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´şÉ«Ö±˛Ąâ€™s  is creating space to honour its legacy while confronting truth, amplifying lived experience and recommitting to the work ahead. One upcoming event, featuring a UCalgary emeritus professor, one of the country’s most respected voices on Black Canadian history, social work and anti-Black racism, does exactly that. 

On Feb. 27, , PhD, will take part in an intimate, fireside-style conversation on Canadian Social Work and Black Canadians, Historical and Contemporary Perspectives, as part of Social Work's events and the faculty's 60th anniversary.

“We were so excited to invite Dr. Este to share his decades of knowledge and experiences on the topics of Black Canadian history, present, and future, with a particular focus on social work,” says , MSW'06, PhD'17, one of the event organizers with the faculty’s .

“UCalgary is so fortunate to have one of Canada’s formative thinkers on these issues right here in our midst. With this being the 30th year since (the) motion in Parliament that unanimously proclaimed February as Black History Month, we felt it was the ideal time for a retrospective and future-focused talk that centres Canada’s Black communities.”

The event aligns with both this year’s national Black History Month theme, Celebrating Black Brilliance and 30 Years of Black History Month’s Recognition in Canada, and Social Work’s anniversary, honouring those who have carried the torch, and challenging the institution to continue advancing the work with integrity and courage. 

From origins to today: a century of Black History Month

Este says he’ll begin with discussing his background as a third-generation Black Canadian, raised and educated in Montreal, with deep family roots in both the Caribbean and Canada. This grounding, he explains, helps audiences understand the lens through which he approaches history, policy, and practice.

From there, he will trace the origins of  to , who launched Negro History Week in 1926 in the U.S., an initiative that has since grown into a global movement that continues strong a century later.  

Este will then pivot north, examining the Canadian context and the efforts that led to February being officially proclaimed Black History Month here in 1996. Central to that story are , Canada’s first Black woman elected to Parliament, and , a lifelong advocate and Este’s former Master of Social Work classmate at the University of Toronto, both instrumental in securing its national recognition.

Why Black History Month matters — to everyone

For Black Canadians, Este emphasizes, Black History Month is about recognition, pride and belonging. It acknowledges more than 400 years of Black presence in Canada, including histories of enslavement, resistance, contribution, and community building that are still widely misunderstood, or ignored.

For Canadians who aren’t Black, Este says the month offers something equally important: an invitation to learn, to confront national myths and to better understand both the contributions of Black communities and the structural inequities that persist today.

“Black History Month is not just about celebration,” Este notes. “It’s also about truth-telling.”

A candid conversation on social work and anti-Black racism

The heart of the Feb. 27 event will be an open conversation, guided by questions from Black students, faculty, staff, and community members, on the state of Canadian social work today.

The conversation will feature a group whose questions and reflections will shape the dialogue. This include associate professor , D Litt et Phil, and administrative co-ordinator  from Social Work’s ; current Bachelor of Social Work Edmonton campus student Abdullah Ismail; and community changemaker and alum Michael Embaie, BSW'88, MSW'97.

Este will reflect on the sector’s response to anti-Black racism following the global reckoning of 2020, including early momentum within schools of social work and what he characterizes as the subsequent stagnation. His analysis is both personal and professional, grounded in decades of scholarship, institutional service and community engagement.

Drawing on contemporary thinkers such as , Este will explore the idea of the “value gap,” the persistent failure of institutions to fully value Black lives, voices and contributions, and what that gap means for education, policy and practice in Canada today.

In reflecting on six decades of teaching, research and community engagement, Este points out this conversation comes at a meaningful moment for UCalgary Social Work and for post-secondary institutions across Canada. The courageous work that led us to this point in the journey – the legacy – must be more than just a celebration if real change is going to continue, it must be something that's built on and stewarded for the future.

Event details

Black History Month | Faculty of Social Work 60th Anniversary Hybrid Event

Feb. 27, noon – 1:30 p.m.
On-Campus and online (Zoom link and location shared upon registration)