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The Union Gallery Project Room is hosting an exhibition entitled ” from January 20 to February 11, a creative endeavor bringing life to a formal and tangible record of the Black experience at Queen’s.

The project is a partnership between The Sunbeamng, the Alma Mater Society’s Social Issues Committee (SIC), and the Yellow House Student Centre for Equity and Inclusion. Designed by artist King-David Olajuwon in collaboration with the Social Issues Com����ֱ�� (Mujeedat Lekuti, Estelle Ngwa, and Isaac Akinsulie), the art thesis addresses the historical gap in documenting the Black student body at Queen’s. The presentation showcases a collection of archival materials, film, photos, poetry, and more highlighting the Black experience at Queen’s. It serves as a moment to both embrace the past and address future students.  

“This exhibition is holding space to bring together multiple generations of Black advocacy at Queen’s,” says Mujeedat Lekuti, Com����ֱ��er of Social Issues-External. “We know too often these stories fade to the back, but in this moment, we plan to show all that work – be it in the past, in the present, or in the future – deserves to exist side by side so we can all live, learn, and be inspired together.”

This exhibition creates a space for Black students to be centered instead of being pushed to the margins. And although “the black experience” does not attempt to be a comprehensive record, it represents a beginning point on which future Black students can continue to expand.  

“It doesn’t have to be perfect,” says Olajuwon. “It just has to exist for someone down the line to build on.”  

One of the items featured in the exhibition is the uniform of Alfred Pierce, donated by Queen’s Archives. Pierce is a Black man, described as personifying the spirit of Queen’s, who was a fixture at the university’s athletic events. Accompanying his uniform is a poem by Elizabeth-Peprah-Asare. By foregrounding Pierce’s story and the university’s treatment of him, the exhibition invites students to reckon with how Black people have historically been treated at Queen’s, and how that history continues to shape the present.  

“[The exhibition is about] creating something impactful,” says AMS SIC member Estelle Ngwa. “And it is impactful to see so many years of history captured in one space.”  

Sub����ֱ��s from Black clubs, students, and alumni offer a layered portrait of contemporary Black student life at Queen’s, and the photographs, event headlines, and poems collectively reflect a diversity of expression that positions the exhibition as a living record. The exhibit traces a clear throughline from early student advocacy, beginning with the founding of the Afro-Caribe Foundation of Kingston by Batchelor DeVere, Abdulghany Mohamed, and Judith Brown and her husband, through to the African & Caribbean Students Association, and onward to the many Black student clubs that exist today.

The impact of witnessing this living history was immediate for first-year student Isaac Akinsulie.

“As a first-year student coming into Queen’s, it was incredible getting to see this rich history of Black students,” says Akinsulie. “I’ve been so inspired to continue this great legacy.”