The Canadian Black Scientists Network (CBSN) is a national coalition of Black people possessing or pursuing higher degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine/Health (STEMM), together with Allies who are senior leaders with a demonstrated commitment to action for Black inclusion. Our network is young and growing. We were founded by a small group of faculty and held our first meeting in July 2020. Since then, we have expanded to include hundreds of members from across the country, including academics, graduate students and postdocs, research administrators, and STEMM practitioners. We have established a very active steering committee of volunteers, an online presence, and are increasingly recognized as the face of a multidisciplinary, national vanguard of Black excellence in STEMM.

The CBSN strives for inclusion of the complex and intersectional identities that are manifest in Black Canadians, Black people living in Canada, and Black Canadians living abroad. We seek to build a network in which all feel that they belong, and can contribute to programs and strategic directions that they value.

 We focus on those who identify as Black, which we define as those of Black African descent, which includes those who identify as Black Africans, and those who live worldwide who identify as descendants of Black African peoples. We acknowledge and will be open to working in partnership with other organizations that focus on dismantling the challenges, discrimination, and barriers to inclusion in STEMM that are experienced by others.  We simultaneously emphasize the need to maintain our network’s focus on Black Canadians. Deliberate, tailored interventions for Black communities are required to remove the long-standing discrimination, exclusion, and oppression that was initially created to justify slavery, and the ways in which those structures and stereotypes still manifest in systematic anti-Black racism in the lives of Canadians (see: the United Nations Report of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent on its mission to Canada). We will not shirk from pointing to these realities, but will maintain a strong commitment to joining with all Canadians to build a more equitable society. 

I invite you to explore this website to learn more about the CBSN, our mission, vision, and partnerships. Most importantly, I invite you to take some time to learn about the wide range of interests and accomplishments of our members, and consider how you might participate in our programs.  I hope you return frequently to this website for updates and opportunities to join us in our events. Thank you for engaging with our network.