A celebrated Toronto TV personality, a spoken word poet and human rights activist - and two women who, as high school students, found a new way to solve a math problem that's thousands of years old.
All three are among the guests at this year's Black History Month Luncheon , one of the most anticipated events on the University of Toronto's calendar.
The Feb. 28 event, to be held in Hart House's Great Hall, brings together community members from across U of T's three campuses to celebrate Black culture and excellence.
"We have delicious food to eat, but we also try to balance it out with some food for thought," says Glen Boothe, who co-founded the event.
This year's keynote speaker and advancement achievement award recipient is Tracy Moore, former CityLine host and Canadian Screen Award Changemaker. Other guests include local spoken word poet and human rights activist Shahaddah Jack and American students Calcea Johnson and Ne'Kiya Jackson, who devised a new way to solve the Pythagorean theorem, named for Pythagoras of ancient Greece, as part of a high school project - and then went on to publish a paper on the feat in college.
Boothe says last year's luncheon drew more than 600 in-person attendees and this year he expects an even bigger turnout.
Now in its 23rd year, the luncheon has come a long way since Boothe, who works in U of T's division of advancement, and a small group of co-workers started sharing meals together in a lunchroom. Those multicultural potlucks evolved into what is now a signature event that showcases a variety of cuisines each year from Caribbean to African to food from the American South.
Registration is open for those who plan to attend the event in person . Those planning to attend virtually can register here .
There is also an hour-long youth lunch prior to the event for elementary and high school students, who will hear from Johnson, Jackson and several additional speakers.
"Even at the youth lunch, the idea is to showcase excellence," says Boothe.
The luncheon caps a busy 28 days of Black History Month events across U of T's three campuses.
"It's celebratory and a great way to capstone all the heavy lifting that we do at the university for Black History Month," Boothe says.
"This is a perfect exemplar of what diversity and inclusiveness can mean in a practical sense - it's a lunch, but it's also an opportunity for people from different and diverse groups to come together for a couple of hours and celebrate together, exchange ideas … and the opportunity to showcase and reinforce Black excellence."
In 2022, U of T established the Black History Month Luncheon Award and committed to matching donations up to a total of $50,000. The Black Research Network , one of several U of T institutional strategic initiatives , is also an integral part of the luncheon, both as a sponsor and a symbol of excellence in the U of T community.
Boothe says there will be a plethora of prizes, giveaways and items available at auction courtesy of sponsors that include Air Canada, TD Bank, Grace Kennedy Foods, TCL, Coca-Cola, Tim Horton's, NBA Canada and the Jamaica Tourism Board.
Money raised goes toward Black History Month Luncheon scholarship funds.
"The committee would like to thank the Division of University Advancement, the dedicated volunteers and the generous sponsors for their support," he says.
