Black medical learners and students from across Manitoba gathered on February 7 for the Black Health Symposium. Hosted by the Black Medical Students Association, the symposium offered hands‑on workshops, mentorship, and keynote messages. 

For many students, the symposium offered something they rarely see in their academic environments: a room full of Black peers and mentors. 

Bunmi Adeyemi, an undergraduate health sciences student, said she often feels isolated in her classes. ​“I was interested in being with people with the same skin colour, same experiences and struggles,” she said. ​“I came for the camaraderie. I know if they can do it, I can do it too.” 

Second‑year undergraduate student Abisola Ayorinde didn’t hesitate to spend her Saturday at the event. ​“I didn’t want to regret not coming,” she said as she prepared to try suturing for the first time. Hands‑on workshops, speed networking, and a panel on navigating the early years of medical training gave students a tangible sense of what a future in health care could look like. 

Meaning and Mentorship

For medical student Muna Chira, helping to facilitate the symposium for the second year was especially meaningful. 

“I would not be where I am today without the Black medical students, academics and physicians who supported me,” she said. ​“Being able to give back to my community in this way feels like coming full circle, and supporting the next generation will continue to be an integral aspect of my career.” 

The feedback from participants reaffirmed the importance of the event. ​“It was rewarding to hear from attendees that the symposium was informative, inspiring, and empowering,” Chira said. ​“My hope is that Black youth not only see that there is a place for them in the medical field, but to recognize how profoundly medicine needs their perspectives, initiatives, and excellence.”

Building Community

For Ruth Amede, the day was an opportunity to be the mentor she once wished for growing up without someone in a health profession to look up to. Now, she said, ​“I can be that one for them.” Her early experiences with health care in Ethiopia revealed disparities in treatment for people of colour — an injustice that continues to motivate her. Her message to aspiring students: ​“Never give up. Give yourself grace, and don’t compare yourself to others who have different backgrounds than yours,” adding that she is proud of her three attempts to get into medical school. ​“You have to persist.” 

Emma McKay‑Sharpe echoed the importance of representation. ​“There are so many amazing jobs in health care, but it’s hard to know about them if you don’t know health care workers, or don’t see them represented,” she said. Her advice: ​“Just do it! It’s going to be hard and you’ll have to push yourself.” Strong support systems can make all the difference. 

Medical student Patricia Machekera and BMSA member offered encouragement for students: ​“Believe in yourself. Put in the work and prepare and in the end things will work out with the right people and opportunities. If you keep running into closed doors, it means there’s a door already open somewhere else for you to find.” 

Minister Uzoma Asagwara: Bringing Your Whole Self Into the Work 

Manitoba’s Minister of Health, Uzoma Asagwara, delivered a keynote focused on lived experience, community, and the importance of representation in leadership. 

Growing up as a first‑generation Canadian in a predominantly white Winnipeg neighbourhood shaped their understanding of community. ​“We had to come together, support each other, support each other’s children, create networks of job opportunities, and really stay connected,” they said. 

Their path — from competitive basketball to psychiatric nursing to public office — was anything but linear. Asagwara emphasized the importance of bringing one’s full identity into health care leadership. ​“I get to bring all of my lived experiences into my job and bring that into policy,” they said. ​“That is really, really important.” 

Their message to students was clear: ​“Every single one of you has lived experience… Those are valuable tools and skills that you should never devalue or allow anybody to devalue.” 

Dr. Andrew Ajisebutu: Finding Joy on the Journey 

Neurosurgery resident and PhD candidate Dr. Andrew Ajisebutu offered a keynote that blended honesty, humour, and hard‑earned wisdom. His message: success in medicine is not about perfection — it’s about endurance, authenticity, and joy. 

“There is no class you need to take, no volunteer experience you must have, no motivational speech that will get you there,” he said. Quoting James Baldwin, he reminded students that ​“beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck, but above all, endurance.” 

Dr. Ajisebutu challenged the myth that only hyper‑competitive people succeed in medicine. ​“Being surrounded by people like that can be profoundly alienating,” he said. ​“If you chase only the feeling of winning, you will eventually break.” 

Instead, he urged students to anchor themselves in joy. ​“I am not going to say it is love because that sounds corny, but at the end of the day, it is really joy. You have to enjoy the thing you are doing. Joy is the key to success.” 

Joy, he said, transforms difficulty. ​“When the game gets hard, if you love the game, you do not mind losing because you are just happy to have the opportunity to play.” 

He encouraged students to explore freely, even if their interests seem unrelated to medicine. ​“If you like comparative English literature and your parents ask what that will do for medical school, thank them…but take that class.” 

He closed with a reminder of the deeper meaning of Blackness: ​“It is not just a story of pain. It is a story of resilience.”

A Path Forward for Manitoba’s Future Physicians

As Manitoba works to rebuild and strengthen its health‑care system, representation remains essential. ​“We need our health care system to look like the province,” Minister Asagwara said. ​“We need those seats to be filled with people who look like the people receiving care.” 

And as Dr. Ajisebutu reminded them, success begins with something simple but profound: ​“Start with your joy. People will see it. People will be drawn to it.”