Co-Generating Collective Spaces: Indigenous Education Network and the National Black Graduate Network on Creating Coalition

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

The often-overlooked shared origins and kinship between Indigenous and Black communities in educational contexts reveal deep historical and contemporary connections. This session will discuss the intertwined past and present relationships of Black, Afro-Indigenous, and Indigenous peoples, emphasizing the persistent intersectionality of their struggles and resistance. Both communities have continuously navigated a complex landscape marked by racial discrimination, colonization, dispossession, and systemic inequalities. The Indigenous Education Network (IEN) and the National Black Graduate Network (NBGN) are pivotal in fostering community and collective survival and living among the communities.
This session highlights the importance of institutional awareness and the need for dedicated spaces that support the unique and shared challenges faced by Black, Afro-Indigenous, and Indigenous communities. By focusing on relational architecture and creating online and in-person platforms, the IEN and NBGN provide crucial support for individuals and communities working to overcome systemic barriers. This will be part of an expanded undertaking project where we will invoke storytelling as part of the grounding for this paper. Storytelling has always been a powerful tool for education in both Black and Indigenous communities.1 It serves as a means of preserving cultural identity, passing down wisdom, and fostering resilience, which is crucial to decolonization in education.

Sub Unit

• International Aligned Organizations / Canadian Society for the Study of Education - CSSE

Chair

• Jennifer Brant, University of Toronto - OISE

Presenters

• Kayla Webber, University of Toronto

• Cherie Alexa Ann Daniel, University of Toronto - OISE

• Ryan Neepin, Wilfrid Laurier University