Establishing a tradition of engagement and conversation during Black History Month, the McMaster Marauders and the McMaster Black Student-Athlete Council will be hosting a panel later this month in recognition of Black leaders connected to Hamilton, titled Black at Mac: Giving Back.

Event Details
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 23rd
Time: 6pm - 7:30pm
Location: Zoom
Register: https://mcmaster.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SxZEheYZSzalwPx8e6z_pw
Moderators: Marissa Dillon, Payton Shank

The event will feature a panel discussion on the importance of Black History Month, as the panelists discuss their experiences with racism, transitioning from sport to the professional world, and navigating a world that is now adjusting to equity, diversity and inclusion practices. Featured on the panel on a trio of individuals with a connection to McMaster and Hamilton:

Panelists

Kwasi Adu-Poku - 2021 McMaster University Presidents Award Recipient
A master's student studying Public Policy & Administartion at X (former known as Ryerson) University, Kwasi completed his undegraduate studies at McMaster in Kinesiology. Playing four years for the men's basketball team, he has received over 20 academic and athletic honours, including the Marauders Most Outstanding Male Graduate Award in his final season. Kwasi was also the recipient of the 2021 President's Award - one of the university's highest honours for his leadership, anti-Black racism work, and community engagement.

In his final year at McMaster, Kwasi used his varsity & mental health experiences to launch, The Reach Series, an organization geared towards personal development through speaking, workshops, panels, and sharing resources & lessons for those interested.

Gail Strachan - Co-Founder Ubora Network
A first generation Carribean Immigrant, Gail Stratchan, MCM, APR, is a thought leader with over 20 years of experience curated from the leagal, healthcare and communications field. A graduate of McMaster, Gail is a cloud technology executive in Accenture's T&O/Human Potential practice, Gail is also building a practice advising CEO-led Workforce Transformation in the social activism space.

She is the Co-Founder and Director of Partnerships at the Ubora Network, a not-for-profit communications organization for Black communicators across Canada, as well as the Co-Founder of Anti-Racism in Public Relations, a communications conference held last March 2021 to address the communicators role in anti-racism.

Courtney Stephens - Director, Community Engagment - Hamilton Ti-Cats
Courtney is more than an athlete - ask him, and he'll tell you he's a father, coach, business owner, and investor. Though he has played over 100 games as a pro in the Canadian Football League (CFL), Courtney is best known for his dedcation to helping young athletes in teh community. Courtney also has a passion for financial education, and empowering people to create generational wealth.

Courtney is one of Canada's emerging leaders in financial education - he is passionate about teaching students, athletes, and young professionals how to build wealth for their families. The $10 million marahton is his goal to help 100 people build their net worth to $100,000.