Black students launched a new space on campus to foster inclusivity and community at Queen’s University.
The Black Liberation Commons officially opened on Feb. 8 with faculty, staff, and students attending to celebrate the opening. The space is multi-purpose, serving as a gathering and entertainment room, a space for reflection and solace, as well as a kitchen and library.
The Black Liberation Commons will generally be a place where Black students can hang out and see their friends, Co-Chair of Queen’s Black Clubs Caucus Amaiya Walters said in an interview with The Journal.
Housed on the third floor of Robert Sutherland Hall, the commons is three rooms including a meeting room, a listening room, and a breakfast room. Each room is named after a Black trailblazer, with Claudia Jones, Noname, and nourbeSe Phillip being honoured. The building honours Robert Sutherland, a Queen’s grad and Ontario’s first Black university graduate and lawyer.
During her time leading the Black Clubs’ Caucus, Walters noticed there wasn’t a communal space for Black students to be “just their own.” Walters’ motivation behind creating this space was to provide a space for all Black clubs to host events and gatherings and create storage space for non-ratified Black clubs.
Walters pitched the idea to Stephanie Simpson, vice-principal (culture, equity, and inclusion), over two years ago, who helped her make the vision come to life. Walters hopes the Black Liberation Commons will foster community, wanting for Black students to feel ed. The Commons carves out a space at Queen’s specifically for them.
She hopes the Commons will be a space where Black students can meet one another on a personal level to organize, advocate, and mobilize on specific issues.
Assistant Professor Vanessa Thompson, and Black Studies Program Coordinator Anita Ragunathan, worked with Walters in deg and planning the Commons.
Faculty of Arts and Science Dean Barbara Crow spoke at the opening, commending Walters for her dedication in creating the space. Professor Katherine McKittrick, Walters, and Simpson spoke at the event.
Walters is grateful for the from the Queen’s community and was encouraged to know there are people at Queen’s who want to create an inclusive campus.
“I am grateful, inspired, and excited to see what future students will do with this space,” Walters said.
“I think one big part of the room is that [future] students can mold it into what[ever] students at that time need most.”
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