To raise money for students, family members or alumni who are currently battling or have previously battled breast cancer, the FAMU chapter of The National Society of Black Women in Medicine, Inc. is sponsoring a fundraiser in the Coleman Library’s second-floor foyer.
NSBWM members organized an event called “Ribbons for Healing,” where they asked passersby to donate $2 to their cause and gave them the chance to write a letter of encouragement on a pink ribbon to receive a piece of candy.
Their target is to surpass the $300 raised during the previous year. The fundraiser runs through Tuesday, Nov. 21, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. It started on Nov. 3.
NSBWM is a multi-disciplined organization. According to NSBWM’s website, their mission is to work to increase the recruitment and retention of Black women pursuing careers in medicine, while simultaneously promoting the advancement of those already established in these fields.
NSBWM is committed to supporting current and future healthcare professionals and scientists in efforts to combat educational and professional racial inequities by promoting attainability through educational resources, unity and mentorship.
Samiyah Lawrence, the vice president of FAMU’s chapter of NSBWM, a biology pre-medicine student, said, “We focus on healthcare majors by focusing on retention and support of other Black women in medicine to make sure they are able to get through this very difficult major.” Lawrence has aspirations of being an obstetrician and gynecologist.
“There’s a lot of hardships and a lot of obstacles that we have to go through so having a good support group is essential for Black women in this major,” she said.
They motivate themselves through activities such as writing letters to their future selves as doctors.
They recently hosted a week of events to celebrate their founder’s day, which was October 14. Some events included ‘Diagnostic MD,’ which is an annual event where members pretend to be a doctor and treat a patient.
The president of FAMU’s chapter of NSBWM, Nia Rankin, is a pre-physical therapy student with aspirations of being a physical therapist.
“We recently hosted a ‘meet the E-board,’ so you could ask us questions about how our time has been at this university, and we have a lot more events coming up. We have more fundraisers coming up and community service in the future,” she said.
By organizing events like their first royal court, this FAMU group is raising awareness on campus. Their court of eight is led by Amari Jefferson, Miss NSBWM, and Kamari West, Mr. NSBWM. The court hosts occasions such as “Empower Change,” which aims to collect money for victims of domestic abuse and to support survivors.
Students can get in touch with NSBWM via email at famubwm@gmail.com or through their Instagram page, nsbwm_famu.