Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication is proud to announce the launch of its new lecture series honouring Mary Ann Shadd Cary, the first Black woman to establish and edit a newspaper in North America and Canada’s first woman publisher. The inaugural Mary Ann Shadd Cary Lecture Series: Voices of Change in Canadian Journalism will spotlight leading women and non-binary journalists from historically under- and misrepresented communities.
The event will be held Oct. 6, 2025 beginning at 6 p.m. in Richcraft Hall, at Carleton University. Admission is free, but tickets must be booked in advance.
This event marks the first lecture series named for a woman in the School of Journalism and Communication since its establishment in 1945.
“It has been my mission to make sure our industry recognizes and honours Mary Ann Shadd Cary’s legacy in journalism,” said Professor Nana aba Duncan, the Carty Chair in Journalism, Diversity, and Inclusion Studies and founder of the Mary Ann Shadd Cary Centre for Journalism and Belonging.
“Launching a lecture in her name – at Canada’s oldest journalism institution – is the perfect way to do it.”
Professor Trish Audette-Longo, who initiated the idea and co-founded the series with Duncan, emphasized the event’s historic timing.
“Carleton’s first journalism class took place in October 1945. The first Mary Ann Shadd Cary Lecture is scheduled for October 2025, 80 years later,” she said. “This annual event will celebrate and centre women and non-binary journalists’ work while giving students opportunities to meet their heroes.”
This Year’s Speaker
Camille Dundas, co-founder and editor-in-chief of ByBlacks.com, will deliver the inaugural lecture, “From the Provincial Freeman to ByBlacks.com: Ending Extractive Journalism.” A Black woman journalist, entrepreneur, and Carleton journalism alumna, Dundas continues Shadd Cary’s mission through her online magazine that profiles Black Canadian stories often overlooked by mainstream media.
Camille Dundas will deliver the first Mary Ann Shadd Cary Lecture
The event will open with remarks from Adrienne Shadd, a direct descendant of Mary Ann Shadd Cary and a consultant, curator, and author who has conducted research for plaques, films, and exhibits. Most recently she was part of the Dalhousie University team that developed a comprehensive research and education project entitled “A Black People’s History of Canada.” Shannon Prince, also a direct descendant and former curator of the Buxton National Historic Site & Museum, will also be in attendance.
Historical Legacy and Context
An antislavery advocate, educator, entrepreneur and lawyer later in life, Mary Ann Shadd Cary founded The Provincial Freeman in 1853, promoting the abolition of slavery and the emigration of Black people to Canada after the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act threatened Black lives in the U.S. To gain support and increase subscriptions for her paper, Shadd Cary delivered lectures in the U.S. and Canada.
Her pioneering work supporting Black communities, education, and women’s rights through journalism laid the foundation for the practice of more inclusive reporting.
The new series joins Carleton Journalism’s established annual lecture programs, including the Kesterton Lecture and the Peter Stursberg Foreign Correspondents Lecture, while bringing a unique focus on voices from marginalized communities.
Innovative Student Engagement
Unlike traditional lecture series, the Mary Ann Shadd Cary Lectures will feature a distinctive collaborative approach. Professors Audette-Longo and Duncan will hire and train selected undergraduate and graduate journalism students to join Dundas on stage for a question-and-answer session following her lecture.
Dundas will also guest lecture in a journalism class, extending learning beyond the main event. This hands-on approach provides students with direct mentorship and professional skill-building opportunities.
Partnership with Carleton’s Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub
To highlight Mary Ann Shadd Cary’s career as an entrepreneur, the series has partnered with the Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (BEKH), housed at Carleton University. BEKH is the national central hub for research, data and insights on Black entrepreneurship ecosystems in Canada. Attendees can learn more about BEKH during the reception.
Building the Future
The annual lecture series represents a cornerstone initiative led by the Mary Ann Shadd Cary Centre for Journalism and Belonging in collaboration with Carleton University’s Journalism faculty. It advances the Journalism Program’s commitment to fostering inclusive journalism by amplifying diverse voices and perspectives within Canadian media.
The series continues the Centre’s mission to ensure the journalism industry recognizes Shadd Cary’s profound legacy while preparing the next generation of journalists to shape democratic discourse.
“It is fitting to add Mary Ann Shadd Cary’s name to our school’s slate of lectures – an outspoken Black woman journalist and publisher who used her voice as a public speaker to support her newspaper,” Audette-Longo said.
“We are launching this series at an auspicious time,” Duncan added. “As we experience a cultural move away from anti-racism and equity for all genders, Mary Ann’s courage reminds us that it is paramount and urgent that we double down and intensify our focus on people from historically underrepresented and misrepresented communities.”
Thursday, September 4, 2025 in General, Journalism News, News
Share: Twitter, Facebook
