91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ

I would like to begin by sincerely thanking the generous donors for supporting the Dean of Arts Development Fund, which allowed me to have an incredibly rewarding and fulfilling internship experience this summer. After completing my first year at 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ, majoring in Political Science and minoring in Economics, my interests were as broad as ever: law, international relations, political philosophy, grassroots organizations, and more. I hoped that an internship, where I could gain practical experience in one of these fields, would help me streamline my potential career opportunities.

This summer, I had the honour of interning at the Roundtable for Black History Month, a non-profit organization in Montreal that supports the study and discussion of Black communities, past and present. Their mission is to develop a framework, in keeping with the spirit of Black History Month, for community leaders working on challenges within Black communities in the social, economic, cultural, and educational sectors; as well as to devise programming, specific to Black History Month, that underlines the social, cultural, educational, institutional, and economic challenges faced by Black communities.

My path to landing this internship was far from linear: after being rejected from the AIO’s internship positions (it happens to the best of us!), I pursued another route through the Quebec Studies and Community Learning Department. While I had initially applied for a different community organization, Mr. Stéphan Gervais suggested I interview with the Roundtable, as he saw my educational background in Political Science as the perfect fit.

Ultimately, the Roundtable for Black History Month granted me such an incredible opportunity. As an intern, I conducted extensive research about the history of Black communities in Canada and consolidated my findings into interactive quizzes, used to make this information more accessible for all. I also presented a proposal to kickstart the Roundtable’s TikTok account, identifying marketing strategies appropriate for a non-profit organization. Similarly, I reached out to several press organizations and elected officials to ask for their support in our projects, such as the launch of a petition aiming to rectify an alarming oversight in the provincial cabinet: the fact that the Minister of Anti-Racism has no allotted budget to fund his endeavours.

However, my work wasn’t exclusively on my laptop – I also helped set up an exhibition at Place des Arts, Histoires d’Invincibles, a multifaceted experience for all ages uncovering the legacy of important Black historical figures, whose stories are too often forgotten. This exhibition was attended by over 13,000 visitors, one of whom was Federal Member of Parliament Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Heritage. We had the opportunity to sit with Minister Guilbeault and discuss the place of Black history at all levels of politics – and the importance of funding organizations like ours.

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of my time with the Roundtable was the tight-knit nature of our team. This meant that I had the opportunity to learn from and work with each member of the organization directly, especially director Nadia Rousseau. Ms. Rousseau was gracious enough to share her professional wisdom and insight about the intricacies of running a non-profit with me: I learned that there were far more politics and economics involved than I had previously thought!

One challenge I faced at the beginning of my internship was the amount of independent work involved. After team meetings every Monday morning, I was left to my own devices to fulfill the tasks assigned to me. At first, I was unsure how to proceed, and worried that without constant supervision, my work would fall below my colleagues’ expectations. However, I quickly realized this was an opportunity to let my initiative and creativity shine, to great results.

Finally, I cannot go without saying how grateful I am, as a non-Black person, to have worked at this incredible organization. There is so much value in being able to learn from a different cultural group than your own. As someone who has always been invested in social justice and anti-racism, to be able to enact real change in this regard was so meaningful. I thank everyone on our powerhouse of a team for including me in all their varied and important projects this summer.

I would also like to thank the donors for  supporting the Dean of Arts Development Fund, which provided me the time outside of my part-time job to work four days a week at the office, as well as Mr. Stéphan Gervais of the Quebec Studies and Community Learning Department for supporting me throughout my internship. I truly could not have asked for a better internship or a better support network after my first year of university!