do today.”
Critical Race Theory and Resilience Theory are fundamental to Ashana’s research and have inspired her to engage in more advocacy work within the field. She is additionally inspired by Black feminist, anti-racist, and decolonial scholars like Kimberlé Crenshaw, Carl James, and OISE Professor Njoki Wane. Outside academia, Ashana also finds inspration in artist Letitia Fraser and storyteller Nigel Thomas.
Check out our Bluesky and Instagram posts highlighting Ashana!

Chloé Dugied

Quote that reads: "..the process of bridging the gap between policy and practice is just as important as the fact that policy exists and matters just as much as the policy language itself..."

“...the process of bridging the gap between policy and practice is just as important as the fact that policy exists and matters just as much as the policy language itself...My research does not position teachers as the problem. Instead, it highlights the need for sustained professional learning, shared language, and collective spaces for sense making so that educators can move from commitment to meaningful action.” (Click to read more): Chloé's research investigates how high school teachers understand and translate DEI and anti-Black racism policy within board-level systems, how that understanding shapes their practice, and what factors affect their ability to meaningfully enact these policies. She is additionally interested in how understanding of policy often occurs through informal spaces like board memos, workshops, PD days, and conversation, rather than through official policy documents or training.
"...teachers described feeling unsure about language, worried about getting it wrong, or unclear about what was expected of them in practice...this uncertainty doesn’t come from a lack of care...That tension between strong intention and limited support has been really striking.”
Chloé facilitated challenging conversations with educators, where they were honest about the constraints of working within school systems, what they felt they were doing well, and where they wanted to grow. “Those moments reinforced for me that equity work is not about perfection. It’s about accountability, humility, and a genuine willingness to keep learning alongside one another. It’s the people.”
As a Black researcher, Chloé is motivated by her own sense of care, her work with youth in Toronto labelled “at risk”, and statistics that continue to show Black youth pushed to the margins.
“Too often the response is, “we have anti-Black racism policies’...That we have the policies – that's great, but how are they actually transferring into practice?Bridging gap between policy and practice to support Black students and Black student success is my main intention with this work.”
Through her research, Chloé advocates for clear guidance, support, and accountability to help educators navigate equity and anti-Black racism work. She is inspired by OISE professor Andrew B. Campbell. Chloé is also inspired by author-educators Princess Edogiawerie and Anthonia Ikemeh, who were her co-authors for the chapter 'The Power of Her Presence and Practice' in the book The ABCs of Blackness in Our Schools.
Check out our Bluesky and Instagram posts highlighting Chloé!

Patrice Fyffe

Quote by Patrice Fyffe: "What's missing isn't knowledge or resources, but the collective will to reminagine our systems and redistribute power."

“I want people to know that we do not have to live like this. The system has designed and orchestrated our misery, not our joy...We have concrete examples of pedagogical approaches, community structures, and technological frameworks that prioritize human wellbeing over profit extraction. What's missing isn't knowledge or resources, but the collective will to reimagine our systems and redistribute power. My work aims to illuminate pathways forward and demonstrate that transformative change is both necessary and possible.” (Click to read more): As an educator, Patrice has witnessed firsthand the ties that AI and algorithms have to student isolation, misogyny, loneliness, anxiety, and online gambling addictions. Her research explores how Drama and creative expression in education can better support youth in an AI-mediated world by offering space for human connection and critical reflection.
“As a Black person navigating predominantly white academic spaces, as someone deeply invested in youth wellbeing, and as an educator committed to change, I bring perspectives that challenge dominant narratives about technology, education, and human flourishing. My lived experiences inform the questions I ask and the solutions I imagine, pushing me to center marginalized voices and experiences in my work.”
While Patrice has encountered a wealth of empirical research on the benefits of Drama and Dramatherapy, she has found that analysis and research found outside of traditional academia has held “some of the most thought-provoking, critical analysis”. For Patrice, deepening her understanding through literature, collaboration, and exposure to diverse perspectives has proven to be one of the most rewarding aspects of research.
As a researcher, Patrice is motivated and shaped by her intersecting identities and inspired by OISE professors and lecturers Andrew B. Campbell, Fikile Nxumalo, George Dei, Marie Green, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Ann Lopez, and Kai Butterfield. Patrice is also inspired by authors James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, Octavia Butler, and by artists d'bi.young anitafrika, Janelle Monáe, and Noname.
Check out our Bluesky and Instagram posts highlighting Patrice!

Andre Laylor

Quote that reads: "...we need to focus on the systematic socio-economic impacts that influence a family’s circumstances rather than only focusing on what we perceive as the faults of parents."

“Systems and institutions influence how we conceptualize abuse and neglect, especially within the child welfare system. These terms are loaded and have a huge impact on Black families... when families can’t provide certain things, they [child welfare agencies] pin that on parents. I want people to know that we need to focus on the systematic socio-economic impacts that influence a family’s circumstances rather than only focusing on what we perceive as the faults of parents.” (Click to read more): A former child protection worker, Andre’s research aims to understand why Black families are overrepresented within Ontario’s child welfare system. Through interviews conducted with Black parents, Andre noticed that for Black families, poverty is often conflated with neglect. As a result, they are continually brought to the attention of the child welfare system that often makes their situation worse rather than providing support. 
Andre conceptualizes a six-step cycle that disadvantages Black families, the dynamics of which are influenced by patterns of anti-Black racism that date back to slavery. The cycle consists of Systemic Racism & Classism, The Front Door of the Child Welfare System, Punitive Interventions, Experiences of Exploitation & Commodification, Impacts to the Black Community, and Exiting the System Without Support. His research has also provided a platform for his participants to share untold stories about their experiences within Ontario’s child welfare system.  

“Many parents had never told anybody about their story, and they felt relieved to be able to share their experiences. Me being Black, them being Black-- it helped us cocreate a safe space together where they could share their experiences without judgement and trust me to share those experiences with others. It’s an honour to hear their stories and share them with the rest of the world.”  
Making a difference for the Black community motivates Andre’s work, as does the drive to showcase Black creativity, strength, and resilience. He is inspired by OISE professors George Dei, Njoki Wane, and Kimberlé Crenshaw, as well as scholars Akua Benjamin, Robyn Maynard, Dorothy Roberts, Patricia Hill Collins, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Charles Mills.
“It seems sometimes to be an uphill battle. But as more people engage in research, reading, and centering Black voices, we’ll be able to move the needle in terms of policies, biases, and equity for Black communities.” 
Check out our Bluesky and Instagram posts highlighting Andre!

Jordan Lentinello

Quote that reads: "As a community-based researcher, I want to make visible the diverse pathways of knowledge production across communities and academic spaces, and why sustained investment in these pathways matters"

"I want people to understand that ‘capital K’ knowledge is one important form of knowing, and that it can be strengthened when it is in conversation with community, cultural, and experiential knowledge. As a community-based researcher, I want to make visible the diverse pathways of knowledge production across communities and academic spaces, and why sustained investment in these pathways matters.” (Click to read more): Looking at Black educators in Canada, Jordan's research is concerned with the “cross-spatial identity negotiation" or how we show up in spaces, particularly with respect to identity and knowledge creation in academia.
“We’re showing up in university spaces talking about epistemologies and ontologies, but on the weekend we reground ourselves in familiar culture and community. Then Monday comes again. We may negotiate what to bring into [the academy], even though we are here because of ideas shaped in those Saturdays.”
While there is literature on the experiences of Black researchers “within the ivory tower,” there is less cross-generational work that comparatively examines these experiences with queer theory and a critical spatial lens within Black Studies. Jordan hopes to address this gap.
“I want us to be well. And I think that we are consistently connected to one another...We is we.”
Jordan is inspired by her supervisor rosalind hampton and her mentor Ingrid Waldron. She is also inspired by authors and scholars Dionne Brand, Robyn Maynard, Cathy J. Cohen, Audre Lorde, bell hooks, Rinaldo Walcott, Roderick Ferguson, Sylvia Wynter, Nina Simone, Katherine McKittrick, Sarah Ahmed, and Octavia Spencer.
Check out our Bluesky and Instagram posts highlighting Jordan!

Angela Marova

Quote reads: "“Integrating internationally trained health care professionals into the health care sector could improve the human resource concern and improve patient outcomes"

“Integrating internationally trained health care professionals into the health care sector could improve the human resource concern and improve patient outcomes, while simultaneously benefiting the well-being of internationally trained health care professionals in Toronto.” (Click to read more): As an employment consultant and mental health service provider, Angela noticed that newcomers to Toronto frequently had their international credentials disregarded. Her research investigates the well-being of internationally trained professionals, with the goal of creating a career assessment tool to support them and reduce employment barriers.
“My research holds the potential to indirectly impact the well-being of internationally trained professional newcomers by addressing income, employment, and social status as social determinants of mental health.”
Angela is motivated by the drive to contribute to new knowledge in her field and to make a difference in the lives of her subject communities. Through her research, she has discovered that the current underrepresentation of minority physicians limits diversity of perspectives within health care and consequently impacts the quality of health care for minority populations. Increased hiring and retention of newcomer professionals could both address the shortage of health care workers in Canada and improve cultural competency in medicine.
Working alongside supportive faculty members, Angela’s work seeks to bring together her experience with the Canadian work experience discriminatory construct and workplace integration in Canada to help address some of the most pressing needs facing the country today. Her work is inspired by scholars such as Felicia Nwalutu affiliated with the History department at the University of Toronto and OISE professor Njoki Wane.
Check out our Bluesky and Instagram posts highlighting Angela!

Sharai Masanganise

Quote reads: "..within Canadian universities, Racialized and Indigenous scholars continue to face persistent challenges. Their experiences reveal the systemic barriers embedded within the academic institutions..."

“No matter the level of education or tenure within Canadian universities, Racialized and Indigenous scholars continue to face persistent challenges. Their experiences reveal the systemic barriers embedded within the academic institutions, as well as some of the strategies and resilience required to navigate these spaces. This research highlights these realities and aims to inform more equitable and inclusive leadership practices in academia.” (Click to read more): Noticing the underrepresentation of Racialized and Indigenous leadership in Canadian higher education institutions, Sharai felt compelled to address this inequality with her research. Her work focuses on the systemic, institutional and cultural barriers that limit the advancement of Racialized and Indigenous faculty members in leadership roles.
Throughout her work, Sharia is motivated by discovering and engaging with insights from other researchers and by being challenged by complex information. Sharai has found the comprehensive examination process to be a truly meaningful part of her doctoral journey, providing opportunity to reflect on the relationship between her lived experiences and her developing scholarly practice.
“Engaging deeply with ideas and connecting them to my own experiences drives me to contribute meaningfully to my field. The process of transforming challenges into understanding continually energizes my research.”
Sharai is inspired by scholars whose work centres Black feminist thought and Indigeneity, such as OISE Professors Njoki Wane and George S.J. Dei and critical theorists Kimberlé Crenshaw and Patricia Hill Collins.

Leila Mkuhamamba

Quote that reads: "Through positivity, working as a community, and providing support, guidance and mentorship for children, we can create a better change for the future."

“Through positivity, working as a community, and providing support, guidance and mentorship for children, we can create a better change for the future. I think this is the way to attaining equity, justice, and liberation, especially for the Black community and for generations to come.” (Click to read more): Inspired by Masaru Emoto, her late grandfather, and her own experiences working with children, Leila’s research explores how “usage of positive affirmations spoken onto one another’s existence” can lead to healing and growth. Leila argues that Black children can be set on a more positive path by surrounding them with positivity, mentorship, and equal opportunity, countering indoctrination into negative perceptions of the Black community.
"I see children as seeds. I think it’s important that we water and soil them the best we can. And weed out the negativity that’s been ingrained in their minds to make them think they’re less than. Especially with Black children.”
A lover of plants and arts-based pedagogy, Leila combines theory with lived experience in her workshop The Positive Plant Experiment: Planting Seeds, Sustaining Growth & Flourishing The Inner Child, where participants plant seeds in soil and share positive affirmations. Dedicated to fostering growth in all areas of her life, Leila’s research is motivated by her desire to see her people reach their fullest potential and a passion for making a positive impact on her community.
In addition to Emoto and her late grandfather, Leila is inspired by Ruby Bridges, OISE faculty members Professor George Dei, Professor Njoki Wane, and Professor Fikile Nxumalo, and creator-activists bell hooks, Rosemary Sadlier, and thehoodhealer.
Check out our Bluesky and Instagram posts highlighting Leila!

Sahra Mohamud & Emmanuel Rutayisire

Quote by -Sahra Mohamud & Emmanuel Rutayisire: "We come from different backgrounds, cultures. But we can come together and share insights, share wisdoms...be the representation that we didn’t have as students."

“It’s empowering to see how much community means. We as a Black community are not a monolith. We come from different backgrounds, cultures. But we can come together and share insights, share wisdoms...be the representation that we didn’t have as students. We want people to know we exist, and we want people to come join our growing community.

We have a space for you.” (Click to read more): Emmanuel and Sahra are Graduate Assistants for the National Black Graduate Network (NBGN), a space that allows Black students from across Canada to build connections and support each other.
For Emmanuel, the NBGN showcases a diverse array of learning careers and paths to graduate work. Inspired by their own experiences with “restarting” their education after moving continents and their time as a high school graduation coach for black students, Emmanuel’s research interests lie in non-linear education journeys and students on the margins.
“Sometimes we get the end result and do not prioritize the process...If we were to highlight and study that process, I think people would be less shy about venturing into higher learning. Most people would be okay with slow learning, or breaks. It wouldn’t be a taboo; it wouldn’t be something bad.” - Emmanuel
For Sahra, the NBGN provides much-needed community support for Black students. As a student in the Toronto District School Board, a childhood educator, and a graduate researcher, Sahra has experienced, observed, and investigated the systemic flaws that leave the Black community constantly fighting not to fall through the gaps. As an emerging teacher-researcher, Sahra returned to her roots as a TDSB Occasional Teacher while learning and honing her praxis. Her future research will look at Somali-Canadians to explore how their formative education years have been affected by their sense of identity, belonging, and academic achievement, and to explore how education and curriculums can better support them, particularly in regards to entry into higher education.
“Kids who look like me, who come from a Black community, who come from a Muslim community, are doing their best to be in the education system. But the system is constantly letting them down.” - Sahra
As a researcher, Emmanuel is drawn to creative and atypical ways of learning and is motivated by everyday sources of knowledge transfer. “It could be a book. It could be a scholar. It could be a conference or conversation with a friend. Something that reorients my interest and feeds into another passion of mine.” They are inspired by black and non-black scholars whose research challenges the arrival of a neat answer and scholars who show failure. They’re currently reading Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom by bell hooks and Non-Representational Theory: Space, Politics, Affect by Nigel Thrift.
Sahra is motivated by the desire to be a researcher for her community. “Often research is conducted by people who are not part of our society. Representation is needed...I want to be a researcher for my community, but also to inspire black researchers.” Her work is inspired by her mentors Dr. Andrew B. Campbell and Dr. Marie Green, as well as authors Gloria Ladson Billings and Angela Davis, and Black Creatives Khadija Mbowe, Tee Noir, d’angelo wallace, and Sirad Hassan. She is further inspired by OISE Professors rosalind hampton, George Dei, Njoki Wane, and the OISE Black Faculty as a whole, as well as her NBGN peers.
Check out our Bluesky and Instagram posts highlighting Sahra and Emmanuel!

Susanne Nyaga

Quote that reads: "“I point my work towards organizers and activists– what is bringing you to this fight? Is it a hate for the system or is it a love for the community? Building community is as important as resisting the systems outside of us.”

“I point my work towards organizers and activists– what is bringing you to this fight? Is it a hate for the system or is it a love for the community?

Building community is as important as resisting the systems outside of us.” (Click to read more): Approaching her research from a background of social work and social organizing, Susanne identifies how we relate to each other as the biggest tension within the pursuit for liberated futures. Her research looks at revolutions led by Black folks, women, and trans folks in more collectivist societies like Sudan and Kenya. By examining how difference is navigated in places where community is a necessity for safety, Susanne hopes to find lessons that can be applied to her own work.
“Our survival depends on community being here and community showing up...in community harm is inevitable, making a praxis of repair critical. Black Feminist Politics around love and care and Queer Theory’s radical ethic of care can help with the points of tension I’m seeing in the western world around organizing.”
Susanne argues that instead of facing the violence of the world by responding with fear of the other to protect the self, we must “call attention to the place within yourself where fear sits, where fear of difference and the other sits, to transform yourself and to therefore build depth and relationship with others.” To that end, Susanne argues that a key element of activist work and community building is self-reflecting to identify one’s capacity to enact or replicate harm, and to give grace when facing the harm community members may enact on you.
Throughout her research and her work, Susanne is motivated by her desire to build a world that operates on a logic of care instead of a logic of division.
“What does it mean to build a world where everyone is met with love and care before they’re met with violence? The possibilities of what could be is really the core of my motivation.”
Susanne is inspired by authors Audrey Lorde, Jennifer Nash, Bell Hooks, Cedric Robinson, Walter Rodney, and Claudia Jones, as well as rapper Noname, poet Mumbi (@mumbipoetry on Instagram), and creator Ismatu (@ismatu.gwendolyn on Instagram).
Check out our Bluesky and Instagram posts highlighting Susanne!

Titilola Omotosho

Quote that reads: "Black motherhood is good, despite how the medical system impacts their mental health"

“For Black mothers...the perinatal period is shaped by lack of proper education, lack of perinatal mental health screening, medical neglect, inaccessibility of culturally humble mental health support, and anti-Black racism. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t see adaptability, agency, and resilience in these women...they still saw babies as blessings, not burdens.

Black motherhood is good, despite how the medical system impacts their mental health.” (Click to read more): Titilola’s research examines the experiences of Black mothers in the Ontario health system and the effect of perinatal care, anti-Black racism, stigmatization, and social integration on post-partum mental health. Her study focuses on the lack of consistent screening for post-partum mental disorders.
In focus groups, Black mothers shared stories of medical errors and misdiagnoses that had lasting and traumatic impacts, commiserating over feelings of The hospital is not safe for us and are we being targeted? While the experiences shared were painful, the focus groups provided a much-needed space for these mothers to be heard.
“It became a space of, ‘Oh, your sister is here. I hear you. I’ve been there.’”
The importance of community is a core aspect of Titilola’s work. Her experience in Nigeria and the experiences of participants from other Black nations was that of community-driven perinatal care, where elders, family, and other community members supported new and expectant mothers. Every focus group participant recommended the creation of a Black mothers’ birthing and wellness centre, where Black educators, elders, and other mothers could provide community care. A recommendation that Titilola wholeheartedly advocates for.
As a researcher, Titilola is motivated by survival. She did not have a positive experience with the Ontario health system and has heard horrifying stories of the neglect other Black mothers face in hospitals. As a health care worker, Titilola also sees many members of the Black community who cannot access adequate or culturally appropriate care. She believes that research in this area can improve the health care system and force accountability.
“Health care is a right for everyone. Especially for Black mothers.”
Titilola currently runs her own private practice, Godlycounsel Mental Wellness Clinic, where she provides counselling and facilitates a Black Mothers Group. She is inspired by Black feminist and critical scholars such as Njoki Wane, Patricia Hill Collins, Roberta Timothy, Cynthia Maxwell, Bell Hooks, Audre Lorde, and Kimberlé Crenshaw, and influential thinkers such as Camara Jones and Dorothy Roberts.
Check out our Bluesky and Instagram posts highlighting Titilola!

Tieasha Walker-Campbell

Quote that reads: "My research is a love letter to Blackness"

“My research is a love letter to Blackness.” (Click to read more): When Tieasha began her program at OISE, she was surprised that more hadn’t been done to study the Graduation Coach Program for Black Students in Ontario. Diving into the empirical research and conversations with her professor, Dr. Kai Butterfield, prompted her to look deeper…She began to ask questions not only about the program itself, but about the nuances of how it is rolling out in practice and the strategies coaches themselves are using to identify and fill systemic gaps in their schools and support their communities.
Tieasha comes to this topic from a place of personal experience as a graduation coach. She began her program by asking: “How could I bring this to light? I have the personal experience, but now I want to do the research.” Over her time at OISE, Tieasha has fallen in love with the research process. She is motivated when she sees areas that are under-studied and is driven to fill that gap for future students, researchers, and teachers coming after.
Tieasha is inspired by Professor Kai Butterfield, who has challenged her to push the boundaries and find her own voice in the research process. She is also inspired by the scholarship of Professor Njoki Wane and by the research and practice of OISE graduate Dr. Tanitiã Munroe. Tiesha draws strength from her classmates in the Black Future Educators’ Pathway (BFEP) cohort. She is amazed by the research everyone is doing and by the way they work to support each other.
Whatever topic she is researching, Tieasha thinks of her research as “a love letter to Blackness.” Her research, titled A Love Letter to Our Blackness, will “celebrate the strength of Blackness and expose the gaps in systems that fail to recognize it as intersectional”. She says: “Blackness is not something that needs to be corrected. There is power in our complexity, strength in our intersectionalities, in our stories, and in our resilience. When we truly honor that we don’t just support black students we transform education.”
Tieasha is a master’s student in the Department of Curriculum, Teaching & Learning and is part of the Black Future Educators’ Pathway (BFEP).
Check out our Bluesky and Instagram posts highlighting Tieasha!

We would like to thank each of the OISE students who took the time to share their work and inspirations with us. We are inspired by you!

This project was developed and led by Nat Johnson-Tyghter, Research & Engagement Librarian at the OISE Library, University of Toronto Libraries. With special thanks to Toronto Academic Libraries Intern, Neha Sultana for design of the slides and template on the OISE Library Instagram posts.

Black History Month Student Showcase