Make known the black people who have marked the world of science. This is the objective set by Stéphanie Bumba, a young nurse who has become a lecturer. With her initiative, she hopes to be able to inspire others to follow her.
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“Around 2019 or 2020, I was cleaning up my school books to give them away, and as I leafed through them, I realized that there were no people who looked like me in the pages. I found it absurd, ”recalls Mme Bumba.
It was the click that led her to consult scientific databases to which she had access at the university, in order to discover the contribution of black researchers.
His schedule is full. In addition to regularly contributing to her web series on YouTube, she is completing a master’s degree in health services administration at the School of Public Health at the Université de Montréal. This, not to mention her work as a nurse clinician.
All interspersed with scientific conferences that she is invited to deliver in the university environment. Soon, it is at the National Institute for Scientific Research (INRS) that she will invite the student and faculty community to take an interest in “pioneering Afro-scientists”.
“We have to show that Black History is not just about slavery. We also have to show the positive side, that we are also citizens who contribute to society, and that we have scientific contributions that are recognized internationally,” explains the young woman.
Born in Quebec to parents of Congolese origin, Ms.me Bumba believes that such examples are necessary to inspire young people and show them that they can afford to dream.
“When a child sees someone who looks like him in books, it sends him a message from a society that sees his cultural background as something positive,” she believes.
In the last video capsule she recorded, Mme Bumba was able to speak with Chidiebere Ibe, whose illustration of a black fetus had gone around the world over the winter.
An important example, which should be followed more in the medical community, according to the young nurse.
“When we show clinical manifestations, we have to put diversity, especially at the dermatological level. For example, eczema or other problems are not manifested in the same way for a person who has pale or dark skin, “vulgarizes Mme Bumba.
She hopes that her initiatives can inspire others to follow in her footsteps.