AOGSW August Symposium (Part 2) – Abstract

Blessing Ojembe (MSW, PhD, RSW)
University of Manitoba

This presentation offers a unique perspective on how relational and spatial exclusions shape experiences of loneliness among Black older adults (BOAs) in Canada. It delves into how these experiences are co-constructed through constellating systems of power, knowledge, and coloniality. Drawing on findings from previous research with BOAs, this work examines how anti-Black racism, migration history, and gendered caregiving roles contribute to the marginalization of BOAs in both private and public spaces. Through an anti-oppressive lens grounded in the coloniality of being, power and knowledge, the presentation will illuminate how invisibility and exclusion are not merely social experiences but ontological and epistemological disruptions that deny BOAs full recognition as knowers, contributors, and community members.

This presentation strongly argues that challenging the coloniality of being, power, and knowledge in gerontological Social Work research is not just a choice, but a necessity. It requires shifting authority away from academic gatekeepers who decide who deserves representation or not and toward the voices of those traditionally positioned at the margins. By co-constructing knowledge for addressing loneliness with BOAs, we uncover not only their struggles but also their agency, resistance, and visions of inclusion. Ultimately, this work calls for a decolonial, relational approach to aging research that centers dignity, reciprocity, and structural change.