Although the membership ACFAM’s goal was to be responsive to the increasing diversity among our student population as students from diverse equity-deserving groups benefit greatly and have a richer educational experience by having a diverse complement of instructors. As a group, we also started discussing why there seemed to be a lack of Black students pursuing careers in academia.

Our objectives were to:

• raise awareness about the shortage of Black academics at McMaster and other Canadian universities, and encourage hiring faculty of Black and other diverse communities
• provide an organizational base for networking, promotion and advancement of Black academics at McMaster
• foster academic and research collaborations among our members
• mentor and support Black undergraduate and graduate students at McMaster.

Despite its lean structure and lack of resources, ACFAM has been working tirelessly to bridge the gaps that Black faculty, staff, and students find themselves confronting at McMaster.

Every year ACFAM has partnered with various organizations to host informative educational Black history Month events. For the past 10 years, ACFAM has also hosted at least two meet-and-greet socials every year for Black students to informally meet and network with ACFAM members. In 2019 we expanded these events and invited Black staff to also attend these social networking and informal mentoring events.