And Sometimes There Are Tears

And Sometimes There Are Tears is the second book in the innovative new series In Words of Our Own: Black Women and Being, by and about Black Canadian women that centres Black feminist perspectives. This engaging text explores Black women's journeys toward well-being, healing, and collective liberation, while also challenging narrow Eurocentric and individualistic definitions of wellness that routinely overlook Black women's lived realities, particularly within Canadian contexts shaped by systemic anti-Black racism and sexism.

Through interdisciplinary and multi-genre contributions, including academic research, personal narratives, poetry, and dialogue, the contributing scholars explore how wellness is shaped by experiences such as misogynoir, internalized anti-Blackness, the "Strong Black Woman" archetype, and inequities within the health and social systems. Rather than treating well-being as a fixed or purely clinical outcome, this collection presents it as a dynamic, relational process rooted in history, embodiment, and community.

And Sometimes There Are Tears reimagines healing as a form of political resistance. Contributors foreground spiritual practice, ancestral connection, storytelling, and community care as essential strategies for surviving and flourishing within Black spaces. By honouring diverse ways of knowing and refusing rigid boundaries between academic and creative work, this powerful and deeply reflective text offers students and scholars a powerful framework for understanding wellness as inseparable from justice, care, and collective action.

Ezinwanne (Ezi) Toochukwu Odozor (she/her) is a writer, higher-education professional, and anti-racist practitioner who works between London, UK, and Toronto, Canada. Her writing—spanning fiction and non-fiction—delves into themes of bodies, identity, culture, gender, race, health, and intimacy. Ezi's work has appeared in respected journals such as Hypatia, Room Magazine, and Arc Poetry Magazine. She holds an MSc in Psychology from the University of East London and a Master of Education (MEd) and an Honours Bachelor of Science (HBSc) from the University of Toronto. Her interdisciplinary research has focused on race, Black feminisms, anti-colonialism, and radical possibilities within global health and education. Ezi also leads a consulting firm, partnering with individuals and diverse organizations (e.g., The City of Toronto, CBC Kids, ACTRA) to achieve institutional and personal goals. She specializes in leveraging purposeful storytelling and strategic visioning grounded in a collaborative problem-solving approach.

Dr. Janelle Brady, PhD (she/her), is an award-winning Black studies scholar, author, and activist-researcher. Dr. Brady is an Assistant Professor in the School of Early Childhood Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University, where she curates and teaches courses on equity, Black childhoods, and social justice pedagogies. Her research focuses on Black mothering, Blackness in early childhood studies, and Black feminisms. Dr. Brady's scholarship has been published in Bloomsbury Publishing, Springer, the Journal of Canadian Scholars, SAGE Publications, Demeter Press, and University of Toronto Press. She is the recipient of several awards, including the 2025 Provost's Award for Teaching Excellence and the 2022 Viola Desmond Faculty Award—both from Toronto Metropolitan University—as well as the 2021 Emerging Leader Award and the 2019 International Day for the End of Racial Discrimination Award from the University of Toronto. Her expertise has been featured in various media outlets such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), CityNews, Global News Canada, CP24, and CTV News. She is also the co-founder and director of the Downsview Advocate, a community-based newspaper in Toronto's north end. Dr. Brady has served as President of the Ontario NDP since 2022 and as a member of the Provincial Executive for several years prior.

Njoki N. Wane, PhD (she/her), is a Professor at the University of Toronto and former Chair of the Department of Social Justice Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) from 2018 to 2024. A respected educator and scholar, she led the Office of Teaching Support at OISE from 2009 to 2012, placing equity at the centre of effective teaching. From 2011 to 2014, she served as Special Advisor on Status of Women Issues, focusing on the intersectionality of gender with race, disability, sexual orientation, and Indigenous identity. She also directed the Centre for Integrative Anti-Racism Studies (CIARS) from 2006 to 2014. Professor Wane is widely recognized for her work in Black feminisms in Canada and Africa, African Indigenous knowledges, anti-colonial and decolonizing education, and African women and spirituality. She has authored or edited 22 books, 59 book chapters, and 35 peer-reviewed journal articles, and has presented at over 300 conferences. She has supervised 61 PhD and 44 Master's students and served as external examiner for 15 PhD dissertations. Her excellence in teaching and mentorship has earned her numerous awards, including the Harry Jerome Professional Excellence Award, the David E. Hunt Award, the President of Toronto Teaching Award, and many more. She is a prolific and influential voice in education and social justice.