Bringing Black Women in Business & Profession (BWIP) to Bathurst

By Sanaba Kante
ACCESS Program Administrative Coordinator

In July, BBPN’s Black Women in Business and Profession (BWIP) program took its Town Hall series to Bathurst, New Brunswick, a smaller and more rural community where BBPN was building new connections. Sanaba Kante was there to help make it happen.

A Bilingual Conversation

Held at the KC Irving Regional Center, the two hour session opened with a representative from BlackMumNB outlining the goals of the BWIP initiative. Sanaba provided French interpretation throughout to support bilingual participation, and Dr. Ovunda Green followed with an overview of BBPN’s work, also interpreted into French as needed. From there, the floor opened up for questions, stories, and discussion about professional and entrepreneurial life in the region.

What the Room Wanted to Talk About

One issue came up again and again: international students who had transitioned to work permits, and the barriers they still face accessing training and certification in Canada. Attendees also shared their own experiences navigating employment and entrepreneurship in a smaller community.

Turnout was modest. Eleven women registered, and a smaller group made it in person, but the room was engaged from start to finish. “The open discussion format encouraged participants to interact directly with the organizing team, ask questions, and share their experiences,” the team noted. Registrations and expressions of interest kept coming in even after the event wrapped, a sign the conversation reached further than the room itself.

Lessons for the Next Town Hall

Rural outreach comes with its own playbook, and Bathurst taught BBPN a few things. Promotional windows need to open earlier, local partnerships with groups like AMRC and CFA Chaleur matter more in smaller communities, and event timing around holiday periods can quietly shrink a crowd. Those lessons are already shaping how BBPN plans future BWIP stops across the province.

The takeaway wasn’t about the numbers though. It was about the women who showed up, stayed engaged, and kept the conversation going after they left. That’s exactly what BWIP is built for.

Interested in BBPN’s Black Women in Business and Profession program? Learn more about BWIP and find an upcoming Town Hall near you.