Black Students in Political Science (BSPS)

A submission for Black Impact Report

Black Students in Political Science is an association aiming to promote Black politics and help Black students in political science during their time at McGill. While the focus is on creating a community in which Black students can freely express their ideas and perspectives in regard to politics, BSPS welcomes all types of students who want to learn more about Black people’s contributions to the intellectual and political sphere. Indeed, BSPS is first and foremost a political science club. That is the reason why, on several occasions, our association partnered with non-Black clubs such as Polity as well as Women in House. 

Our progress so far can be measured by the number of events and partnerships made in a short period of time (the club was born a few months ago, in October 2025). Throughout this semester, we have animated several events. Our first one consisted of a conference with Professor Debra Thompson. It was an insightful conversation about Blackness and Belonging in both American and Canadian context. Although this first event did not invite any collaboration, the following events did. In February, we co-hosted a Trivia Night with Women in House for Valentines Day, further opening the spectrum of collaboration. Except the former, the following events were more academically oriented. In that regard, our collaboration with Polity Undergraduate Research Conference involved the co-hosting of a writing workshop open to other POLISCI students (PhD candidates from the McGill Graduate offered their insights about research paper writing) , and the moderation of a roundtable themed : “ Intersections of Identity & Community in Global Context”.   We also had the opportunity to contribute to the 2026 issue of the UHURU Journal, writing about the relevance of Afro-futurism for Black POLISCI students. Lastly, our recent collaboration with CSS sought to create a bridge between Black professionals and students, to understand their respective pathways to success, the obstacles they faced and the strategies they adopted in white-dominated spaces. We ought to continue inviting professors to roundtable discussions and conferences, all while developing a space for community building for Black Students in POLISCI.

As a result, since its creation, BSPS succeeded in creating a space for Black students within the political science field, as demonstrated by its partnerships with various political science clubs. However, BSPS does not plan to stop there: for the incoming year, we are working on developing a diversified program of events which will put “Black” and “political science” at the forefront. As a reminder, our goal is to center Black politics and the experience of Black people in the political science field, as it is something rarely done in a Western context.

Thaïs Lorka--Navaud & Sohkna Diallo