Black in Immuno aims to celebrate, support, and amplify Black voices in immunology when social media campaigns like #BlackInTheIvory highlighted the disproportionate isolation, stress, and barriers Black researchers face in all facets of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM). Black in Immuno is a trainee lead organization co-founded by Joel Bador (he/him), E Evonne Jean (they/them), Madina Wane (she/her), Elaine Kouame (she/her), Justine Noel (she/her), and Alexis Mobley (she/her). Our organization brings together Black immunologists worldwide to support each other through the increased barriers of STEAM and racially charged violence against Black people in the news. We believed one of the best ways to accomplish this and celebrate our work was with Black in Immuno Week. Black in Immuno week was a global celebration of Black immunologists and researchers from November 22–28, 2020 (Fig. 1). Over 300 individuals participated in our live-streamed event, and #BlackInImmuno and #BlackInImmunoWeek saw tens of thousands of social media posts and engagement from five of the seven continents: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. The week contained live panels and talks, a casual networking mixer, online advocacy, and a wellness event, and all our programmings were accessible for people of different identities. Black in Immuno Week opened with a keynote address from Dr. Keke Fairfax (Assistant Professor at the University of Utah in the Department of Pathology in the Division of Microbiology and Immunology). Her talk highlighted her journey from grade school in Detroit, Michigan to her current position and how that all revolved around immuno-parasitology. Her research focuses on schistosomiasis and type 2 inflammatory responses in maternal-fetal infections. On the second day, there was a panel of talks on innate and adaptive immunology. The innate immune presentations were given by Dr. Antonia Cuff (Postgraduate Researcher at Imperial College London); Dr. De'Broski Herbert (Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania); Dr. Berenice Mbiribindi (Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Stanford University); and Dr. Juliet Morrison (Assistant Professor at the University of California, Riverside). Dr. Cuff highlighted her work with group 3 innate lymphoid cells and how interleukin (IL)-22 from these cells establishes and maintains the placenta through fetal development. Dr. Herbert presented how he overcame barriers and dispelled imposter syndrome while investigating IL-33 and trefoil factor 2 in hookworms. Dr. Mbiribindi presented her research on “The impact of viral peptides on Natural Killer [NK] cell function.” She and her group investigated the interaction between human leukocyte antigen E, a class I major histocompatibility complex molecule, and NKG2A, an NK cell receptor, during Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) infection. Dr. Morrison concluded the innate immune talks where she discussed her work with influenza severity and host targeted viral therapies. In her current model, she discovered that small peritoneal macrophages decrease in mice's lungs during severe influenza cases. On the third day, we had our adaptive immunity talks that included presentations from Dr. Ane Ogbe (Postdoctoral Researcher at Oxford University); Dr. Azza Gadir (Director of Research and Development at Seed Health, a microbiome company); Dr. Michael Okoreeh (M.D./PhD candidate at the University of Chicago); and Dr. Avery Posey (Assistant Professor in the Department of Systems and Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics and a member of the Parker Institute of Cancer Immunotherapy and Research Institute at the Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center). Dr. Ogbe discussed how she developed assays for human deficiency virus (HIV) and SARS-CoV2. Her work with HIV is currently undergoing clinical trials. Dr. Gadir talked about the exciting world of the microbiome and what role that plays in food allergies across the lifespan, particularly infancy and childhood. Dr. Okoreeh discussed how C-X-C Motif Chemokine Receptor 4 (CXCR4) had a definitive role in B cell receptor editing. Dr. Posey ended the adaptive immune talks discussing how his lab developed chimeric antigen receptor-T cell technology against truncated O-glycans in solid and liquid tumors and how they are specific for cancer cells only. On the fourth day, we had our last series of scientific talks about immunotechnology and the fusion of immunology and technology platforms. We invited Dr. Bryan Bryson (the Esther and Harold Edgerton Assistant Professor of Biological Engineering in Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a member of the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard); Dr. Oniyinye I. Iweala (Physician-scientist and Assistant Professor in the Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology at the University of North Carolina); Dr. Tonya J. Webb (Associate Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the Microbiology and Immunology Department and Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) Director); and Dr. Asher Williams (Presidential Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Cornell University). Dr. Bryson showed us how natural language algorithms could predict the biological consequences of viral mutations. This model is an open-source code that can be used for other studies as well. Dr. Iweala presented her work on alpha-gal syndrome and the type 2 immune responses that arise during this syndrome. Dr. Webb discussed her novel bead conjugation platform to expand NKT cells to identify unique biomarkers in cancer. Lastly, Dr. Williams introduced her cell-free system to synthesize conjugate vaccines leading to versatile, cheaper, and more accessible vaccination production. Throughout the week, we had a series of panels that played off the theme of the day. Those panels included an early career panel (innate immunity), career panel (adaptive immunity), and immunotech panel. The early career panel included Marilyn Allen (Ph.D. candidate at the University of Maryland); Ariel Calderon (Ph.D. candidate at Stanford University); A'dryanna Jenkins (Undergraduate at Penn State University); Ashton Trotman-Grant (Ph.D. candidate at the University of Toronto); and Jada Suber (Ph.D. candidate at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill). The career panel included: Dr. Avery August (Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor, Professor of Immunology, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, and Presidential Advisor on Diversity and Equity at Cornell University); Dr. Bianca Baker (Associate Director of Medical and Clinical Affairs for Dompe Pharmaceuticals); Dr. Yaw Bediako (Research Fellow and Head of Advancement at the West African Center for Cell Biology and Infectious Pathogens at the University of Ghana); Dr. Layal Liverpool (Trainee Digital Journalist at “New Scientist” in Berlin, Germany); and Dr. Caleph Wilson (Industry Field Application Scientist). The immunotech panel included the same people that presented their immunotech talks: Drs. Bryson, Iweala, Webb, and Williams. The early career panel focused on mentorship and advocacy, showcasing how vitally important it is to have strong mentors to help you through your academic journey. The career panel centered around soft skills that go beyond bench work but allow you to sell yourself and get comfortable in whatever sector best suits you. The immunotech discussion focused on maintaining your well-being while pursuing a research-intensive career path. At some point, we would ask all the speakers what does it mean to be Black in immunology and how did this event/organization make them feel? All panelists agreed with resounding affirmations that Black in Immuno and Black in Immuno Week was an enriching and empowering experience. Most of us were not accustomed to seeing that many Black immunologists at one time in one place, even though it was virtual. The event was filled with pride, laughter, and joy as we got to share our science, network, and exchange ideas amongst each other. After the science talks, we had a day where the community showcased their talents (#BlackInImmunoTalent) to show the importance of work-life balance—followed by a day where we highlighted advocacy groups in the United States of America and the United Kingdom that support Black researchers at their institutions. The final day started with a mental health wellness workshop by Dr. Catherine Kibirige, where she shared her mental health journey in academia with us and the steps you can take to maintain your mental health. We also had a Zoom yoga session with Hot Mess Yoga, closely followed by a party DJ'ed by ToniB from New York City, New York. There was lots of movement, dancing, laughter, and togetherness during this last day, during which we tackled mental, physical, and emotional health in one day. Black in Immuno Week was a week of celebration, encouragement, enrichment, connection, and empowerment. Scientific information was disseminated to both scientists and lay audiences alike. The community was brought together to build each other up, support each other, and create a very needed space for Black immunologists to convene. Some of the best advice that was self-penned by Dr. Herbert: “be uniquely you” and “know that humanity awaits your perspective.” You can see all of these talks on our YouTube page. And do not forget to mark your calendars for the next Black in Immuno Week: November 14 – 20, 2021, a virtual event you do not want to miss. Black in Immuno Week was just the beginning of community building and events put on by Black in Immuno. We have officially filed for 501(c)3 non-profit status with the United States Internal Revenue Service and will have our decision this summer. Besides this, we are launching our Black in Immuno Hub, a series of events and resources geared towards the Black in Immuno community and our partners, including a database, announcement board, career development resources and workshops, fellowships, and mentorship programs (Fig. 2). We are developing a Black in Immuno Database, which contains Black immunologists' profiles from all career stages and sectors to introduce and connect Black immunologists. The database includes a headshot, current position and institution, social media profiles, summary of recent work, and job searching status. Collected information within the database can serve several purposes, including but not limited to recruitment, networking, speaking events, and mentorship opportunities. These profiles will be displayed on our website shortly. You are more than welcome, and we highly encourage you to contact us if you are interested in being included. As we increase the number of profiles in the database and identify mentor/mentee designations, the organization will start facilitating mentorships so “each one can bring one.” Using the community, we will be bigger, better, and stronger and get the support we need to get to whatever avenues our science takes us. The Black in Immuno Hub also contains an announcement board. This board will provide information for jobs, paid internships, and summer programs from our sponsors, partners, and future collaborators with postings geared explicitly towards Black immunologists, underrepresented/marginalized groups, and diversity hires. You can find the announcement board on our website, and we will amplify opportunities on our LinkedIn account. We are working on a reference library for Black immunologists for career development, including recent grant applications, personal statements, research statements, applications, resumes, etc., including international resources to keep a truly global focus. The community will have access to application templates as support when they apply for opportunities and have a better chance of securing them. We are working on other career development events such as networking, job fairs, workshops, and training. Our first event will be this summer in conjunction with the United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the American Association of Black Physician Scientists, where we will navigate AHRQ grant mechanisms, reviewer opportunities, and a panel discussion to demystify the grant application process for immunologists in healthcare. Over the next one to two years, Black in Immuno will start offering fellowships, scholarships, and travel awards to help advance the work of Black immunologists. The Black In Immuno Hub is an ongoing set of opportunities to help Black immunologists thrive. Even though these are the beginning pieces of the Black in Immuno Hub, we have spaces and opportunities to grow as the organization expands to support our global community. Justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) have been at the forefront of initiatives for organizations since the Summer of 2020, when many racially charged, violent events shook the Black community. But sometimes, achieving these goals can be a barrier even when people are well-intentioned. We have created a program to help groups by offering the Black in Immuno Partnerships. Our partnerships collaborate between Black in Immuno and our partnering institutions, for instance, the Gladstone-UCSF Institute, Benaroya Research Institute, and University of Colorado Anschutz Immunology and Microbiology Department, to ensure we can support them in their JEDI efforts by amplifying their events, associations, and opportunities to our community. We also provide specialized newsletters and allow our partners to participate in our Black in Immuno Hub events: networking, job/career fairs, workshops, and training. Furthermore, we provide our partners with a unique one-year Black in Immuno Partner banner to be displayed on their website and show our partner's logos on our websites and flyers for co-organized events. This unparalleled access to our community is only allowed if our partners are willing to put in the work to present a welcoming environment to all types of diversity and are being proactive to maintain this environment. To become a partner, we require three things: transparency and accountability on diversity, allyship learning expansion, and an action plan. As a partner, you must commit to collecting and publicly publishing demographic data regarding Black individuals in your members, leadership, and committees running the programs and Black individuals benefitting from said programs, like fellowships, grants, conference attendees/speakers, etc. Our second point requires an increase in JEDI training for leadership and committees running programs. The trainings could be a seminar/event or outsourced through other collaborations with other events. Our third point wants to see the partners' future goals around JEDI initiatives. These goals could be as soon as a year out or as far off as ten years. The partners' action plan should set any objectives to increase Black individuals in leaderships and committees, benefit from their programs, and implement JEDI training. This action plan will be available for others to view on our website, and we request an annual report of progress made on these initiatives. We provide this opportunity to support each other; the Black in Immuno community can identify environments that are doing the work and gravitate towards these places, and partners can actively increase their JEDI initiatives by having access to Black immunologists with the support of an organization aimed at amplifying, celebrating, and supporting Black voices in immunology. We are acting as a seal of approval to identify organizations that recognize the uniqueness of Black immunologists and work towards dismantling systemic racism. Our partnerships are meant to mediate the gap between institutions and Black immunologists by identifying spaces that will help them thrive. If you are interested in being a partner, you can find our contact us form on our website, and we will work with you to begin the process. To date, we count four partners and are still looking for many more to prepare our Black immunologists for their future. In summary, Black in Immuno is an excellent organization of Black people and allies that have come together to celebrate, amplify, and support Black voices in immunology. Our inaugural Black in Immuno Week was a tremendous success by reaching over 300 people globally during the week and many more after the week via our YouTube channel, where our recordings from the event can be found. Our next week will be November 14–20, 2021. We are working on our Black in Immuno Hub that will have continued programming for Black immunologists and our partners. And we are open to having more partnerships, especially internationally, to increase JEDI efforts throughout science and bring Black researchers to the forefront of immunology.