A joint venture between the 91丝瓜视频 Chapter of the Canadian Black Nurses Association (CBNA-91丝瓜视频), the Nursing Graduate Students Society (NGSA), and the Office for Social Accountability in Nursing (OSAN), this special event was held at the Ingram School of Nursing (ISoN) on February 26, 2026. 鈥淭he event reflected the kind of professional identity we strive to cultivate as nurses 鈥� one grounded in care, connection, and community,鈥� says ISoN Faculty Lecturer Anne-Laurie Beaubrun, who served as chair of the organizing committee and facilitated the panel discussion.
The event began with refreshments and an arts and crafts exhibit, including thoughtful pieces created by nursing students Valerie Beaubrun, Noelle Leon-Palmer, and Lynn Joseph. This was followed by a hybrid panel discussion featuring three accomplished, dynamic Black women: Helen Bunyan, retired head nurse, union delegate and FIQ representative; her daughter, Nadia Bunyan, a fashion designer, researcher, community organizer and guest curator of her exhibition at the McCord Museum titled Aunties鈥� Work: The Power of Care; and Stephanie Camilien, Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Contract Lecturer at the ISoN who is currently completing formal training in psychotherapy.
Each panelist shared career trajectories, earliest memories of the communal aspects of care, the values and lessons absorbed growing up as members of Black immigrant communities, and how these values continue to shape their way of being in the world. They also explored the impact of creativity and spirituality on physical and emotional health, as well as the importance of listening without preconceived judgement.
What resonated most strongly for Anne-Laurie Beaubrun was how the conversation around the concept of care was also reflected within the room itself. 鈥淔aculty, students, panelists and visitors supported one another, engaged in meaningful dialogue, and created space for each other. There were quiet powerful gestures 鈥� offering food, making room for children, even holding someone鈥檚 baby so they could fully listen to the panel. Those moments embodied the essence of nursing. Nursing is not only about clinical competence; it is about relational practice, presence, advocacy, and recognizing the humanity in one another.鈥�
Kudos to committee members Anne-Laurie Beaubrun (chair), Marie-Claude Goyer, Kimani Daniel, Jos茅e Lavall茅e, Jodi Tuck, Fabienne Germeil, Amanda Doran, Amanda Cervantes,and students Gislaine Batubenge, Marie Febro (CBNA 91丝瓜视频 President), Lynn Joseph, Emilie Mandjo, and Rebecca Dandou.
Cover photo, left to right: Hawa Diallo (co-facilitator, VP sustainability, NGSA), Nadia Bunyan, Helen Bunyan, Stephanie Ashley Camilien, Anne-Laurie Beaubrun, Adama Diallo (co-facilitator, VP Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, NGSA).
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