FREE Webinar – Caring While Black: Lived Experiences in Canadian Palliative Care

February 16th 4pm EST / 1PM PST

We bring you this important webinar led by Maria Panzera Rugg and guest speakers Donna Lawrence and Yinka Oladele. The episode centres the lived experiences of black clinicians and caregivers in Canadian palliative care, highlighting racism, cultural strengths, and the emotional labour of caring while black.

It calls listeners to move from awareness to action by practicing allyship, advancing equity and transforming palliative care systems.

Please sign up for this webinar using the form at the bottom of the page!

Attendees will:

1. Deepen their understanding of how anti‑Black racism shapes palliative care experiences.
   • Participants will be able to recognize how systemic racism, microaggressions, and institutional barriers impact Black clinicians, caregivers, patients, and families — and identify ways these inequities show up in their own care environments.
2. Strengthen awareness of culturally safe and culturally humble care practices.
   • Participants will explore how Black cultural traditions, spirituality, family structures, and community values influence caregiving at end of life, and apply strategies to provide care that honours these strengths while reducing harm
3. Build practical skills for allyship and accountability in palliative care settings.
   • Participants will identify concrete actions they can take — individually and within teams — to interrupt racism, support Black colleagues and caregivers, and contribute to more equitable, inclusive palliative care systems across Canada.

Left to Right – Donna Lawrence and Yinka Oladele

Donna Lawrence is a seasoned Registered Nurse; she completed her Bachelor of Nursing at the University of Manitoba in 2010, graduated with a Master of Nursing degree from Athabasca University in 2022 and a Canadian Nurses Association specialty certification in Hospice Palliative Care in 2023. Her career in healthcare spans over two decades, beginning as a Personal Support Worker and evolving through roles in as an RN, Nurse Educator, and Director of Care. Donna has worked in med/surg, home care, agency, education, long-term care, and hospice.

Currently, Donna serves as a Regional PPSMC (Palliative Pain and Symptom Management Consultant) and is a secondary level expert in Hospice Palliative Care. Donna provides foundational palliative and end-of-life education to health professionals, consultation/guidance to long-term care homes and community teams, to strengthen their palliative approach across sectors. Her work is grounded in a deep commitment to improving the equity in access to healthcare and quality of life across the lifespan while ensuring dignity and compassion throughout the end-of-life journey for all.

Donna is a passionate advocate for health equity and policy change in healthcare for the ACB community, serving as the Policy and Political Executive Network Officer for the RNAO Interest Group Black Nurses Leading Change (BNLC) for the past 4 years and serves as one of the Board Directors with the Home Hospice Association for the past 3 years.

Yinka Oladele is a Canadian counsellor, caregiver, entrepreneur, and community leader advancing culturally responsive palliative care, cancer support, and mental health equity for Black communities across Canada. She is the Founder and Executive Director of The Oladele Foundation and its flagship initiative, the African Cancer Support Group (ACSG) – a national platform providing psychosocial support, culturally appropriate education, food security, and advocacy for Black cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers.

A Certified Canadian Counsellor (CCC), Cancer Coach and with dual master’s degrees in counselling psychology and educational leadership, Yinka brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her work. She is a long-time caregiver whose leadership has been profoundly shaped by supporting family members through cancer. These experiences ground her advocacy for compassionate, culturally safe, and equitable palliative and end-of-life care.

Yinka is also the founder of Therapy 4 Hope, a counselling and wellness enterprise supporting individuals and families navigating grief, chronic illness, caregiving, and trauma through culturally grounded and faith-informed care. As a social entrepreneur, she has built and scaled multiple community-focused initiatives that bridge gaps between healthcare systems and the lived realities of Black families.

Her leadership and impact have been recognized through several awards and honours for community service, entrepreneurship, and health equity. As a speaker, researcher, and storyteller, Yinka is committed to amplifying Black voices, advancing accountability beyond performative allyship, and co-designing care models that honour culture, spirituality, and intergenerational healing. She believes equity in palliative care is not an aspiration—it is a responsibility.