Black History Month: Iman Yarow shares her experiences as a Black MScPT student
Iman Yarow, a first-year student in the MScPT program and recipient of the SGS Inclusive Excellence Admissions Scholarships for Black and Indigenous Master’s Students, is passionate about human movement, rehabilitation and health equity. She was drawn to physical therapy because she wants to help people and improve aspects of their lives. She also says “being from Scarborough, I have noticed I have never met physiotherapists that look like me. I think it is important to have culturally sensitive therapists and I am hoping to be that for my community soon.”
Iman recently shared her thoughts with the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators on her experience as a Black student in the MScPT program and what Black History Month means to her.
What does Black History Month mean to you?
Black History Month means a lot to me, and I like that we get to celebrate the achievements of Black individuals. The month makes me feel empowered, seen, and inspired hearing and seeing stories of Black excellence. Black history should be celebrated every month but it’s great to have a month that shines the light on us, especially because we are underrepresented. It’s good to celebrate the influences of Black communities because they have made significant contributions to history.
What can students do to celebrate Black History Month?
It is so easy to access resources and information (social media, libraries and even Netflix) so I try to take advantage of that. I know in school students occasionally have specific lectures during Black History Month, but students sometimes skip these classes because it’s not testable. I always encourage students to take the time to attend and reflect on Black history.
Also, something that is cost-free for students is volunteering with initiatives that support the Black community, like mentorship programs. Another thing we can strive to do is amplify the voices of Black students. This can be done by simply sharing the work/stories of Black students with the goal of shining more light on their perspectives and experiences.
Finally, we can have conversations with friends, peers and family about the importance of racial equity and justice.
What are some of the challenges Black students face on campus and in the program itself?
I think the lack of representation and isolation is a challenge. As the only Black student in my class, I sometimes feel a bit disconnected from my peers because their experiences are different, and I find that my experience and heritage are not represented in the program. I haven’t experienced this, but I know for people of colour, they have to deal with microaggressions about their abilities, background and character and that can affect their self-esteem. Additionally, we feel less supported because we don’t have access to certain resources and not seeing that diversity in faculty also is a challenge. The professors don’t look like us and it is important to have that diversity to represent our different backgrounds.
Why do you think there is such a low representation in physiotherapy?
Academia is not pushed in Black communities and when you couple that with the barriers and the lack of opportunities to gain relevant experience in physiotherapy, you get a lack of diversity in the field. Obtaining relevant experience in the field is harder for Black people, I had to work really hard to get volunteer opportunities.
Who has been the most influential person in your career?
A chiropractor I worked under for two of my co-op terms when I was an undergrad. She is a woman of colour with her own clinic, and she has fantastic leadership skills, is very charismatic, and has a good rapport with her patients. She really understood the barriers we faced entering academia, so she took the time to prepare me for what was to come. She really wanted to see me excel. She’s also an excellent chiropractor. She taught me a lot about clinical skills because there is some overlap between the two fields. She shared her clinical reasoning, bringing me into the process and setting a great foundation.
Read Iman’s full interview with the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators here.