W. Andy Knight: BlackTalk podcasts

W. Andy Knight
April 5, 2022

2021-22 Fulbright Distinguished Chair in International & Area Studies W. Andy Knight has a website of interest entitled BlackTalk.  You can listen to his podcasts below.

  • Olunike Adeliyi - actress Olunike Adeliyi is the star of CBC’s The Porter. In this candid conversation we learn about Olunike’s backstory, and how it informed her approach to her work. From her debut in theater, to her premier roles on the popular Canadian crime drama Flashpoint, and the historically significant CBC drama The Porter, we trace the path that led to her current success and the values that informed the choices she’s made to proudly tell her own story.
  • Dr. Ivelaw Griffith - Dr. Ivelaw Griffith joins us to talk about his distinguished career including his time as the President of Fort Valley State University. 
  • Celina Caesar-Chavannes -  Speaker, author, academic and former MP, Celina Caesar-Chavannes. Celina speaks candidly about her early life and struggles with mental health issues, which she documents in her memoir, Can You Hear Me Now? Celina was the sole Black female MP in a predominantly white and male government. She shares how and why she entered and exited politics, including her clashes with Justin Trudeau. 
  • Dr Bukola Salami - University of Alberta associate professor in the faculty of nursing, Dr. Bukola Salami shares the impact racism had on her parents’ careers and in her own career where she has been constantly underestimated. She talks about the importance of mentoring and why she is investing her time as a mentor to young Black students. We also cover the health crisis in the Black community, how COVID-19 has exacerbated health inequities, mistrust in public health institutions and the importance of race based health data.
  • Dr Cecil Foster -  Academic, author and journalist, Dr. Cecil Foster weaves his own story of arriving in Canada from Barbados in the 1960s into the larger historical patterns of racism that Black people experience immigrating to Canada. He shares the struggle of being isolated as the only Black journalist in the newsroom and being held back from opportunities to advance. In academia, he faced similar racist behaviour, as both a student and later as a young Black academic. Dr. Foster continues to advocate for a multicultural society and to educate in academia and beyond.
  • Sir Hilary Beckles  - Sir Hilary Beckles explores the historical economic links of slavery with Vice Chancellor of The University of the West Indies and global activist.