Our Work
The Black Memory Collective develops events, programming, and resources for Black memory workers across Canada. We curate spaces for connection, learning, and collaboration.
We believe it’s important to create safe and affirming spaces for Black people to just be. We are continuously growing and evolving to support the needs of our community.
What We Do and Why It Matters
Our Approach
Our focus is to build a community of practice around Black memory work, deepen a sense of belonging, and increase access to archival skills and knowledge.
We engage with members to:
Foster communal knowledge formation
Support interdisciplinary collaboration
Encourage changemaking in our communities
We are building a national network to support both emerging and practicing Black memory workers. We see the practice of community building as a means for radical history reclamation.
Guiding principles
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Alchemy
The transformative use of archival materials. We use archives to convert narratives of pain and loss into sources of empowerment and liberation.
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Imaginary
Collective imagination and aspiration in the archival realm. We use imagination to surface memories of the past to create visions of the future.
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Afrocentricity
Intentionally centering the experiences of Africans and African diaspora in our own historical, cultural, and sociological contexts. We are guided by ancestral knowledge. We honour our ancestors through our work.
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Care
The mutual affective responsibility to ethical stewardship and archival care. We centre care in our work to document, represent, and celebrate Black humanity in life and death.
