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Black OCAD U hosting Homecoming Fête on Oct. 4

A photo of the Rosalie Sharp Center for Design, a large white square with black squares on red and yellow stilts

With a new term under way, OCAD U’s Black Caucus is holding a fête event on Tuesday, October 4 to welcome Black faculty, staff, students, alumni, Black Sparks, and Friends of Black OCAD U.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for OCAD U to welcome new Black members to our community, celebrate the accomplishments of Black alumni and recruit Black leaders to be members of the Black Sparks initiative,” says Dr. Dori Tunstall, Dean of Design.

The Black Sparks is a special donor group of Black leaders who contribute a minimum of $100 per month to support OCAD U Black initiatives. These have included paid placements of Black students with Black small businesses and grassroot organizations, support for Black community events such as the Black Diamond Ball, bringing in special guests for lectures and workshops, and organizing design workshops for Black community youth.

Dr. Tunstall said that with the significant increase in Black faculty at OCAD University, “we now have greater people-capacity to connect with Black communities in Toronto and internationally. Thus, we need to achieve the Black Sparks goal of a consistent 100 Black leaders contributing, so that we have the resources to meet the growing requests from students, faculty, and communities.”

Members of the Black community are invited to join the Black Sparks movement by donating $100 per month.

About the event: October 4, 2022

The OCADU Black homecoming fête will be held at the OCAD U Waterfront Campus, 130 Queens Quay East, East Tower, Floor 4R from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The evening will include a gallery show of work by Black alumni and feature community performances by trumpet player Rudy Ray, the Djembe Drummers, the C-Flava Afro-Caribbean Dance Team and the Kiki Ballroom House of Imperium. If you are planning to attend, please pre-register.