In January 2015, the Black student-run collective Community-University Talks (C-Uni-T) welcomed Professor Anthony Stewart to Montreal for a three-day visit.

The invitation to Dr. Stewart was especially inspired by his two related books—You Must be a Basketball Player: Rethinking Integration in the University (Fernwood, 2009), and Visitor: My Life in Canada (Fernwood, 2014)—as well as a keynote lecture he had delivered at the May 2013 Black Canadian Studies Association conference at Brock University. Dr. Stewart’s work spoke loudly to members of C-Uni-T. His willingness to name and openly critique the whiteness of Canadian universities was a welcome relief from the racial gaslighting that we often experienced as Black students, and we were further encouraged by his engaging writing style, sense of humor, and approachability. Furthermore, Dr. Stewart, who was born in Ottawa, had recently left his job as associate professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax after seventeen years there and moved to the U.S. to take up a position at Bucknell University. We were impressed by his refusal to uphold the myths of Canadian multiculturalism and to remain silent about experiences of Blackness and antiblackness in Canadian society.  

The January visit was entirely organized by C-Uni-T with several collective members directly involved in hosting Dr. Stewart. The overall visit was coordinated by rosalind hampton and Lerona Dana Lewis and included opportunities for students, professors, and community members to engage with Dr. Stewart across several contexts. On the evening of Thursday January 15th, Dr. Stewart gave a fireside chat with undergraduate students at the West Lounge of Royal Victoria College residence, organized and hosted by Cora-Lee Conway and Emily Yee Clare, two C-Uni-T members who worked in McGill student residences. The next day, Dr. Stewart delivered an academic presentation for faculty and students across levels of study at McGill University.  As reported in the McGill Daily, Stewart spoke candidly about growing up in Canada and the role of schooling, from elementary school to academia, in perpetuating national stories of Canada as a benevolent nation without racism. “Stewart emphasized that this story is harmful. ‘Constantly being told that there is not a problem, when you know there is one, does things to you cognitively,’ he said.” He thus stressed the centrality of stories in constructing our lived realities and challenged us to tell new and different stories about ourselves and about belonging.² 

That night, on Friday evening, we moved off campus and welcomed Dr. Stewart to DESTA Black Youth Centre for a community cultural event with dinner, performances, and a presentation by Dr. Stewart.   

On Saturday (the 17th), Dr. Stewart was interviewed by C-Uni-T members Kai Thomas and Radney Jean Claude for CJLO radio, spoke and gave a book signing at Paragraphe Bookstore in the afternoon and finally, joined members of C-Uni-T for dinner that evening.