In the Art, Letters and Culture category, Black Girls Gather won top honours. Black Girls Gather was launched in September 2020 by eight Montreal-area university students, including three from McGill:  Amélia Souffrant, Joanna Kanga and Samantha Nyinawumuntu. It’s a weekly book club for young Black women and girls to discuss literary works by Black authors. The purpose is to expose the young women to Black literature and engage in discussions around themes such as coming of age, racism and identity, all while building networks of support and mentorship for young Black women and girls in Montreal.  

“Black Girls Gather shows them the importance of community and the knowledge of self,” said Souffrant, a second-year student at McGill’s Faculty of Law. “It reminds them that they do not have to navigate this world alone, and that they are deserving of representation, that they are worthy of attention and recognition of their uniqueness.”