According to the CBC, when Temilade Akin-Aina started working at alumni relations at Concordia University, she would hear from former students looking for a way to get in touch with other Black alumni.
"Every time McGill had a Black alumni meeting, I would get calls from Concordia grads," she said. Attending McGill University's meetings fed their appetite to see a similar initiative linked to their own alma mater.
So working with Concordia's Black alumni, Akin-Aina helped set up a council to reach out to others and gauge interest.
In 2019, they launched Concordia's Black Alumni Network with a reunion event during homecoming. The event quickly sold out. Many of those who attended hadn't been on campus since they graduated.