Anti-Black Racism

Black Health Education Collaborative launches educational tool on racism and Black health in Canada

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 18:13:47 +0000

Black Health Education Collaborative launches educational tool on racism and Black health in Canada

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 03/21/2024 - 14:13

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L to R: Assistant Professor Onye Nnorom, Associate Professor OmiSoore Dryden from Dalhousie University and Assistant Professor Sume Ndumbe-Eyoh (supplied images)

Elaine Smith

Topic

Our Community

Anti-Black Racism

Equity & Culture

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Subheadline

The Black Health Primer aims to address gaps in education and training on Black health and anti-Black racism in medicine and public health

Scholars from the ��߲ݴ�ý and Dalhousie University have created a set of online courses on Black health and anti-Black racism in the Canadian health-care system, which will be available to learners across Canada – a momentous step in helping advance equitable care for Black Canadians.

The Black Health Primer was created in response to gaps in education and training on Black health and anti-Black racism in medicine and public health, say its creators Onye Nnorom, an assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Sume Ndumbe-Eyoh, an assistant professor at Dalla Lana and OmiSoore Dryden, the James R. Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies at Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Medicine.

The courses are intended for students, faculty, educators and health-care practitioners alike and can be used for professional development at health-related institutions and organizations, the founders say.

The initiative was developed by the Black Health Education Collaborative (BHEC), a group of Black scholars and practitioners committed to transforming medical and health professional education in service of improving the health of Black communities across Canada.

“Black people in Canada experience health and social inequities rooted in anti-Black racism,” says Nnorom, who co-founded the BHEC with Dryden. “The historical impacts of slavery on this land affect Black people today and influence the stereotypes they experience in health care.

“By providing education on the issues that Black communities are facing in their everyday lives, the racism they encounter in health care and better anti-racist approaches to care, we – the Black Health Education Collaborative – believe the primer can improve the quality of care Black Canadians are receiving.

“Furthermore, these modules were designed to support the ‘unlearning’ of racism and learning racially just practices which improve health for all.”

The BHEC, with support from Dalla Lana, Temerty Medicine, and Dalhousie University, will launch the Black Health Primer on March 21 – the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination – at an online event titled, "Why Anti-Racist Healthcare Matters."

“The Public Health Agency of Canada has highlighted that ‘anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination are key drivers of health inequalities faced by diverse Black Canadian communities,’ and yet health-care professionals – from doctors to public health professionals – are not taught about the ways in which anti-Black racism negatively impacts the health of Black communities,” says Ndumbe-Eyoh, who is BHEC’s executive director.

“This is a significant failing which leads to health professionals practising without the knowledge and skills required to provide adequate care for Black patients and communities.”

“It is our hope that the medical students, doctors, nurses, and students who are in other health fields will complete the training and be inspired to provide better quality care,” says Nnorom, who hosts the Healthcaring Differently social media campaign.

Registration for the Black Health Primer opened Thursday

U of T launches new Institutional Equity Commitments website

ksoobria — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 16:10:33 +0000

U of T launches new Institutional Equity Commitments website ksoobria Tue, 02/13/2024 - 11:10

The ��߲ݴ�ý community has a new website that enhances the way it tracks institutional progress on addressing recommendations from its equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) working groups and task force.

Launched in December 2023, the Institutional Equity Commitments website outlines the commitments U of T has made in response to recommendations from the Anti-Black Racism Task Force, Antisemitism Working Group and Anti-Asian Racism Working Group; provides status updates on each initiative; and shares articles, photos, and resources that bring this work to life. 

“The university is committed to building on the strong foundation for change laid in the reports of our EDI working groups and task force,” said U of T President Meric Gertler. “It is also imperative that our actions be transparent and accessible to all members of our community. We hope that the new Institutional Equity Commitments website will foster an increased awareness of what we have achieved together so far and inspire participation in the many initiatives yet to come.” 

Developed through collaboration among the Office of the President, the Office of the Vice-President & Provost and the Office of the Vice-President, People Strategy, Equity & Culture, the Institutional Equity Commitments website is an evolution of a pilot project that began in 2021. The pilot version, known as the Commitments Dashboard, was created to track the implementation of Anti-Black Racism Task Force recommendations and later expanded to include Antisemitism Working Group recommendations. Over the years, there has been a growing need to enhance the existing site. 

“Guided by our community’s feedback, we have designed a site that is easier to navigate and clearly demonstrates institutional accountability while celebrating our shared progress,” said U of T’s Vice-President, People Strategy, Equity & Culture Kelly Hannah-Moffat.

The updated website has a redesigned look and enhanced user experience, including featured stories, progress snapshots, and status updates on the recommendations. Visitors can filter the entire page by specific report. Additionally, divisions or offices responsible for reporting progress on each commitment are now identified. 

“The nature of equity work is that it is an ongoing journey, characterized by continual growth and change,” said Jodie Glean-Mitchell, executive director, equity, diversity and inclusion.

“The newly revised Institutional Equity Commitments website provides the university with a tool to put EDI accountability into action as we engage our collective responsibility to foster an equitable and inclusive university.”    

Members of the U of T community are encouraged to explore the new site and consider how the working group recommendations might inform change in their own areas of the university. Feedback on the site and stories about local progress on EDI commitments are also welcome and can be submitted using the feedback form.  

“We are fortunate to have a very engaged community of students, faculty, librarians and staff who make important contributions to this work, and we’re glad to have their continued input,” said Trevor Young, U of T's vice-president and provost. “Our ongoing goal is to better deliver and report on the institutional commitments we've made to equity and to improve transparency and accountability.”

U of T launches new Institutional Equity Commitments website

(photo by Johnny Guatto)

Melinda Mattos 

Off

Canada taps U of T researcher for new Black Justice Strategy steering group

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 16:22:26 +0000

Canada taps U of T researcher for new Black Justice Strategy steering group

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 02/16/2023 - 11:22

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Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, an associate professor of sociology at U of T Mississauga, conducts research on race, crime and criminal justice (photo by Brian Summers)

Topic

Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, an associate professor of sociology at the ��߲ݴ�ý Mississauga, has been named to Canada’s new Black Justice Strategy steering group and will co-author its recommendations to the federal government.

“I’m pleased to be taking part in such an important initiative,” said Owusu-Bempah, whose research examines race, crime and criminal justice. “The development of Canada’s Black Justice Strategy provides an opportunity to make meaningful change for Black communities that could have a positive impact for generations to come.”

The official announcement was made on Parliament Hill this week by a panel that included Minister of Justice and Attorney General David Lametti, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion Ahmed Hussen and Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth Marci Ien.

“Many of us like to tell ourselves that justice is colour blind but, in the criminal justice system, we know it’s not,” said Lametti, noting that Black adults are overrepresented as victims of crime and are also consistently overrepresented in Canadian jails, making up about nine per cent of those in prison despite comprising less than four per cent of the overall population.

We have a lot of work to do to make Canada’s Black Justice Strategy a reality. It was nice joining @DavidLametti and colleagues yesterday for this important announcement. https://t.co/lf2nW2ki2I
— Akwasi Owusu-Bempah (@AOBempah) February 16, 2023

The nine-person steering group will be speaking with leaders, experts and members of Black communities across Canada to create recommendations by the end of 2023 to help reform and modernize the criminal justice system.

The goal, said Lametti, is to begin implementing changes in 2024.

“It’s an ambitious timeline,” he said. “But the circumstances demand it.”

The steering group is the first step in fulfilling a pledge made by the Liberal government in 2019 to address anti-Black racism and discrimination in the criminal justice system after advocacy groups and the United Nations criticized the overrepresentation of Black Canadians in federal prisons.

“Black people in Canada have a long history of mistrust and experiences of injustice with our criminal justice systems,” said Owusu-Bempah. “For as long as Black people have existed here, our legal and justice institutions have served to oppress them … we know significant changes need to be made to the way we administer justice in this country.”

Owusu-Bempah’ s co-author will be fellow committee member Zilla Jones, a criminal defence lawyer and anti-racism educator based in Winnipeg.

“(The strategy) is a historic acknowledgment by the Government of Canada that systemic anti-Black racism exists in Canada and that it has poisoned our justice system, negatively impacting the integrity of our communities and the futures of our children,” said Jones. “This initiative aims to give real meaning to the principles of redress and reconciliation.”

Owusu-Bempah’s appointment to the steering group follows his recent engagement by the Peel Police Services Board to help its Governance and Human Rights Committee address systemic racism – specifically anti-Black racism.

Before joining U of T Mississauga, Owusu-Bempah held positions with Canada’s National Judicial Institute, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Ontario’s Ministry of the Solicitor General.

He is the co-author of Waiting to Inhale: Cannabis Legalization and the Fight for Racial Justice.

Watch Akwasi Owusu-Bempah discuss his research on race, policing and cannabis

Joe's Basketball Diaries Episode 3: The model minority

lanthierj — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 16:42:40 +0000

Joe's Basketball Diaries Episode 3: The model minority lanthierj Wed, 12/14/2022 - 11:42

Topic

City & Culture

Anti-Asian Racism

Anti-Black Racism

Joe's Basketball Diaries

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Sport

Anti-Asian and anti-Black racism. Tokenism, xenophobia and a lack of representation in sport. These are some of the topics host Joseph Wong, the ��߲ݴ�ý’s vice-president, international, explores in episode three of Joe’s Basketball Diaries.

“I was called Yao Ming my whole life growing up, and I just wanted to be Jeremy Lin,” says basketball star Jeremy Lin.

Wong, who has written about the personal impact of anti-Asian racism, is joined by athletes, scholars, actors, journalists and activists who share their experiences and insights and discuss their work to ensure sports are accessible to everyone – and why it’s important to have hope.

“For me for, you know, child of an immigrant family, I grew up feeling like I didn't quite belong as well… I'm very honoured to be playing a part in that conversation now,” says actor Simu Liu. “And hopefully, you know, also in a way that holds the door open for, for others.”

The episode features:

Wesley Cheng, content creator of On-Air, TSN (The Sports Network)
Clement Chu, president and founder of the Chinese Canadian Youth Athletics Association
Takashi Fujitani, director of the Dr. David Chu program in Asia-Pacific studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy
Janelle Joseph, assistant professor at U of T’s Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, who focuses on critical studies of race & indigeneity;
Jeremy Lin, player for the Guangzhou Loong Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association 
Simu Liu, Canadian actor

Watch Joe’s Basketball Diaries Ep. 3

Behind the scenes with the Black Research Network: Groundbreakers S2 Ep.2

mattimar — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 16:06:30 +0000

Behind the scenes with the Black Research Network: Groundbreakers S2 Ep.2 mattimar Wed, 10/12/2022 - 12:06

Topic

Our Community

Anti-Black Racism

Black Research Network

Groundbreakers

Institutional Strategic Initiatives

Faculty of Information

New College

U of T Mississauga

U of T Scarborough

Women and Gender Studies

How is the ��߲ݴ�ý promoting Black research excellence and enhancing the research capacity of Black scholars across its tri-campus community?

Those are just some of the questions explored in season two, episode two of the Groundbreakers video series as host Ainka Jess goes behind the scenes with the founders of U of T’s Black Research Network.

“To push forward requires taking the risk and having enough people who are willing to listen and put resources behind the risk,” says Rhonda McEwen, president and vice-chancellor of Victoria University in the ��߲ݴ�ý. “And that’s what universities are good at, aren’t we? This is what we do. We find those cracks and those fissures and we take things forward.

“So, here’s just another way we’re doing that.”

McEwen is joined in the episode by Maydianne Andrade, an evolutionary ecologist and University Professor in U of T Scarborough’s department of biological sciences who is founder and co-chair of the Toronto Initiative for Diversity and Excellence, Alissa Trotz, a professor of Caribbean studies at New College and the director of the Women and Gender Studies Institute, and Beth Coleman, director of the Black Research Network and associate professor of data and cities at the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology and the Faculty of Information.

Together, the group discusses the origins of the Black Research Network, which Trotz traces to a long history of exclusion and resistance at the university, including a student group called the Black Liberation Collective that formed in 2015. They also discuss opportunities for collaboration and policy change – and their hopes for the future.

Groundbreakers is a multimedia series that includes articles at U of T News and features research leaders involved with U of T’s Institutional Strategic Initiatives, whose work will transform lives.

Watch S2 Ep.2 of Groundbreakers

Scarborough Charter event explores how Canada’s colleges and universities can support Black flourishing

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 19 May 2022 18:23:03 +0000

Scarborough Charter event explores how Canada’s colleges and universities can support Black flourishing

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 05/19/2022 - 14:23

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Wisdom Tettey, vice-president and principal of U of T Scarborough, was a panellist at an inaugural Scarborough Charter event cohosted by UBC and SFU (photo courtesy of UBC)

Topic

Canadian universities and colleges that signed the historic Scarborough Charter are looking at ways to support Black flourishing across Canada.

“The opportunity to flourish, thrive and to be successful is very much tied into the success of our institutions,” says Wisdom Tettey, chair of the Scarborough Charter’s steering committee and vice-president and principal at the ��߲ݴ�ý Scarborough. “If we want to be really healthy, inclusive places, people have to be able to achieve their fullest potential.”

It’s been six months since about 50 universities and colleges across Canada signed the Scarborough Charter, a series of commitments to fight anti-Black racism and further Black flourishing in higher education.

The University of British Columbia recently hosted an inaugural forum that brought signatory schools across Canada together for the first time. UBC also teamed up with Simon Fraser University to host a closing symposium, titled ”Community Making and Black Flourishing Through the Scarborough Charter.“ Panels were open to the public in-person at UBC and via livestream.

“The fundamental goal was to make sure people could see the relevance of the charter in their everyday life,” Tettey says. “A core part of the charter is continuing to have this work be informed, shaped and co-created by communities.”

In one of the event’s four panels, undergraduate and graduate UBC and SFU students shared their experiences navigating university and discussed ways to create a new system of supports for Black students. Another panel had activists speak on ways academic institutes can connect with Black communities.

Panellists highlighted white supremacy in higher education as a major obstacle to Black flourishing. Several mentioned that Black people must fight to have schools acknowledge the systemic barriers they face.

“You need doors open, you need to address what is referred to as gate-keeping, and that gate-keeping is shaped by deficit thinking, by the tyranny of low expectations and by denying the value and humanity and dignity of Black folk,” said Malinda Smith, vice-provost and associate vice-president research (equity, diversity and inclusion) at the University of Calgary and member of the Scarborough Charter's steering committee.

In a panel with Tettey, Smith noted that because higher education institutions were built to cater to white people, being included in them in their current state isn’t the goal.

“The Scarborough Charter is helping to transform how we think about our institutions, which means our institutions cannot remain the same,” Smith said. “They have to be changed so we’re not being added into structures of oppression, but we are there to transform them.”

She also spoke on widespread underrepresentation in Canadian universities and colleges, and mentioned that many Black students will complete their entire education without having a Black professor or senior role model.

“We know that to be one, you have to see one sometimes,” she said of role models.

Panellists speak on stage at UBC during the Scarborough Charter's first symposium (photo courtesy of UBC)

Several panellists shared their personal experiences with racism and exclusion in higher education. Tettey says these stories don’t challenge the charter’s success – they’re an integral part of its journey.

“As we share our collective successes and the progress that we're making, it's important to subject those to critical review by the folks that we claim we're doing this for, because they are our best peer reviewers.”

Panel answers questions on field schools, Quebec and challenges

Tettey and Smith were co-panellists for a discussion on why a charter should be used for Black representation and inclusion. Smith opened by noting the charter was created during a global time of racial reckoning in 2020, but added that the work began “long before it became visible.” Many of their contributions, she added, have historically been erased or hidden from the public record.

“That moment of racial reckoning wasn’t just an ‘aha’ moment,” she said. “It emerged after decades of Black advocacy, a long [duration] of struggle, particularly led by Black students.”

Smith and Tettey’s panel was dedicated to answering virtually submitted questions from the audience, beginning with one asking whether the charter would be used to establish field schools with universities and colleges in Africa. Tettey clarified the document is meant to guide and support institutions, not to replace them.

The charter does include a commitment to encourage programs in Black and Black Canadian studies, and to promote curriculum that includes Black expertise and knowledges. But the charter doesn’t dictate how to achieve those commitments; it establishes them as goals while the Inter-Institutional Forum offers members mutual help in reaching them.

Tettey (right) and Smith (middle) were on a livestreamed panel moderated by Annette Henry (left), professor in the department of language and literacy education and institute for race, gender, sexuality and social justice at UBC (Submitted photo).

“There's a mechanism that allows us to come together, but the Scarborough Charter is not where the responsibility lies. It lies with our individual institutions. It lies with the individual colleagues who fashion curriculum,” replied Tettey. “But we are providing a network that allows you to work with others across the country to enable these opportunities at scale.”

Smith mentioned the range of African and Black studies programs offered by the charter’s signatory schools, some of which are decades old. The network allows institutions to not only connect on those programs, but consult with schools that may offer insights on how certificate and minor programs could become pathways to PhDs.

“There’s all kind of opportunities, and that’s an important aspect of the charter. Opportunities and possibilities that might not previously have been imagined,” she said.

Another question focused on how the charter would engage more universities in Quebec. Tettey said that effort is ongoing, adding that the approach is the same for institutions across Canada: work diligently and collaboratively to bring them into the fold. Previously in the panel, Smith acknowledged that Adelle Blackett, principal drafter of the charter, is also a full professor and Canada Research Chair in transnational labour law and development at McGill University in Quebec. Blackett is a key connection between the charter and the province, as Smith is for Alberta.

Tettey said every institution has its own character and autonomy that should be respected – and he noted that schools need to show commitment before signing. An institution must have truly accepted it needs to take steps toward equity to be ready for the work of the charter, he said.

“The work needs to be sustained and if you don't build a strong commitment at the institutional level, this will fizzle,” Tettey said.

This article was updated on May 24, 2022

Researchers examine impact of immigration status and racism on child welfare system

geoff.vendeville — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 15:55:16 +0000

Researchers examine impact of immigration status and racism on child welfare system

geoff.vendeville Wed, 03/02/2022 - 10:55

Cutline

Rupaleem Bhuyan is co-leading a collaborative research project looking at the impact of immigration status and systemic racism on child welfare policies and practices (photo by Harry Choi)

Topic

Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work

Immigration

As someone who works with women and children who have experienced domestic violence, Shaoli Choudhury sees how difficult it can be for them when the child welfare system becomes involved in their lives. If those families are also newcomers to Canada, more problems often arise.

“They worry about having their children taken away, but also about increasing their risk of deportation,” says Choudhury, who oversees three transition houses for YWCA Metro Vancouver. “There’s a lot of uncertainty for immigrant families – and for those of us working in the field.”

To help reduce that uncertainty, she’s partnering with Bordering Practices: Systemic Racism, Child Welfare and Immigration, a collaborative research project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and led by Rupaleem Bhuyan, an associate professor at the ��߲ݴ�ý’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, and Mandeep Kaur Mucina, an assistant professor at the University of Victoria’s School of Child and Youth Care.

Shaoli Chaudhury

The initiative involves community partners in both Toronto and Vancouver who are working together to better understand the roles that immigration status and systemic racism play in child welfare policies and practices – especially if one or more family members has precarious status.

“My colleagues and I recognize that there’s a knowledge gap in terms of how the child welfare system interacts with immigrant families,” says Choudhury. “By offering our perspective and learning from the researchers and other service providers, we’re hoping to help bridge that gap and better support families.”

Bhuyan says there are very few guidelines on how to manage immigration status in child welfare. “As a result, the level of awareness about immigration issues varies widely among frontline workers and decision-makers,” she says. “In Ontario and British Columbia, most child welfare policies don’t even use the word ‘immigrant.’”

When it comes to immigrants with precarious status – which can include anyone who is not a Canadian citizen, documented or not – there are even fewer resources.

Travonne Edwards

The absence of language in provincial legislation recognizing the issues that impact immigrant families is comparable to the lack of specific language acknowledging the existence of anti-Black racism for Black families, says Travonne Edwards, a PhD student in social work and a member of the project’s advisory board. He works closely with the Black Community Action Network of Peel as part of his research with the Youth Wellness Lab, which is examining the over-representation of Black families in Ontario’s child welfare system.

“This silence directly influences child welfare practice,” he says. “It allows for ambiguity in interpreting policies and prevents a more critical and nuanced understanding of the issues impacting Black and racialized families that are dealing with precarious status.” Research by Edwards and colleagues has led child welfare agencies to pay closer attention to racial disparities experienced by Black children. He says this project aims to produce a similar evidence base to spark action and reform.

A growing number of people living in Canada are racialized immigrants with precarious status as temporary workers, international students, refugee claimants or non-status residents. “It’s impossible to know the true number, but rough estimates run up to 1.6 million including undocumented immigrants,” Bhuyan says. “These individuals and families confront multiple barriers to accessing social services and experience economic hardship and racism – all factors that affect their interactions with the child welfare system.”

In the project’s title, “bordering” refers to the political and social processes that differentiate groups by race, gender and immigration status. “Lines between ‘us’ and ‘them’ determines who belongs and who has rights in everyday life” says Bhuyan, “so [bordering] shows up all the time in the everyday life of immigrants.”

Working in partnership with community-based researchers and advocates in Toronto and Vancouver, the Bordering Practices research team – with co-investigators Bryn King, an assistant professor in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, and Rhonda Hackett, of the University of Victoria, are taking a multifaceted approach to establish a baseline understanding of how federal and provincial policies shape risk assessment for child abuse and neglect among racialized immigrants.

In addition to policy analysis, the project is committed to advocacy. Last October, the research team and the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario submitted a formal response to proposed changes to Ontario’s Child, Youth and Family Services Act. “We urged the government to provide better guidance for social workers on cases involving children and families with precarious immigration status and recommended an ‘Access Without Fear’ policy, which safeguards people with precarious status against detention or deportation when they’re accessing essential services,” says Bhuyan.

Keisha Facey

The project is rooted in community participation across the fields of child welfare, immigrant services, anti-Black racism and gender-based violence. The aim, says Edwards, is to break down the silos between these sectors and forge connections that will lead to meaningful change for immigrant families in the child welfare system. “There are people in all of these areas doing amazing work, but it’s disjointed. We’re creating opportunities to bring our work into harmony.”

These opportunities include ongoing focus groups with people at various vantage points within the system – from policy-makers and child welfare managers to frontline workers and child welfare advocates – and community forums, where stakeholders can gather to discuss common concerns and goals. The first community event, Silos and Silences: A Forum Shedding Light on Child Welfare and Immigration Status, will take place this Friday.

“Our primary goal is to raise awareness and share knowledge,” says Keishia Facey, a project partner from the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies (OACAS) who will moderate the forum’s panel discussion. She is the manager of the OACAS’s One Vision One Voice program, which addresses anti-Black racism experienced by African-Canadian families in the child welfare system. “There’s no single, accepted way of protecting the rights of children and families with precarious status, and being part of this project allows us to use our platform to say this needs to change.”

Chizara Anucha

Facey’s colleague, Chizara Anucha, a U of T master of social work graduate and community engagement specialist at One Vision One Voice, will lead a workshop following the panel discussion on child welfare risk assessments for Black immigrant families. In another workshops, Choudhury will consider how social workers can manage the immigration status of women experiencing domestic violence when there’s a likelihood of child welfare involvement.

“This research is only meaningful if it includes people who are directly impacted by it,” says Bhuyan, adding that another phase of the project will collect stories from families with precarious immigration status who have been involved in the child welfare system. “We’re creating spaces for conversation so we can continue to build this knowledge together.”

U of T's Wisdom Tettey speaks to TVO about how Canadian universities are fighting anti-Black racism

geoff.vendeville — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 18:36:10 +0000

U of T's Wisdom Tettey speaks to TVO about how Canadian universities are fighting anti-Black racism

geoff.vendeville Fri, 02/11/2022 - 13:36

Cutline

(Photo by Dylan Toombs/��߲ݴ�ý Scarborough)

Topic

Wisdom Tettey, vice-president and principal of the ��߲ݴ�ý Scarborough, says the Scarborough Charter can serve as a model for universities of all sizes as they seek to confront anti-Black racism.

Tettey told TVO that the charter, signed by more than 50 universities across the country, including 24 in Ontario, grew out of the first National Dialogues and Action for Inclusive Higher Education and Communities in October 2020. The document has four guiding principles: Black flourishing, inclusive excellence, mutuality and accountability.

“One of the things that participants committed to was a charter that comes out of that process, providing a guiding post, if you will, for institutions to help frame their own individual efforts addressing anti-Black racism and Black inclusion,” Tettey told TVO.

“You may be a small school and what you're able to do is limited, but you and your community can decide on what is meaningful within the confines of your particular institution, and then deliver on that and hold yourself accountable to that.”

More homicides, fewer supports in Toronto's predominantly Black neighbourhoods: U of T research

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 16:27:29 +0000

More homicides, fewer supports in Toronto's predominantly Black neighbourhoods: U of T research

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 01/25/2022 - 11:27

Cutline

Tanya Sharpe, a researcher in U of T's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, says the Homicide Tracker is likely the first to map the outsized impact of homicide on Toronto's Black communities (photo by Rene Johnston/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Topic

Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work

Health

Research & Innovation

Six homicides were recorded in Toronto during the first two weeks of 2022 – a statistic that led some to wonder if Canada’s largest city, which typically experiences the highest number of annual homicides in the country, would see more violence than usual in the year ahead.

While it’s too early to draw conclusions, a new report and interactive map from The Centre for Research & Innovation for Black Survivors of Homicide Victims (the CRIB) provides insight into where homicides often happen, the factors that place Black communities at increased risk and the location of resources available to support those affected by homicide – including families and friends who are faced with the devastating challenge of grieving the violent death of their loved ones.

“To our knowledge, this is the first project of its kind to map the disproportionate impact of homicide on African, Caribbean, Black (ACB) communities in Toronto, while providing context for the root causes of homicide and recommendations for an action plan,” says Tanya Sharpe, an associate professor at the ��߲ݴ�ý’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and founding director of the CRIB.

“The absence of and lack of access to race-based data collection obstructs our ability to comprehend and respond appropriately to the chronic and cumulative impact that homicide has on Black communities. The CRIB aims to change that.”

The CRIB’s Homicide Tracker is an interactive GIS map that marks where homicides occurred in Toronto between 2004 and 2020 relative to African, Caribbean, Black (ACB) communities and service organizations that exist to serve them. Accompanying the map is a report on the social determinants of homicide, which identifies the key factors that put Black communities at an increased risk of homicide. The report includes recommendations for an action plan to not only reduce the inequitable conditions that contribute to the disproportionate number of homicides within Black communities, but to also increase the availability of culturally responsive trauma-informed care.

Racialized Ontarians account for 75 per cent of the 600 homicide victims each year in Canada – with 44 per cent of those victims being African, Caribbean or Black (ACB). Ontario itself averages around 232 murders per year and Toronto accounts for 77 of those murders – the highest number of any Canadian city.

The CRIB’s Homicide Tracker depicts the disproportionate prevalence of homicide in ACB neighbourhoods across Toronto and illustrates the availability of resources to assist family members and friends of murder victims. Compared to downtown neighbourhoods, Black survivors in the city’s northwestern neighbourhoods have less access to grief and bereavement supports.

“It is vital that we consider the systemic way that anti-Black racism permeates the very fabric of our society, infecting a plethora of systems and services that survivors of homicide victims engage with on a daily basis, as well as the ones they need and interact with as a result of experiencing the murder of a loved one,” says Sharpe.

Included in Social Determinants of Homicide is an overview of the educational, employment and income inequalities and mass incarceration rates experienced by Black communities in Toronto. For example, Black Torontonians are four times more likely to be charged with a crime than their white counterparts, while one in 15 young Black men in Ontario have been incarcerated, compared to one in 70 young white men.

The CRIB’s report also highlights parallels between COVID-19 and homicide. Neighbourhoods in Toronto that are chronically experiencing homicide are also experiencing high infection and death rates due to COVID-19. The social determinants of homicide are the same determinants that disproportionately place Black people at risk of COVID-19 infection, Sharpe says.

“Eliminating structural inequities is essential,” says Sharpe. “Addressing these inequities requires advancement in the policies we design, the services we deliver, and the culturally responsive research infrastructures we build.”

View The CRIB’s Homicide Tracker

Read the Social Determinants of Homicide report

AI, tech and social justice: U of T Groundbreakers EP4

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 13 Jan 2022 19:05:26 +0000

AI, tech and social justice: U of T Groundbreakers EP4 Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 01/13/2022 - 14:05

Topic

Our Community

Anti-Black Racism

Groundbreakers

Institutional Strategic Initiatives

Technology and Society

Alumni

Artificial Intelligence

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Indigenous

U of T Mississauga

What is the relationship between pollution and colonialism in Canada? How can AI and related technologies avoid perpetuating racism and gender bias?

These are some of the questions explored in episode four of the Groundbreakers video series when host Ainka Jess speaks with researchers from two of the ��߲ݴ�ý’s Institutional Strategic Initiatives: the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society and the Black Research Network.

U of T Mississauga’s Kristen Bos, an assistant professor of Indigenous science and technology and the co-director of the Technoscience Research Unit, talks about The Land and Refinery project, while U of T Engineering alumna Deborah Raji discusses how bias in AI algorithms can perpetuate racism and gender bias and erode civil rights – and how access to technology can further inclusive excellence.

“As an Indigenous feminist and researcher, I know that the health of our lands is vital to the health of our bodies,” Bos says. “I feel like I have a responsibility. I think we all have a responsibility to hold the industries, the companies and the governments responsible for the creation of pollution and health harms.”

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Read the Social Determinants of Homicide report

AI, tech and social justice: U of T Groundbreakers EP4