Dalhousie University and the University of King’s College, together and in partnership with the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia are pleased to announce that Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, will deliver the keynote lecture for a November 1, 2021, pre-conference event to be held in advance of the 2023 Universities Studying Slavery (USS) Conference.
The event will begin with a panel discussion at 3 p.m. ahead of the keynote lecture, set to start at 6 p.m. AT. This online event will focus on the theme of Slavery and Reparations: African Nova Scotia, Canada and Beyond.
A distinguished academic, Sir Hilary is a global public activist in the field of social justice and minority empowerment who has achieved recognition internationally for his academic contributions and leadership expertise. He has lectured extensively in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia and has published over 100 peer-reviewed essays in scholarly journals and over 13 books on subjects ranging from Atlantic and Caribbean History, gender relations in the Caribbean, sport development and popular culture. In 2007 he was awarded Barbados’ highest national honour when he was made a Knight of St. Andrew for his contributions to “Higher Education, the Arts and Sports.” He has received numerous honorary doctorates from around the world and in 2021 he received the Martin Luther King Jr Global Award for Peace and Freedom. Sir Hilary is Chairman of the CARICOM Reparations Commission, Advisor on Sustainable Development to former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, President of Universities Caribbean, and Chairman of the Caribbean Examinations Council.
The 2023 Universities Studying Slavery Conference will run from October 18-21, 2023. As a major international conference on slavery’s role in higher education and its legacies, which include the international movement for reparations and redress, this is the first USS conference to be held outside of the United States. It will also be the first USS conference to foreground the history of slavery in Nova Scotia and Canada, and the experience of African Nova Scotians particularly.
Attendance is free and open to the public. Register to receive the Zoom link.
