A contingency of Acadia students, faculty, and staff will be among more than 1,000 people attending the National Black Canadians Summit this weekend in Halifax. The gathering is a national dialogue about the Black experience and how to deconstruct racial discrimination in Canada.

The Acadia field trip was organized by Janique Ellis Panza, Acadia's Black Student Success Navigator. She also arranged for local high school students to attend the Summit.

"The focus of the National Black Canadians Summit is on persons of African descent, but it is open to anyone of any racial or ethnic background to attend," says Summit Co-Chair DeRico Symonds.

Hosted by the Michaëlle Jean Foundation, the Summit culminates in the proclamation of The Halifax Declaration, a call to action to end systematic racial discrimination. Bringing together crucial points of the discussions and deliberations, the Declaration will be shared with all levels of government, including a special delegation of the United Nations.

On Sunday, July 31, Acadia Divinity College Lecturer in Leadership and Racial Justice Rev. Dr. Lennett J. Anderson will serve as an officiant for the Summit's Interdenominational Church Service.

Attend the live-stream Summit

Although the in-person tickets are sold out, there are still opportunities to get tickets for the three-day live-stream program. It will showcase the opening ceremony, youth-focused workshops, keynote addresses, roundtable discussions and the Halifax Declaration.​

There are also interactive modules for online delegates to engage with the Summit. Attendees can send photos, post comments on the blog wall, engage in session chats, and contribute to the Halifax Declaration.

You can join the conversations on social media channels by following the hashtag #NBCS2022.