Opal Tometi, Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter, to speak at King’s University College
February is Black History Month. In honour of this time to critically reflect on and to take action on the issue of anti-black racism in our communities, the King’s University College Student’s Council (KUCSC) has invited Opal Tometi to their campus for the KUCSC Speaker Series.
A Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter, Tometi is a New York-based Nigerian-American writer, strategist and community organizer.
The KUCSC Speaker Series will be held in the Kenny Theatre at King’s University College on February 15 at 7PM. You can purchase tickets for $5 at the King’s Connection in the Student Life Centre at King’s or $10 at the door on the night of the event.
Black Lives Matter was launched in the wake of the murder of Trayvon Martin in February 2012. The movement is committed to “struggling together” and to “imagining and creating a world free of anti-Blackness, where every Black person has the social, economic, and political power to thrive.”
Tometi is credited with creating the online platforms and initiating the social media strategy during the project’s early days. The campaign has grown into a national network of approximately forty chapters.
The expansion of Black Lives Matters’ campaign is testament to the persistence of anti-black racism in our communities, including the communities of King’s University College and Western University in London, Ontario. Black Lives Matter draws attention to this reality of anti-black racism. It encourages us to think about our complacency in it. It inspires us to defend and uphold the humanity and the dignity of all Black lives.
Violette Hammad, the President of the KUCSC, highlights the potential for this event to spark important dialogue surrounding systemic racism in our society: “I hope we can engage our King's students, community members and faculty to take Opal's message and apply it to our individual interactions and show solidarity with our Black brothers and sisters.”
The KUCSC is honoured to welcome Ms. Tometi to King’s for Black History Month. This event is only step towards addressing the issue of anti-black racism in London, Ontario, Canada and beyond.
To learn more about the event, contact the Associate of Student Affairs for the KUCSC at [email protected] or visit the event page at https://www.kings.uwo.ca/about-kings/visitor-info/calendar-of-events/black-lives-matter/.
To learn more about Opal Tometi and Black Lives Matter, visit the “Our People” page on the Black Lives Matter website at https://blacklivesmatter.com/about/staff/.