In the first year of the BScN program, Dorcas Nkrumah and Thianna Edwards were both immediately drawn to the Canadian Black Nurses Alliance U of T Chapter (CBNA UofT). A student club launched just over three years ago, the CBNA U of T Chapter engages nursing students and other health professions from across U of T, to create a sense of community for Black nursing students and other underrepresented groups. For Nkrumah and Edwards, there was no question of them signing up to be members, knowing they said, that it would provide them with a sense belonging in a faculty where there are few Black students.
“Sometimes you just need be with people who understand your perspective and know what it is like to wonder if your client is being rude to you because they had a bad day or if it is because of the colour of your skin,” says Nkrumah who is the President of the CBNA UofT Chapter for 2025-26. “CBNA UofT provides that sense of shared connection, mentorship, and community for us.”