Fabienne de Cartier was a News Editor and Director of Digital Strategy at The Tribune from 2024-2025. She passed away on August 12, 2025, from osteosarcoma. Fabienne lived as the truest kind of journalist—thoughtful, curious, ambitious, honest—and the truest kind of friend. Her smile was contagious, her love and care[Read More…]
Articles by Matthew Molinaro
Farewell to The Tribune: Messages from our graduating editors
Suzanna Graham, Arts and Entertainment Editor: Three years ago, I felt disconnected from McGill, Montreal, and my fellow students. In the last week of my first year, a friend of a friend suggested I write for a school paper. The second week of second year, I ran from class to[Read More…]
Tribute: Remembering Professor Monica Popescu
Born in Brasov, Romania in 1973, Monica Popescu was a star student throughout her studies. After receiving degrees from the University of Bucharest, the University of Windsor, and the University of Pennsylvania, she began teaching at McGill in 2005, where she taught courses on African literatures, literary and social theory,[Read More…]
Black and Palestinian poets’ aesthetics of solidarity bring us to new worlds
Every February, like clockwork, literary institutions— mega-chain bookstores, Amazon, Oprah, and English departments—advertise the urgent necessity of reading a Black writer. Whether it’s Invisible Man, Omeros, or Things Fall Apart, these institutions commodify and repackage Black writers into a promise to the susceptible and well-intentioned reader. The hope? Upon turning[Read More…]
“Defying time and season:” Black McGill scientists through history
The history of science and technology is still reckoning with the contributions of Black researchers. White supremacy has deployed the sciences, and their ideal of objectivity, to dehumanize Black people, experiment on them, and legitimize slavery, colonialism, and dispossession. With the fights for medical and environmental justice still urgent and[Read More…]
Liberation, not excellence, should be the focus of Black History Month
Earlier this year, the federal government announced that this Black History Month (BHM)’s theme would be “Black Excellence: A Heritage to Celebrate; a Future to Build.” Almost thirty years after its adoption, BHM today signals a response to persistent problems in Canadian society—anti-Blackness as old as the country itself and[Read More…]
We who ran The McGill Daily
Uncovering McGill’s history of Black student activism and journalism in the ‘90s.
Hearing queers through new ears
I was not a podcast person until the world came to a halt. But upon frenzied shutdowns, curfews, and public health measures, I turned to the auditory for its unique pleasures. Walking in my suburban Ontarian neighbourhood, I could tune in to the experiences I had not grasped as an[Read More…]
Archives that evade
In 1974, the first Black woman Random House editor gathered photographs, sheet music, advertisements, obituaries, patent applications, materials, art, and ephemera in a collection entitled The Black Book. These archives, anthologies, collages, and scrapbooks celebrated, bore witness to, and captured the spectacular and the quotidian of Black life in all[Read More…]
Campus Conversations: Archives
Community, Commemoration, and the Collective Archive Matthew Molinaro, Managing Editor Last semester, I started working in the Black Students’ Network (BSN) archive as part of my elected responsibilities in our political portfolio. In our small office nestled in the University Centre, I sat in front of hundreds of books, an[Read More…]
A labour of love
Times are tough, fellow McGillians. It seems like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge just aren’t doing the trick anymore—they’re all tricks themselves without any treats. The same faces repeat, over and over: How often do you need to scroll through blurry mirror selfies of George, U3 Mech Eng, a moderate from[Read More…]
Making a new world as we go
In 1960, the Queen of Jazz made a mistake. Performing the song “Mack the Knife” in West Berlin, Ella Fitzgerald forgot the lines. The weight of global expectations stood on her shoulders as one of the first Black women to sing this piece—and in front of a white, international audience,[Read More…]
By the light of a brother’s smile
In a now-viral, nine-minute introduction speech in praise of Michael B. Jordan’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, actor Jonathan Majors expressed his love for his friend, Creed III co-star, and brother. Embracing one another, the pair displayed an intimacy and affection uncommon in an era that has proclaimed[Read More…]
Resolving forward, for the year, and for more
The leap into the new year brings with it not only the start of the winter semester but the invocation behind your resolution: Ask not what 2023 can do for you, but what you can do for 2023. How do we make material promises, and start fresh from the ruins,[Read More…]
Decolonizing tennis, tournaments, and talent
When the greatest of all time, Serena Williams, made a return to tennis this past June, she decided to play doubles on the grass at the Eastbourne International. Looking for an in-form partner, she called up the talented Tunisian Ons Jabeur. Jabeur, the first Arab woman to break into the[Read More…]
On queer space, futurity, and inclusion
It’s Friday night and you’re done with midterms. You leave the heteronormative institution (if you really ever can), text a few friends, pick your favourite club, and dance the night away. You’re listening to queer icons––Cher or Madonna, Gaga or Rihanna, Diana Ross or Gloria Gaynor, Fiona Apple or Kim[Read More…]
On finding references, letters, and research connections
You’re thinking of going to graduate school or professional school. You’ve lined up the universities where you wish to apply––research-intensive Canadian universities, British universities with specialized masters, our Southern neighbour’s Ivies, and high-performing public institutions all make the list. You stumble not on the personal and research statement, not on[Read More…]
Loving my Black hair back
Last April, I attended a birthday party for a friend. Rather than looking back at the shared laughter and happiness of this gathering, I remember this night for a white person who, after complaining at length about their “difficult” straight hair, gestured toward me and my “easy” curls. Without my[Read More…]
Twenty-first annual McGill Pow Wow celebrates Indigenous life across communities
On Sept. 23, with hundreds of people in attendance, McGill’s First Peoples’ House hosted the 21st annual Pow Wow at Lower Field. It had been two years since the last in-person Pow Wow, so this installment reintroduced Pow Wow to the grounds. Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, faculty, and community members[Read More…]
Falling for autumn gatherings
As the semester barrels closer to a cold case of the post-add-drop blues, many students should keep the restorative effects of outdoor gatherings in mind. With assignments creeping up and readings growing heavier by the second, students are faced with the prospect of staying indoors––hunched over a laptop or set[Read More…]
Campus conversations: Resistance
Resisting silence Sepideh Afshar, Opinion Editor Resistance, to me, is to be vocal about the injustices you see and experience. For about a year, I was part of a sorority at McGill. In this predominantly white space, I found myself silenced concerning the overt racism I was experiencing. I felt[Read More…]
Oh, the humanities
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that every single employer in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a humanities graduate. The humanities graduate was spiteful. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. How do I turn from my degree and live?[Read More…]
How to talk to the only Black person at work
To kick off Black History Month, The McGill Tribune has prepared ways for you to talk to the only Black person in your workplace. Remember to speak to a Black person is to move closer to racial justice. Those were the words of Colin Powell or Clarence Thomas or Candace[Read More…]
Professor Debra Thompson on the ‘absented presence’ of Black communities in Canada
The African Studies Students’ Association of McGill (ASSA) hosted a talk by professor Debra Thompson on Jan. 27 titled “The Great White North: Blackness in Canada.” An associate professor in the political science department and Canada Research Chair in Racial Inequality in Democratic Societies at McGill, Thompson spoke about the[Read More…]
A race for comfort
A question that continues to trouble Black Lives Matter activists and organizers almost two years after the largest uprisings in recent history is how to disseminate powerful, transformative messages to those uninvolved, unaware, or uninterested in racial justice. To answer this question, critics pen a deluge of columns: Defund the[Read More…]
Scenes from a conference
To prepare their readers for online conferences, The McGill Tribune unearthed scenes from various breakout rooms and class discussions over the last five years Gender Studies Yeah, I mean, and this is just speaking from experience, Judith Butler might be projecting a bit, don’t you think? Like we get that[Read More…]
Three verdicts, one unjust reality
Content warning: racism, police violence In the past several days, three high-profile cases have come to deeply unsatisfying conclusions. Two are American—Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse was cleared of all charges after he killed two men during a night of unrest following the shooting of Jacob Blake, and the three white[Read More…]
Cabinet criticisms coincide with McGill’s concerning treatment of faculty
On Oct. 26, Governor General Mary May Simon swore in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new cabinet. As Canada faces its second consecutive Liberal minority government, the cabinet will become a focal point of debates over the future of the nation. Notably, Trudeau appointed Member of Parliament (MP) Anita Anand to[Read More…]
SSMU Legislative Council approves seat for Outaouais campus representative
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) held its second Legislative Council meeting of the Fall semester on Sept. 30, where members approved a motion to put forward an amendment to the SSMU constitution that would add an Outaouais campus representative to the Legislative Council. During the question period, members[Read More…]
‘Kim’s Convenience:’ The impossibility of cancelling a classic
On March 31, 2020, CBC announced that Kim’s Convenience—their fan-favourite sitcom—had been renewed for two more seasons. Less than one year later, on March 8, 2021, fans around the world were shocked when the network announced that the fifth season of Kim’s Convenience would be its last. The confusion set in immediately,[Read More…]
Political panel shows place substance over sensationalism
Political newscasts are often reduced to a ratings game in which clicks and views spur profits. Recent popular programs consist mainly of sensationalist clips that further their political agendas. Whether it be alternative sources like PragerU or The Majority Report that “stick it to the libs,” or mainstream outlets like[Read More…]
‘Black Women’s Voices’ panel unpacks writing on the journey to justice
On Feb. 19, the Canadian Women’s Foundation’s Tireless Readers Collective hosted “A Celebration of Black Women’s Voices in the Journey to Gender Equality,” a panel discussion featuring authors Zalika Reid-Benta, Eternity Martis, Francesca Ekwuyasi, and Jael Richardson. Chaired by the Foundation’s president and CEO, Paulette Senior, the panel reflected on[Read More…]
Celebrating Black artists from Montreal’s music scene
Montreal is home to a famously vibrant music scene, one that is indebted to Black culture and music. Black musicians have made major contributions to the local music community, especially in the realm of jazz in the 20th century and continuing in all genres today. In honour of Black History[Read More…]
Celina Caesar-Chavannes calls to build an inclusive world
On Feb. 12, the West Island Black Community Association (WIBCA) hosted a virtual book launch for Can You Hear Me Now?, the memoir of businesswoman and former Member of Parliament (MP) Celina Caesar-Chavannes. Caesar-Chavannes, the first Black person representing Whitby, Ontario, in Parliament, was among the most outspoken Liberals and[Read More…]
‘Forbidden’ fights for intersectional justice
On Jan. 27, the Union for Gender Empowerment (UGE) at McGill hosted a virtual screening of the documentary Forbidden: Undocumented and Queer in Rural America, which follows Moises Serrano, a young, undocumented, gay man. Directed by Tiffany Rhynard, Forbidden’s 88 minutes immerse viewers in Serrano’s life and his grapple with the[Read More…]
The ‘Steel Magnolia’ Ms. Dolly Parton
As she celebrates her 75th birthday, Dolly Rebecca Parton, of Pittman Center, Tennessee, remains one of the finest country music stars. To some, Parton is simply that: A star. But to others, her body of work is above simple concepts of “stardom.” In 1989, well after the successes of albums[Read More…]
The McGill Tribune Presents: THE BEST AND WORST OF 2020
TV SHOWS 1. The Queen’s Gambit Netflix’s smash-hit scripted limited series follows Beth Harmon, an enigmatic chess prodigy. The twist? Harmon has had a tranquilizer addiction since she was child, a plot point that carries both her chess career and the binge-worthy nature of the show itself. 2. Normal People[Read More…]
The Booker Prize turns a new page
The debate over acceptance into the English literary canon grows livelier with each new publication. For some, the canon is a tradition—a members-only club seeking to promote the same trite stories over those centring women, people of colour, and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, among other marginalized groups. But the increasing prominence of[Read More…]
Our friend, Alex Trebek
Every weekday at 7:30 p.m., Jeopardy!’s title credits flash across the television screen. Three contestants and a family friend walk out onto the floor to an enticing crescendo, their names announced by legendary narrator, Johnny Gilbert, as they receive a well-deserved standing ovation from the studio and at-home audiences. Half[Read More…]
‘Virtual Voice and Verse’ treats attendees to the gift of poetry
On Oct. 29, McGill’s McSWAY Poetry Collective resumed their open mic series with “Virtual Voice and Verse.” While their open mics are usually held on campus, the warmth and invitation of the performers’ lyrical and unique poetry nevertheless fostered its own virtual community. Featuring Lucia de Luca, B.Ed ’20, a[Read More…]
‘A Harlem Nocturne’ showcases triumphs of Black Canadian art and history
On Oct. 15, OBORO art centre hosted a virtual conversation between two esteemed members of the Canadian art community, Deanna Bowen, a Governor-General award-winning artist, and Kimberly Phillips, director of Simon Fraser University Galleries. The discussion delved into Bowen’s exhibit, A Harlem Nocturne, which focussed on Black Canadian history and[Read More…]
Food YouTube must acquire the taste for a digestible future
If there is one thing in this world that transcends borders and crosses political stripes, it’s food. Closely tied to culture and identity, food acts as an equalizer that strengthens communities and our understanding of others. It is no wonder why so many television programs and networks are entirely dedicated[Read More…]