Groupe de travail de la communauté noire
Established: 2020
2026-2027 Caucus members
Co-chairs and members of the CSA Executive Committee:
Jessica T. Bundy, University of Guelph
Giselle Thompson, University of Alberta
Additional members of the steering committee:
Carlo Charles, University of Windsor
Rhonda C. George, University of Guelph
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Mandate
• Un comité spécial a été constitué en 2020 par le comité exécutif et approuvé comme sous-comité officiel par les membres lors de l’assemblée générale annuelle de 2021.
Le mandat du groupe de travail comprend notamment :
• Porter les questions courantes ou d’actualité concernant le racisme anti-Noirs à l’attention de la société
• Représenter la société dans les comités externes s’intéressant aux questions de racisme anti-Noirs sur approbation du comité exécutif
• Transmettre les ressources pertinentes aux membres et à la collectivité générale par l’intermédiaire de la société
• Intégrer dans les activités courantes de la société et les conférences annuelles des initiatives pour lutter contre le racisme systémique
Le Black Caucus a reçu le soutien du Fonds pour les initiatives d'EDID de la Fédération des sciences humaines pour l'embauche d'un assistant de recherche chargé d'aider à l'administration des activités du Caucus.
The Black Caucus has received support from the Federation of the Humanities and Social Sciences' EDID Initiatives Fund towards the hiring of an RA to assist with the administration of Caucus activities.
Caucus News
Coming soon
Caucus Activities
2025-2026
2024-2025
2023-2024
2022-2023
2021-2022
2020-2021
Members:
Jessica T. Bundy, University of Guelph (co-chair)
Giselle Thompson, University of Alberta (co-chair)
Carlo Charles, University of Windsor
Rhonda C. George, University of Guelph
This year, the Black Caucus worked on the following initiatives:
1. Professional Development Workshops
A major goal of the Black Caucus is to promote the professional development of Black graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty by creating Black-affirming spaces. Similarly to previous years, we organized a series of professional development workshops, and we invited Black students and faculty from Sociology departments and aligned disciplines.
To foster a generative and constructive environment where questions could be asked and stories shared, we did not record the professional development workshops.
October 2025 - Graduate Students Scholarships and Awards
November 2025 - Creating a Research Plan & Publishing
December 2025 - Integration: Teaching, Research, & Service
January 2026 - Navigating the Ivory Tower & Getting to the Finish Line
February 2026 - A Transnational Dialogue: Black Sociologists in Canada, the U.K., & the U.S.
March 2026 - Winning Tenure Without Losing Your Soul
We would like to highlight February’s gathering as being particularly unique. To recognize Black History Month, we sought to bring colleagues together to host a discussion under the theme: “A Transnational Dialogue: Black Sociologists in Canada, the U.K., and the U.S.” We hosted Dr. Alford Young Jr. (University of Michigan), Dr. Rai Reece (Toronto Metropolitan University), and Dr. Remi Joseph-Salisbury (University of Manchester), who in their discussion, attended to the growing uncertainty that Black scholars face due to the colonial, racializing, and neoliberal structure of the university.
Outside of our regular program schedule, the Black Caucus undertook an interdisciplinary and inter-association collaboration with The Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora (JA-Chair) (York University); Canadian Black Scientists Network (CBSN); and Black Research Network (BRN) in November 2025. Together with the JA-Chair, CBSN, and BRN, the Black Caucus hosted “Being A Scholar Activist.” The event welcomed over 100 participants of all races from Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. to a Zoom keynote address and teach-in given by Dr. Remi Joseph-Salisbury (University of Manchester) and Dr. Laura Connelly (University of Sheffield).
2. Successful application for the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization (EDID) Initiatives Fund
Given our ongoing dialogue with the Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences and its goal to support Black scholars in the context of its most recent EDID Action Plan (2024), we applied to the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences EDID Initiatives Fund- 2025 Spring cycle. On March 31, 2026, we learned that our application was accepted and approved for CA$3000 to support the Black Caucus’s RA position from April 2026 - April 2028. The CSA agreed to match these funds for a total of $6000.
3. Involvement in the CSA Annual Conference
For the 2026 CSA Conference at Dalhousie University, the Black Caucus was aligned with the “Black Joy and Futurities: Rewriting Studies on Race/Black Canadian Experiences” session, organized by Dr. Rhonda George (Guelph University).
Members:
Giselle Thompson, University of Alberta (Co-chair)
Johanne Jean-Pierre, York University (Co-chair)
Natalie Delia Deckard, University of Windsor
Julius Haag, University of Toronto Mississauga
Océane Jasor, Concordia University
Maria Brisbane, York University
This year, the Black Caucus worked on the following initiatives:
1. Professional Development Workshops
A major goal of the Black Caucus is to promote the professional development of Black graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty by creating Black-affirming spaces. As previous years, we organized a series of professional development workshops, and we invited Black students and faculty from sociology and allied disciplines. In order to foster a trustful environment where questions can be asked and stories can be shared, we do not record the professional development workshops. We organized a total of 4 workshops.
October 2024 - Graduate student scholarships and awards
December 2024 - Navigating the world of academic publishing
January 2025 - Embracing the balancing act: Integrating teaching, research, and service
March 2025 - Getting to the finish line: how to survive grad school
These workshops were well attended with up to 30 attendees from sociology and allied fields.
2. Successful application for the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization (EDID) Initiatives Fund
Given our ongoing dialogue with the Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences and their goal to support Black scholars in the context of their 2024 EDID Action Plan, we applied to the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization (EDID) Initiatives Fund- 2024 Fall cycle. On November 1, 2024, we learned that our application “Black Caucus Research Assistant” was accepted and approved for CA$3000. The Canadian Sociological Association (CSA) accepted to contribute to match the funds allocated by the federation. The funding is allocated for the academic years 2024-2025 and 2025-2026.
3. Involvement in the CSA Annual Conference
For the 2025 CSA Conference, the Black Caucus was aligned with a roundtable hosted by the Race and Ethnicity & Applied Sociology Research Clusters called “Towards a Black Sociology of Liberation: Connections and Contemplations on Community Organizing Inside and Outside of the Academy.” It also supported panels hosted by the Work, Professions, and Occupations and Sociology of Education Research Clusters called “Navigating Pathways: The Role of Social and Cultural Capital on African, Caribbean and Black Canadians” and “Admissions alone is not sufficient: Maximizing the opportunities that university affords Black students,” respectively.
Members of the Black Caucus Subcommittee:
Johanne Jean-Pierre, York University (Chair)
Alana Butler, Queen’s University
Natalie Delia Deckard, University of Windsor
Julius Haag, University of Toronto Mississauga
Océane Jasor, Concordia University
This year, the Black Caucus worked on the following initiatives:
i. Annual Conference Session:
(BCS1) Black Skin/White students: Black and racialized faculty members teaching about race and anti racism in predominantly White university classrooms.
Organizer: Alana Butler, Queen’s University
ii. CSA Webinar Collaboration
Challenging Colonial and Racialized Inequities in Higher Education
Organized by the Policy, Ethics, and Professional Concerns Subcommittee and co-sponsored by the Black Caucus.
iii. Professional Development Workshops
One of the main goals of the Black Caucus is to foster professional development through the creation of Black-affirming spaces. We organized a series of professional development workshops led by Black Canadian scholars in sociology and allied fields.
October 2023 - What you should know about graduate school, whether you intend to attend or not
November 2023 - Choosing a Ph.D. supervisor
February 2024 - In the service of…? A reflection on academic service for pre-tenured Black faculty
March 2024 - Navigating the job market
These workshops were well attended and appreciated. We intend to continue to create such opportunities.
We concluded the academic year on April 25, 2024 as we celebrated the Black sociologists accomplishments including promotion, publications, and other academic milestones.
iv. Committee Service
Members of the subcommittee participated in several of the CSA's committees.
• Annual Conference Program Committee – Johanne Jean Pierre
• Early Investigator Award Committee – Julius Haag
• Global Sociology Book Award Committee – Alana Butler
v. CSA Mentorship Initiative
It is the intention of the Black Caucus to contribute to the Mentor Program for Black, Indigenous, and Racialized Graduate Students once funding of this program resumes.
Natalie Delia Deckard, University of Windsor (Chair)
Alana Butler, Queen’s University
Julius Haag, University of Toronto Mississauga
Océane Jasor, Concordia University
Johanne Jean-Pierre, York University
This year, the Black Caucus worked on the following initiatives:
1. Annual Conference Sessions
i. Black praxis and its transformative possibilities
Organizers: Océane Jasor (Concordia University) and Jada Joseph (Concordia University)
ii. Rendering Blackness Empirical
Organizers: Johanne Jean-Pierre (York University) and Jessica Bundy (University of Toronto)
iii. Working against anti-Black Racism
Organizer: Natalie Delia Deckard (University of Windsor)
2. Conference Exhibition
Protests and Pedagogy: Representations, Memories, and Meanings
Organizers: Océane Jasor (Concordia University) and Christiana Abraham (Concordia University)
This exhibition offers a rare glimpse into the archival records related to the 1969 student protest at Sir George Williams University.
This event received funding from the FHSS EDID Initiatives Fund.
3. CSA Mentorship Initiative
Led by Dr. Natalie Delia-Deckard and supported by a Social Science Research Council (SSHRC) Connections Grant, this program is working with the CSA Student Concerns Subcommittee to continue the CSA Mentorship Programme for Black, Indigenous, and Racialized Graduate Students for the 2023 academic year. Funding is also provided by the CSA to recognize the time and work contributed by the mentors. The program involves:
Monthly one-on-one meetings between mentors and mentees
Community-building events for both mentors and mentees
Professionalization learning seminars for mentees
Weekly co-writing sessions for mentors and mentees
Program Retreat at the CSA Conference at York University
Members:
Julius Haag, University of Toronto Mississauga (Chair)
Alana Butler, Queen’s University
Natalie Delia Deckard, University of Windsor
Océane Jasor, Concordia University
Johanne Jean-Pierre, York University
This year, the Black Caucus worked on the following initiatives:
1. Black Caucus Panels at CSA Congress 2022
i. Inspiring Research for the Future
Chair: Julius Haag, University of Toronto
ii. Reflections on Embodied Research in Sociology
Chair: Johanne Jean-Pierre, Ryerson University
iii. “But, where are you really from?”
Keynote Speaker: Debra Thompson, Associate Professor of Political Science and Canada Research Chair in Racial Inequality in Democratic Societies, McGill University
Moderator: Natalie Delia Deckard, University of Windsor
2. CSA Mentorship Initiative:
Led by Dr. Natalie Delia-Deckard and supported by a Social Science Research Council (SSHRC) Connections Grant, the CSA Mentor Programmer for Black, Indigenous, and Racialized Graduate Students continued with another successful program for the 2021-2022 academic year. The program involves:
Monthly one-on-one meetings between mentors and mentees,
Community-building events for both mentors and mentees,
Professionalization learning seminars for mentees, and
Weekly co-writing sessions for mentors and mentees.
3. Meeting with the Black Canadian Studies Association to discuss Congress Participation for 2022:
Led by Dr. Alana Butler, members of the Black Caucus Steering Committee discussed Congress Participation for 2022 with the Black Canadian Studies Association. The Black Caucus stands in solidarity with the BCSA and their decision to participate in Congress. This decision was made based on the condition that the Federation commits to holding a future in-person Congress with the theme of Black Studies/Anti-Black racism, waiving fees for students who identify as Black or Indigenous, eventual grant support, and technical assistance for virtual Congress.
4. Meeting with Gabriel Miller, President and CEO, Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences:
Members of the Black Caucus Steering Committee met with FHSS President and CEO Gabriel Miller to discuss the Federation’s commitment to addressing anti-Black racism. The session included discussions of the Federation’s plans for an upcoming Congress with a theme of Black Studies/Anti Black Racism, funding commitments to support anti-racism initiatives, commitments to develop upcoming awards and bursaries for persons of African descent who self-identify as Black, issues of diversity in the composition of the editorial boards of academic publishers who members of the Federation, and a road-map for an ongoing consultative process between the Federation and the Black Caucus.
5. Global Sociology Award:
For 2022, we were pleased to see the first iteration of the Global Sociology Award, a new CSA awarded book prize proposed by the Black Caucus. The objectives of this award include:
• Recognition of outstanding rigorous empirical research conducted in other countries by Canadian-based scholars
• Improve the visibility of the CSA as an international association of sociologists.
• Demonstrate that the CSA’s professional focus while fundamentally Canadian transcends state boundaries
• Encourage Canadian-based scholars to engage in transnational research and partnerships.
• Showcase the depth and breadth of Canadian sociological scholarship.
6. Committee Service
CSA Early Investigator Award Adjudication - Julius Haag
7. Support for Dr. Temitope Oriola for CSA President:
Members of the Black Caucus were pleased to support fellow Caucus member Dr. Temitope Oriola's nomination for CSA President. We want to congratulate him on his successful candidacy and look forward to working with Dr. Oriola in the coming term.
The ad hoc committee was formed in the summer of 2020. Many institutions signalled their commitment to addressing anti-Black racism and the CSA met this challenge by supporting this new ad hoc committee. This Ad-hoc Committee will be formally inducted at the next Annual General Meeting in 2021.
Founding Members:
Alana Butler, Queen’s University (Chair)
Natalie Delia Deckard, University of Windsor
Julius Haag, University of Toronto Mississauga
Océane Jasor, Concordia University
Johanne Jean-Pierre, York University
This year, the committee worked on the following initiatives:
i. Canadian Review of Sociology Editorial Board Appointment Recommendations:
Kevin Gosine (Brock University) for a position on the Consulting Board and Leyla Sall (Université de Moncton) for the Associate Board position.
ii. Committee Service
Awards Committee - Alana Butler (Queen’s University)
Nominations Committee - Johanne Jean-Pierre (Ryerson University)
3. Mentorship Program for Black, Indigenous and Racialized Graduate Students
Black Caucus member Natalie Delia Deckard (University of Windsor) and 2020-2021 program chair, was the successful PI for SSHRC Grant to support the mentorship program.
4. Official Statements
Posted on the Canadian Sociological Association website and released through the communication network.
February 26, 2021 - Canadian Sociological Association’s Black Caucus letter of support for the Black Canadian Studies Association
March 19, 2021 - Canadian Sociological Association's Black Caucus Steering Committee: Statement Against Anti-Asian Racism and Violence
5. New Award Proposal
Global Sociology in Canada: The case for a “CSA Global Sociology Book Prize”
The Canadian Sociological Association (CSA) has taken important steps in the last few years to recognize academic excellence and impactful contributions to the discipline. Awards such as the “Angus Reid Applied Sociology Award”, “Early Investigator Award” and the “PESLF” are crucial additions to the long-running John Porter Book Prize. While these awards are apt, there is a missing but critical element in our recognition of outstanding books. The PESLF focuses on Canadian scholarship in French. It closely mirrors the tradition of the John Porter Book Prize, which statutorily focuses on Canadian research. This is not a critique. Book prizes for scholarship in Canada by the preeminent association of Canadian sociologists are welcome.
There is evidence that the CSA can do more to recognize outstanding sociological scholarship from diverse fields in the discipline. For example, the American Sociological Association has at least 53 sections. Each of these sections has its own best article award and book prize. In addition, much contemporary scholarship from other parts of the world is left out of consideration for career-defining CSA book awards. This means that many decades of rigorous overseas research have gone unacknowledged and uncelebrated by the CSA. This inadvertently casts the CSA as limited in scope at best or provincial at worst. Clearly, this is an unintended state of affairs. There is a need to expand the scope of the CSA’s award offerings.
The objectives of the proposed CSA Global Sociology Book Prize include:
• Recognition of outstanding rigorous empirical research conducted in other countries by Canadian-based scholars
• Improve the visibility of the CSA as an international association of sociologists
• Demonstrate that the CSA’s professional focus while fundamentally Canadian transcends state boundaries
• Encourage Canadian-based scholars to engage in transnational research and partnerships
• Showcase the depth and breadth of Canadian sociological scholarship
6. Conference Panel
Constructing Scholarly Communities: The Case of the CSA Black Caucus
Presenters:
Dr. Johanne Jean-Pierre, Ryerson University, School of Child and Youth Care
Dr. Natalie Delia Deckard, University of Windsor, Sociology
Dr. Alana Butler, Queen’s University, Faculty of Education
Dr. Julius Haag, University of Toronto, Sociology
Dr. Oceane Jasor, Concordia University, Sociology and Anthropology
In this panel, we discuss the origins of CSA Black Caucus, its mandate and goals. The newly formed CSA Black Caucus hopes to challenge anti-Black racism and promote equity in academia. Anti-Black Racism (ABR) is defined as the “system of beliefs and practices that attack, erode, and limit the humanity of Black people” (Carruthers, 2018, p. 26). Our presentation will offer a critical anti-racist perspective on issues of social inclusion and anti-Black racism in Canadian academia (Dei, 2017; Delgado & Stefancic, 2017; Driedger & Halli, 2014; Este et al., 2018). The panelists consider the work of creating an equitable group, the promise it holds, and the plan to move forward as a caucus.
Specifically, we interrogate:
• The absence of Black voices in the CSA before the Black Caucus, and the implications of that absence,
• The importance of affinity groups in other, similar, professional organizations,
• The need for an advocacy organization that includes allies' voices -- and for a group of only Black-identifying members,
• The ways in which we can work to diversify both the CSA and the sociological curriculum in Canada, while increasing racial equity in the nation as a whole.
• The pressing need to address anti-Black racism in the CSA and in academia in general.