Co-founder & Co-coordinator
Mariame is the co-founder and the co-coordinator of Black Girls Gather. She grew up in the West Island of Montreal, but her parents are originally from Guinea and Senegal. She is currently completing her bachelor’s in civil law at the law Faculty of the University of Montreal and works as a summer student at the firm, McCarthy Tétrault. For the past three years, Mariame has volunteered at the West Island Black Community Association as a tutor for their Saturday Morning Tutorial Program, as the co-coordinator of their Education Committee and as a board member for the organization. Outside her community involvement, Mariame also works on various projects promoting diversity and inclusion in the legal community as President of the Black Law Student Association of the University of Montreal. Her interests vary from reading & writing, to dancing and playing soccer competitively. She enjoys expressing her creativity through writing, fashion and personal projects.
Co-founder & Co-coordinator
Fabiola is the co-founder and the co-coordinator of Black Girls Gather. Originally from Cameroon, born in Germany and raised in Montreal, her being is a mosaic of those three cultures. She is studying for her bachelors in Psychology with a minor in Urban Planning. Having a keen interest in the understanding of the human mind and its interactions with city life, she volunteers in different spaces in Montreal. Her other interests consist of reading, practicing yoga and meditation and interacting with others on different subjects that enrich the human mind and experience (amongst other things).
Treasurer
Vanessa is the treasurer of Black Girls Gather. She grew up in the West Island of Montreal, but her family and herself are originally from Guyana. She is currently entering her second year at Concordia’s John Molson School of Business where she is majoring in Human Resource Management. For the past seven years, she has volunteered at the West Island Black Community Association by taking on multiple roles such as host for their Black History Month events. Her interests vary from reading & writing, to singing and dancing. She enjoys expressing her creativity through drawing, fashion and makeup.
Website Coordinator
Amélia is the website coordinator of Black Girls Gather. Born and raised in Montreal, she is of Haitian descent. She enjoys expressing herself creatively through various artistic mediums such as music, fashion, visual arts and writing. She is currently a third-year law student at McGill University where she’s completing her Bachelor of Civil Law and Juris Doctor with a minor in Sociology. Her longstanding community and extracurricular involvement was rewarded by various prizes and scholarships throughout the years. Besides her involvement in Black Girls Gather, she is the copresident of the Black Law Students’ Association of McGill (BLSAM) and is volunteering for the Saint-Michel Legal Clinic in their Racial Profiling Committee.
Outreach and Events Coordinator
Joanna is the outreach and events coordinator for Black Girls Gather. She is completing her final year at McGill University where she is majoring in Political Science and double minoring in Economics and International Development. She is a Communication Assistant to the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business, and Economic Development and a member of the board of Directors of Youth 4 Youth Québec. Her interests are diverse, from singing to reading to hiking or debating; she like to express herself both artistically and intellectually.
Assistant Outreach and Events Coordinator
Indya is the Assistant Outreach and Events coordinator for Black Girls Gather. Born and raised here in Montreal, her roots originate from Barbados and Nova Scotia. Being a second-year John Molson School of Business Concordian, she is majoring in Human Resource Management with a minor in Data Intelligence. While volunteering for Black Girls Gather, she works part-time as a Human Resource assistant at a Saint-Laurent company while also working part-time at a West Island-based restaurant. Her passions include self-care, bubble tea, most musical genres and lending a helping hand whenever she can.
Past executive members
Assistant-coordinator
Thaïsha was the assistant-coordinator of Black Girls Gather (A Book Club). As a 2020 graduate of Université de Montréal’s Law Faculty, she currently works as the legal assistant of four lawyers for CBC’s media and business departments, including two of their directors. She plans on attending the Quebec Bar School to become a lawyer. She enjoys volunteering and has been doing so for the Clinique juridique Saint-Michel and for young children, among others. Her interests vary between horror movies, reality TV, makeup and brunching. |
Assistant-coordinator
Khadija was the assistant-coordinator of Black Girls Gather. Khadija is of Senegalese descent. She was born and raised in the West Island and then relocated to Côte-des-Neiges. She is currently completing her bachelor in educational psychology/psychoeducation at University of Montreal. She has been working as a teacher’s assistant at an elementary school. Her interests vary from music, personal development, yoga, meditation to playing video games in her free time.
Secretary
Alivia was the secretary of Black Girls Gather. She is a newcomer to the team. She grew up in the Cote-Des-Neiges area, but her family is originally from Barbados and Jamaica. She has worked and volunteered in the black community from a young age, at various black community organizations such as Tyndale, DESTA and the Cote-Des-Neiges Black Community Association. With these experiences, she has recently started her 1st year at Concordia University in Human Relations. She has various interests, such as Meditation, Reading, Astrology, Fitness. She also loves to express herself creatively by painting and sewing.
Katya
Katya was the Social Media Coordinator for Black Girls Gather. She is a West Islander of Rwandese and Togolese origin. She is the social media coordinator for Black Girls Gather and is currently entering her third year at the Faculty of Law of the University of Montreal where she is completing a Bachelor in Civil Law. While a self-proclaimed afro-pessimist, she steadfastly believes that the Black community will always be able to transcend any political, economic or systematic roadblock society throws its way.w
Samantha
Samantha (they/she) was the assistant coordinator for Black Girls Gather. They identify as a nonbinary queer being who hails from the mountains of Rwanda. They currently live, love and learn on the un-ceded territory of the kanien’keháka people in Tiohtià:ke or Mooniyang (Montreal). Through the mediums of storytelling and community organizing their work aims to explore justice, decolonization, love, healing, self and collective empowerment. In 2019 Samantha facilitated various workshops aimed at building relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous youths in Tiohtià:ke or Mooniyang (Montreal) under Canadian Roots Exchange program Youth Reconciliation Initiative. In 2020 they co-wrote the Project Woke policy report at the Black community Resource Centre (BCRC) and are currently their Community Outreach Assistant. In her spare time, you will find Sam dancing to Solange Knowles, eating something sweet, reading Bell hooks or rock climbing.