By Angel Percentie

Angel Percentie (she/her) is a fourth-year English honours student who loves getting involved on campus. She is a resident assistant, peer writing tutor, student content creator, and editor of Estuary, Acadia’s creative arts magazine.

When the day’s done, everyone needs a space to rest. For the Black women at Acadia, that place was an intimate circle in Clarke Commons on February 26th. Here, we got a chance to step away from the bustle of university life and practice care together.

The evening began with food, charcuterie-board style. Food is a big part of the ways we practice care. I saw it firsthand as everybody gathered around a table full of hummus, an assortment of cheeses, chocolates, and crackers. We even raised our fancy cups and toasted one another.

After the food came meditation. Everyone assembled in the center of the room, for a series of life updates. Some call them apples and onions, others call them highs and lows, but for this night we delved into a recap of peaks (best parts of the day), valleys (worst parts), and climbs (what we were looking forward to).

Marissa Walter, psychologist and facilitator of Rooted Tuesdays, a Wellness Support Group for Black Students, led a reading meant to help the group relinquish the stress of the week and settle into a mindset of rest and reflection.

In the midst of conversation, TaNyah Gibson, 4th year Business student, expressed that she felt really at home. For her this event was something she felt many people were looking forward to.  

“We have to have to prioritize mental health in our community,” TaNyah said. “Everybody needs hope, especially students at this time of year.”

The night progressed with face masks, pedicures, and the healthy chatter of black women coming into themselves in a safe environment.

Wellness Champion, Michaela Dankwa, prepared Healthy Minds tote bags filled with campus resources, Black Castor oil, lip balm, and other self-care goodies for the Black students in attendance. She reflected on what it meant to hold this role while creating space for others.

“I’m proud of my role as Wellness Champion and the care support I can offer to all students across Acadia’s Campus, but as a young Black woman at a predominantly White institution being able to create and foster a space of self-care and support for other Black women on this campus is a triumph.”

Blessing Sithole, 3rd year Nutrition and Dietetics student, also shared how it felt to plan this event from start to finish. “I felt proud seeing an event we had been working on for so long finally come to life, and I felt incredibly safe in that space. Being surrounded by fellow Black women and openly talking about important issues that often go unspoken was truly healing.”

Showing up and having a community that does not require you to perform and taking time to practice care in a world that never stops is a skill we are all learning. Thanks to Marissa Walter and the organization board for the African Heritage Month events, we were able to take rest in a wholesome space.