Join Student Groups
Explore student-led clubs and associations that celebrate culture, identity, leadership and academic excellence.
Many Black-led and Black-focused groups meet regularly, host events and build supportive networks across campus.
- Black Student Association (BSA)
- McMaster Black Medical Student Association (MAC BMSA)
- BlackXscape
- Canadian Black Nurses Alliance McMaster (CBNA)
- Law Aspiring Black Students (L.A.B.S)
- McMaster African Student Association (MacAfricans)
- McMaster Association of Caribbean and West Indian Students (MACWAS)
- National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
- BlackSpace
- BlackPrint
- Black Aspiring Physicians of McMaster (BAP-MAC)
- Black BHSc Association (BBA)
- Black Student Association (BSA)
- Black Student Athlete’s Council (BSAC)
- Black Student Mentorship Program (BSMP)
- African Caribbean Graduate Student Association (ACGSA)
- DeGroote Black in Business (DBiB)
- East African Student Association (EASA)
- Sudanese Student Association
- Artists of Colour
- MACSomali
- Midnight Association
Students are encouraged to take part in mixers, meet-and-greets, study jams and social gatherings throughout the year.
Attend Cultural Events
The BSSC is the home of several powerful cultural and community-building events, including:
- McMaster Black History Month: We are members of the planning committee for McMaster Black History Month Planning. This includes Panels, workshops, performances, film nights and community gatherings that honour Black histories and futures.
- Community potlucks and socials: A time to share food, stories, music and joy with the people who understand you best.
We work closely with student clubs and groups to increase awareness of planned social gatherings and events throughout the year.
These events celebrate Black creativity, identity and community resilience. Everyone is welcome.
Share Your Talents
Our community thrives when students bring their gifts into the space.
- Lead a workshop
- Perform at an open mic
- Facilitate a discussion
- Share your art, photography, poetry or design
- Host a small group, study session or creative session
We proudly feature rotating (every two years) art installations curated by Black students, including past exhibitions supported by an alumni artist and editor Angelo Grant. Your creativity shapes the visual identity of the BSSC.
Visit Us on Campus
Sometimes community begins with simply showing up.
Our lounge is a warm, welcoming space to:
- Study or unwind
- Meet friends between classes
- Eat lunch or share meals
- Join study groups
- Work on collaborative projects
- Rest and recharge
Whether you’re searching for conversation or quiet, there’s space for you here.
Our Community on LinkedIn
Abigail S.
Monday night’s Ubuntu Dialogue #1: Justice with Compassion brought together two remarkable thinkers, Dr. Siyabulela Mandela Ph.D. 🇿🇦✌🏿🇵🇸 and Dr. Kofi Hope, DPhil, for an evening that spanned international policy, conflict resolution, and community engagement.
Koko Sanginga
I started the semester as a Pod Lead with the Black Student Success Centre (BSSC) Welcome Week Team. As an outgoing student, I found it particularly important to be part of the orientation of our incoming class of Black students. The first years were the focus of the week but seeing our community grow and relationships form made for a very fulfilling experience.
Oyinade Adekunle
When I sent that first email to the ACGSA team to be added to the membership list, I had no idea that one day I would serve as President of ACGSA McMaster University, the only Black-focused graduate student association at McMaster University.
Landry Kalembo
I had the chance of attending the first Ubuntu Dialogue: Justice with Compassion at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. The evening featured powerful discussions with trailblazing political scientists, including Rhodes Scholar Dr. Kofi Hope, DPhil and Dr. Siyabulela Mandela Ph.D. 🇿🇦✌🏿🇵🇸 —whose presence echoed the legacy of his great-grandfather, Nelson Mandela.
Mark John Stewart
Since its inception only a few years ago, McMaster University‘s Black Student Success Centre (BSSC) has grown into a dynamic hub supporting and championing the academic, personal, and professional success and overall well-being of students.
Oluwadamilola Babatunde
It was a pleasure to be invited as a panelist for the Success & Sanity event last Thursday organized by the Black Student Success Centre Chinazo (Nazo) Okereke, CHRP and Landry Kalembo, MSc, PhD(c) . What made the experience meaningful was the opportunity to speak openly about lived experiences that are not unique to me, but shared by many student-migrants navigating academic, professional, and personal spaces simultaneously.