Twenty-year-old Rikyra Wilson, a native of St. Catherine, Jamaica, and co-founder of the Black Medical Network (BMN) at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, has partnered with Nigerian student Chelsea Martins-Ezeifeaku to create an organization focused on positioning Black international students for success in the medical field. Wilson is one of two Jamaicans in BMN.
According to the Government of Canada, Jamaica and Canada have a long-standing, strong bilateral agreement. Many Jamaicans immigrate to Canada to study annually, contributing to a Canadian-Jamaican diaspora community of over 300,000 people. Four in five Jamaicans who report Jamaican ancestry live in Ontario, according to Statistics Canada. Additionally, Jamaica is the largest source country for Caribbean immigrants.
International students make up 39.4% of Canada’s annual tertiary school enrollment. However, Black students in Canada face systemic challenges. A 2019 survey found that nearly half of Black people in Canada reported experiencing racism. With slavery existing in Canada from the 1600s to the 1830s, anti-Black racism continues to impact access to education, employment, and healthcare.
Addressing systemic barriers through Black Medical Network
Wilson and Martins-Ezeifeaku founded BMN as a Black-students-only network to support Black medical students and help them navigate life in Canada. The organization connects Black students with industry professionals to foster collaboration and networking. It also aims to secure scholarships and internship opportunities.
“Our goal is to bring together individuals passionate about making a real impact through innovative research and to provide a platform for learning, sharing ideas, and collaborating on groundbreaking projects. Whether you’re a medical professional, researcher, or student, we know how the system works, so we are helping international students navigate their pathway,” Wilson explained.
Wilson’s own experience with racial discrimination at university inspired her to co-found BMN.
“As a first-year student, we were on the hunt for internships. I was walking with a friend on campus, and we passed a career center that helps with résumés. But I realized they only approached white students. There were two white boys behind me, and they ignored me and my friend but called over the white students,” Wilson said.
Wilfrid Laurier University’s Waterloo campus has a predominantly white student population, and the racial bias Wilson encountered threatened her dream of working in the medical field.
“That microexpression really pushed me. As a Black student, this could stop me from improving my résumé, getting work, an internship, or a research opportunity. And as a STEM student, research is important,” she said.
The importance of representation in medicine
Martins-Ezeifeaku emphasized that increasing Black representation in medicine is critical.
“We noticed the lack of Black representation in medicine. We began seeing other trends, like the low number of Black students in medical school and even fewer in undergraduate degrees. It’s important to support and uplift each other through this journey because having more Black doctors will help Black patients,” she said.
She also highlighted the importance of addressing systemic barriers in Canada.
“Black professionals have so much to bring to every space, but it is difficult when there are systemic barriers in place. We hope to be a bridge between Black pre-med students and their professional counterparts to reduce these barriers and provide them with the guidance and support they need,” she said.
Building connections and expanding opportunities
Although organizing BMN has been challenging, the co-founders are optimistic about its future.
“We’re still in the early stages, reaching out to people. We both got shadowing opportunities, which help us network. Shadowing means observing professionals and learning in the process. My co-founder will be shadowing a doctor, and I will be shadowing a hospital manager. That’s an opportunity to connect with doctors and get them on board,” Wilson said.
To secure sponsorships and internship opportunities, BMN is actively connecting with doctors, CEOs, and hospitals. A social media page is also in the works to increase publicity.
“I am in the process of speaking to the president of the Black Student Association [at the university] to get her on board and reach out to the members of that club,” Wilson added.
Martins-Ezeifeaku believes that unity is key to Black students’ success.
“It’s only when we come together and hear each other’s stories that we can build on them and leverage them to succeed. I hope this network continues to grow and that we can expand our services to help Black students with job opportunities,” she said.
BMN ultimately aims to inspire Black students to secure jobs in medicine.
“I want people to say that the club was beneficial for them, that they met lifelong connections that helped them along their journey into medicine,” Wilson added.
BMN will be featured on Telus Network Company, a Canadian telecommunications company, for Black History Month.
