Past Event! Note: this event has already taken place.

When: Tuesday, February 11th, 2025
Time: 6:00 pm — 8:30 pm
Location:Richcraft Hall, 2nd Floor Atrium
Audience:Alumni, Anyone, Carleton Community, Current Students, Faculty, Media, Prospective Students, Staff, Staff and Faculty

Black on the Ballot:
Centring Black Narratives in Public Life 

A Black History Month Event  

Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Reception 6-7 p.m.
Panel Discussion 7-8:30 p.m.

Richcraft Atrium, Carleton University 

Register Now

Black and African-descended people have been present in Canada for hundreds of years, and yet their voices and stories are often excluded from public life. What new perspectives are gained when Black narratives are included in politics, journalism, and research, and what work is needed to get there? 

Inspired by Black on the Ballot, a new podcast and research report documenting the experiences of Black Canadians in politics, this panel will provide a critical look at the experiences of Black Canadians in politics, and the role of the journalists and researchers who chronicle their stories. Panelists will discuss how to increase the number of Black Canadians in public life and offer practical strategies for integrating Black perspectives into politics, journalism, and research.  

Meet the Panelists 


Garvia Bailey
Co-founder of Media Girlfriends
Producer of Black on the Ballot

Balarama Holness
Founder of Montreal in Action & Mouvement Montréal

Angela Simmonds 
Former MLA and first Black Deputy Speaker in Nova Scotia’s history

Erin Tolley
Project lead
Canada Research Chair in Gender, Race and Inclusive Politics at Carleton University

Nana aba Duncan (moderator)
Director of the Mary Ann Shadd Cary Centre for Journalism and Belonging
Host of Black on the Ballot

Wisdom Tettey (opening remarks)
President and Vice Chancellor, Carleton University

Listen to Black on the Ballot: https://blackcanadianpolitics.ca/black-on-the-ballot-podcast/  

Read the research report: https://blackcanadianpolitics.ca/report

Presented by the Carleton University School of Journalism and Communication and the Department of Political Science, with support from the Faculty of Public and Global Affairs, the Bell Chair in Canadian Parliamentary Democracy, the Canada Research Chair in Gender, Race and Inclusive Politics & the Mary Ann Shadd Cary Centre for Journalism and Belonging.

Register now for Black on the Ballot: Centring Black Narratives in Public Life

Thank you for your interest. Due to higher interest than anticipated, registration for Black on the Ballot is now closed.