The Black Student Success Centre builds bridges and celebrates excellence at this year's Black Student Welcome
Three years after its virtual launch in September 2021, the Black Student Success Centre celebrated its fourth annual Black Student Welcome with a great turnout. Held on September 5, 2024, this cherished event continues to connect new Black-identifying McMaster students with peers and faculty.
The BSSC, McMaster University's first dedicated space for Black students, has swiftly become a cornerstone of support and community. It provides an environment where students can express their culture, celebrate their diversity and strengthen their identity and connections with one another.
This supportive atmosphere has been of great benefit to the success of many students. Jholene Massy, a recent biology graduate and current master’s student at McMaster, highlighted this expressed this in an interview with The Silhouette. “Nobody wants to stay somewhere where they don't feel supported and they don't feel welcome. So that was definitely something I took into consideration when I was looking at graduate schools," said Massy.
Nobody wants to stay somewhere where they don't feel supported and they don't feel welcome. So that was definitely something I took into consideration when I was looking at graduate schools.
Jholene Massy, master's student
The BSSC offers a comprehensive range of sources designed to foster student success, from financial aid and mental health support to mentorship programs and career guidance.
The Black Student Welcome event, which occurs during the first week of each fall semester, serves as an introduction for both new and returning students. It allows them to see themselves represented and valued within their academic community. Massy emphasized the importance of this representation at the event. “I think a big part of knowing your community is seeing the community. And even though you don’t know everybody in the room, you know that everybody is there for the same reason, which is just to support each other,” said Massy.
I think a big part of knowing your community is seeing the community. And even though you don't know everybody in the room, you know that everybody is there for the same reason, which is just to support each other.
Jholene Massy, master's student
The event kicked off with a lively meet and greet, where students and faculty from all departments could interact and make connections. Attendees had the chance to engage with Black professors, alumni, and supporters who contribute to the BSSC’s mission of growth and enrichment.
In its fourth year of occurrence, the event’s popularity has continued to soar, requiring extra chairs and adjustments to accommodate the growing number of attendees. The BSSC’s dedicated student volunteers played a crucial role in ensuring the event ran smoothly, managing the flow of guests and adapting to the evolving environment.
Following the meet and greet, participants heard from BSSC staff about the programs and resources available throughout the year. The highlight of the evening was a panel discussion featuring Black McMaster faculty and graduate students, who shared their personal experiences navigating their academic journeys. This panel offered valuable insights into the challenges faced by Black students, from international student issues to racial isolation.
Massy also emphasized the importance of this representation. “You get to see professors that look like you. You get to see staff members and researchers that look like you. And representation really does matter in these areas and in these spaces. Even just seeing and knowing that there is somebody up there that looks like me, I could do it because they did; it really makes all the difference,” said Massy
You get to see professors that look like you. You get to see staff members and researchers that look like you. And representation really does matter in these areas and in these spaces ... Even just seeing and knowing that there is somebody up there that looks like me, I could do it because they did; it really makes all the difference.
Jholene Massy, master's student
The evening concluded with a reception featuring free food and beverages, providing a setting for participants to network and share their aspirations with one another. For those who may have missed the event, Massy offered a final piece of advice when speaking to the Silhouette. “And if you missed the welcome, then there's no worries, there’s so many events throughout the year. You never know what doors might open up from going to the BSSC,” said Massy
The BSSC remains a vital resource for Black students at McMaster. For more information on upcoming events or resources, check out BSSC's Instagram and join the mailing list! Whether it's to get involved, connect with staff, or expand your network, the BSSC is here to support your journey.
C/O Felix Wong
Lessons learned at the end of my first year with the Silhouette
“Make some noise for your . . . McMaster . . . Marauders!”
These are the words I’ve heard countless times this year. In my time as the sports staff writer for the Silhouette, event staff for varsity games and an executive on the McMaster Women’s Football team, I’ve become more immersed in the McMaster sports scene than I expected at the beginning of the year.
I’ve gotten to meet so many people with such interesting stories and it’s been an honour to cover them. I’ve watched the basketball teams struggle and succeed, gained an appreciation for football and volleyball and learned about less-covered sports such as curling, wrestling and Nordic skiing.
I’ve gotten to meet so many people with such interesting stories and it’s been an honour to cover them. I’ve watched the basketball teams struggle and succeed, gained an appreciation for football and volleyball and learned about less-covered sports such as curling, wrestling and Nordic skiing.
Writing for the Silhouette hasn’t been smooth sailing the whole time. Speaking of which, Mac has a sailing team that you should check out if you’re interested. I applied for the position on a whim because I was interested in sports and interested in writing. However, by the end of first semester, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue.
I reflected and ultimately decided to remain in the position. I started writing articles about what I was interested in, one of my favourites being “Body neutrality within dance,” and pulled from all I had learned about interviewing and writing. I focused my attention on the personal side of sports, wanting to hear about the highs and lows from everyone.
My favourite part of the position was meeting so many incredible people. I’ve talked to McMaster’s first two female football coaches, members of the Black Student Athlete Council, an Olympic gold medalist, a McMaster Sports Hall of Famer, McMaster Sports’ Associate Director of High Performance, some good friends and the rest of the Sil staff. I’ve taken away lessons from my conversations with every individual and I never would have had the opportunity without the Silhouette.
What I’ve taken away from this experience is that without these conversations and without giving these teams and issues the spotlights they deserve, we can never notice the small victories that each team gains. By learning more about them, we can celebrate, mourn and learn with them, helping the teams feel seen as representatives of McMaster and helping us maintain positive school spirit.
What I’ve taken away from this experience is that without these conversations and without giving these teams and issues the spotlights they deserve, we can never notice the small victories that each team gains. By learning more about them, we can celebrate, mourn and learn with them, helping the teams feel seen as representatives of McMaster and helping us maintain positive school spirit.
While I don’t know what I’ll be doing for the rest of my time here at Mac, I hope I can still be involved with the sports scene and the Silhouette.
C/O Yoohyun Park
The newest safe space and friendly face for McMaster’s Black student-athletes
By: Acacia Lio, Staff Writer
In October 2020, a systematic review of the Black student-athlete experience within McMaster’s department of athletics was conducted due to reports of anti-Black racism from student-athlete alumni. A recommendation of this report was to increase representation among leadership. In addition to other beginning initiatives, the Black Student-Athlete Council was established to represent and advocate for McMaster’s Black student-athletes.
The mission of the council is as follows: to establish a safe learning environment for BIPoC student athletes, and students at McMaster University, to foster a culture of equity and inclusion at McMaster University, to educate others on anti-racism and allyship, and to establish a platform of outreach.
All student-athletes who identify as Black are automatically members of this council, but it is headed by a team of executive members, such as Internal and External Relations Director, Marissa Dillon.
“[We] attended a lot of [equity diversity and inclusion] discussions, giving our input as student-athletes as to how we feel the department could work better to promote more culture and inclusion [and] address the existence of anti-Black racism,” said Dillon.
Many of the executive members have a similar motivation for joining the council—helping to point the future of McMaster’s Black student-athletes in a positive direction. One member who was particularly passionate of this vision was External Relations Director, Brandon Bernard.
“[I want to] create a better future for a lot of the incoming Black students [at] McMaster. The past is the past, so we can’t dwell on it too much, but we can still learn from it. And in doing so, we can create a better future,” said Bernard
In addition, the executive members hope this council can become a safe space for Black student-athletes. Administrative Director, Enoch Penney-Laryea spoke to the motivation of the board members, stressing the importance of having a safe space.
“Part of the motivation for joining is just that we can make a difference and create a safe space where student-athletes could go if they’re having trouble with such things and have a group of people they can trust to help them navigate the spaces at McMaster,” commented Penney-Laryea.
Renelle Briggs, one of BSAC’s Marketing Directors, echoed the statement from Penney-Laryea, further stressing how critical a safe space is.
“One of the things I would love to see is [BSAC growing] into a safe space and community for people to come to. With everything on social media and with more awareness of this coming up, I think it’s good to have a space for people to come to where they can feel safe and know the people there are there to support them and help them,” said Briggs
Members of the BSACeach have personal goals they would like to achieve with their time on the council such as Penney-Laryea, who is striving to set a high standard for the future of the council.
“Because this is our first year I would like to establish a groundwork for documentation for what the club should look like. I think it’s a really good opportunity to set the standard high and to have concrete documentation that will last for years down the line,” explained Penney-Laryea.
Briggs also commented on the importance of the council’s future, explaining that she is proud to be a part of this team.
“I’m excited for all the leadership opportunities that have come up. I think that when I leave, when I graduate this year, it’s gonna be a great thing to look back on and something that I'm proud to have been a part of,” said Briggs
Additionally, BSAC has many initiatives planned for the year, including their launch event. This is something students can get excited for in the coming weeks.
“As of right now, the [event] that’s nearest would be our launch event. We’re hoping to do that some time mid-October. But we also have a plethora of other events that we have in the works,” said Bernard.
Some of the other upcoming events include alumni outreach and coordinating with different teams within the athletics department. In addition to these exciting events, BSAC should be something Mac students are on the lookout for in general this year as the much needed initiative establishes its roots and creates a more inclusive future.
