February marks our annual celebration of African Heritage Month at Acadia and across Nova Scotia. For 2026, we will be recognizing Acadia’s theme, “For Us, By Us: Celebrating Black Excellence,” alongside the provincial theme “Strength in Unity – Moving Forward with Purpose, Prosperity, Power and Progress.” Together, these themes reflect the collective power that emerges when African Nova Scotians and people of African descent come together with shared vision — guided by elders, grounded in community, and oriented toward futures filled with opportunity and prosperity.
A Message from Lerato Chondoma
Associate Vice-President, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism
What does “For Us, By Us: Celebrating Black Excellence” mean to you?
Our community shared what the 2026 African Heritage Month theme means to them personally. Explore the insights of our community members as they reflect on what “For Us, By Us” means to them.
Deja Forbes
By us, to me, represents a structure and firm foundation of strength cultivated by Black people’s unwavering ability to thrive. By Us means that something exists from the hands of a people that have persevered, and they understand me and connect with me, even if they never met me...
For us means that we have reframed the constraints of segregation and we have flipped it into opportunities for inclusivity. We have created safety nets, spaces, tools for success, and many other things for us. Doors have been opened, by us, for us. Now so much is available for us. The love our ancestors poured into the world is for us. Equity we fought for in so many spaces is reserved for us to support us. Respect is for us. And sometimes we still have to fight for it, but it is for us, simply because we exist. And we never forget the fight that was made by us, for us. Especially because we are still fighting it now.
Joyce Adeyi
When I hear the theme "For Us, By Us: Celebrating Black Excellence," I think about intentionality and ownership. It speaks to creating spaces where Black voices, stories, and achievements are centered rather than explained or justified. For me personally, Black excellence is not only about visible success, but also about resilience, growth, and showing up authentically in spaces where we are often underrepresented. It reminds me that excellence can take many forms, whether through perseverance, community-building, or carving out space for others, but most importantly, excellence is also about presence and existing fully in one’s authenticity.
Saheed Akande
To me, “For Us, By Us” speaks to ownership, intention, and authenticity. It reflects the idea that Black excellence doesn’t need external validation, it is cultivated within our communities, shaped by our histories, and carried forward through collective care and resilience. Personally, it represents my journey of learning to take pride in my voice, my work, and my presence in spaces where representation matters. Excellence, for me, looks like showing up fully, uplifting others, and building pathways for those who come after me.
Blessing Sithole
For me, the statement ‘For Us By Us’ allows me to reflect on the history of my people, and how my forefathers fought to preserve the culture I can be proud of till this day. It is a form of self-expression, the ability to be unapologetically Black despite where I am. It is the ability to choose how I want to express myself as an African woman and portray my culture as a Ndau/Shangani woman with no justification needed. My culture and blackness is so unique and rich just like any other making it important that my portrayal of my heritage is considered enough or worth representing without looking at other unnecessary criteria.
Megan Glasgow
The theme “For Us, By Us” centers ownership, community and self-determination. It reflects the importance of creating spaces that are shaped by our voices, values, and lived experiences. This theme affirms that our stories and traditions need no external validation as they are worthy and complete as they are.
The theme is rooted in pride and emphasizes ownership of our narrative. It is also about joy and celebrating music, food, fashion, and all the things that make us happy.
“For Us, By Us” invites everyone to show up authentically and to be embraced by community. It is a reminder that when we remain authentic and create together, we can build spaces that affirm belonging and connection.
Chuck Smith ('76)
It means creating Black business that are run by us the Black community, it’s protecting and honouring our heritage, our community, our churches. It means celebrating our talented young people and encouraging them to become well educated and achieve the highest level of education possible. It means honouring those people from our community who have archived great things. It means protecting the land we have in the Black community and ensuring that we keep our land. Black Excellence is pride in our culture and in our Africa roots. Honouring our Elders and having pride in our history.
This theme reflects my journey during my time at Acadia because I was able to meet young Black people who where very intelligent, who were from different parts of Nova Scotia and Canada. During my time at Acadia there were only about 10 Black students so most us hung out together and I actually roomed with two other Black students for a year. It made by transition better to campus life. For me it was very motivating and it gave me a sense of pride to see other students on campus that look like me. It really made me feel good to be around other Black students and not be the only Black student on campus it helped me make the transition from high school to university easier.
Prof. Amb. Judi W. Wakhungu EGH ('86)
The 2026 theme, “For Us, By Us,” signifies an acknowledgment of my heritage and ancestry, as well as recognition of our collective achievements. These fundamental values are deeply embedded within my identity. Knowing who I am and from where I came allows me to situate myself, squarely and with dignity, in the present without being deterred by obstacles such as discrimination. The roots of my ancestry propel me to leave an indelible mark wherever I traverse thus changing institutions to acknowledge our distinct experience.
Dr. Martin Tango
For us, by us means everything we want to do, we are responsible for it. We want our voice heard, and there are things that matter to us as Black people. Then we are the ones who should make that happen.
Resources
- Visit the African Heritage Month LibGuide for a list of notable books, movies and plays about Black history, culture and racial injustice
- Visit our Black Student Experience page for more information about resources available to students
- Explore our African Heritage Month Starter Toolkit for the Acadia campus community
- Explore Acadia Students' Union Clubs and Societies including Sisters of Color, Black Students' Association, Acadia Caribbean Union, and the Acadia Muslim Student Association
- Learn more by visiting the Province of Nova Scotia's African Heritage Month website
- Browse Nova Scotia Health's Black and African Nova Scotian services and African Nova Scotian/Black Diaspora Health and Wellbeing Services. You can also refer to the IBPOC Mental Health Support Database and Black Mental Health Canada.
- Learn about the Government of Canada's Mental Health of Black Canadians Fund.
- Find resources and local events with the Health Association of African Canadians. Red Spruce has also collected a list of local supports.
- Explore professional connections with the Black Physicians of Canada Mentorship Program and the Nova Scotia Association of Black Social Workers.
Have we missed a resource that you would like to share with our campus community? Let us know at equity@acadiau.ca
Scarborough Charter
Acadia joined 40 post-secondary institutions across Canada in November 2021 to sign the Scarborough Charter on anti-Black racism and Black inclusion in Canadian higher education: Principles, Actions, and Accountabilities. As of May 2022, there have been 53 post-secondary institutions to sign the charter, with more to come. Those who have signed the Charter have committed to addressing and redressing the anti-Black racism in universities and colleges across Canada and fostering Black inclusion on those campuses.