belonging | The Harriet Tubman Institute /research/tubman The Harriet Tubman Institute at 91ÑÇÉ« Fri, 25 Sep 2026 17:26:14 +0000 en-CA hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.10 Margaret Ofori Asubonteng /research/tubman/profile/margaret-ofori-asubonteng/ Thu, 09 Apr 2026 19:58:59 +0000 /research/tubman/?post_type=profile&p=9488 Margaret Ofori Asubonteng is a Black African Human Resource Management student at 91ÑÇÉ« with interests in Black studies, labour, equity, law, student engagement, and community development. Her academic and leadership pursuits explore the intersections of Black lived experiences, institutional systems, social justice, and belonging within educational and professional spaces.

She currently serves as an Upper-Year Experience Mentor and LA&PS Student Ambassador at 91ÑÇÉ«, supporting student transition, engagement, and peer connection. Margaret is also the Founder and President of The Story Room at 91ÑÇÉ« U, a student-led initiative that creates space for storytelling, dialogue, and the sharing of lived experiences within the university community.

In addition to her work in student engagement, Margaret serves as Vice President of Marketing and Media Relations for the Black Women in Law Association and Associate of Marketing for the Human Resource Management Student Association. Through these roles, she contributes to student programming, community building, communications, and initiatives that support student development and engagement.

Margaret's commitment to student leadership and service has been recognized through several honours, including a Certificate of Distinction for Excellence from Student Community & Leadership Development, the Best College Crew Volunteer Award (2024–2025) from the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, and recognition for her contributions to the Human Resource Management Student Association community. She was also recognized for her presentation at 91ÑÇÉ«'s International Career Ready Conference, where she shared insights on navigating university life as an international student.

Passionate about advocacy and community-centred engagement, Margaret hopes to continue contributing to research, dialogue, and initiatives that affirm the richness, complexity, and diversity of African and diasporic experiences while creating spaces where students feel seen, heard, and connected.

Keywords: Black Studies, African Diaspora, Labor, Equity, Social Justice, Student Engagement, Community Development, Law, Belonging, Youth Leadership, International Students

]]> Martha Kakooza /research/tubman/profile/martha-kakooza/ Thu, 26 Jun 2025 18:49:17 +0000 /research/tubman/?post_type=profile&p=8587 Martha Kakooza is a scholar-activist, storyteller, and PhD candidate in Higher Education whose work lives at the intersection of African diasporic belonging, critical pedagogy, and institutional transformation. Her research centers the lived experiences of Black African immigrant students navigating predominantly white academic spaces, with a focus on how they forge identity, community, and meaning across borders.

When she's not writing about spatial politics and epistemic justice, Martha is building vibrant support networks through initiatives like the Black Women Collaborative (BWC) and the Black Male Initiative (BMI). She believes in education as a site of both memory and imagination, and that laughter, mentorship, and resistance are sacred practices.

Keywords: belonging, spatial relations, dialogical narrative research, Ubuntu

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