WHAT IS BLACK GRAD?

Established in the 2016- 2017 academic year, Black Graduation was brought to the University of Toronto in June 2017 by alumni Jessica Kirk and Nasma Ahmed, being the first of its kind in Canada.

The goal of Black Graduation is to highlight the efforts of all black students between the three campuses, at all levels - programmes, undergraduate and graduate level. Further the event was created as an empowering celebration not just for the graduates, but also community members, to show them that black students can exist and succeed in a post-secondary institution.  It is an important event that brings together Black students, as a tri-campus affair, unifying the St. George, Mississauga and Scarborough campus.

Black Graduation works to honour our students in the way they deserve — with a ceremony that is dignifying and triumphant. Enduring over a year of remote learning, our students deserve to be celebrated for their diligence, perseverance and achievements while at the University of Toronto. The Black experience here at UofT is a unique one, and in light of that, Black graduation helps counter the isolation and tribulations that many Black students feel on campus.

When one thinks of the Graduating Class of 2022, the word “Resilient” comes to mind. It can be defined as “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties or toughness”. “Resilience” was chosen as this year’s theme, as it was a fitting representation of the amount of energy, determination, hard work and effervescence that students cultivated to complete their education while navigating the entirety of the COVID-19 Pandemic. In a time of uncertainty and change, it was the resilience of our graduates that propelled them to the very end and had earned them the esteemed title as University of Toronto graduates. Through their pursuit of knowledge, the 2021 Black Graduating class has exemplified what it means to exude excellence, merit and resilience.

Previous Black Graduations