[mogbeyi]

Anti-Black racism persists in Ontario due to a complex interplay of historical, social, economic, and institutional factors. The colonial legacy and the history of slavery have entrenched systemic inequalities that continue to marginalize Black communities. Discriminatory policies and laws have historically disadvantaged Black people, leading to ongoing socio-economic disparities. In education, Black students often face biased curriculums and unequal resources, resulting in lower academic achievements and higher dropout rates. In the workforce, Black individuals frequently encounter discrimination in hiring practices and workplace environments, leading to higher unemployment rates, underemployment, and wage gaps. Additionally, the criminal justice system disproportionately targets and penalizes Black people, perpetuating cycles of poverty and marginalization.

In my view, addressing anti-Black racism in Ontario requires a multifaceted approach that includes revisiting and reforming institutional practices, ensuring equitable access to resources and opportunities, and fostering a societal shift towards genuine inclusion and equality. It’s not enough to acknowledge the problem; concerted and sustained efforts must be made to dismantle these deep-rooted barriers and create a society where everyone can thrive without fear of discrimination. This requires more than performative anti-racism projects or initiatives; it demands actual action from stakeholders, including policymakers, educators, employers, and community leaders, to enact meaningful and lasting change.

[mogbeyi]

The Call-In-Cards are an invaluable tool for fostering critical conversations around anti-Black racism (ABR). I found that the cards extensively cover crucial aspects such as Black Youth Voice, Black Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing, Intersectional Identities, and Allyship. Each scenario is thoughtfully designed to reflect real-life situations across different organizational levels, not just frontline or programming areas.

One of the most impactful elements for me is how the cards encourage users to engage in critical self-reflexivity and deeper thinking about their actions and attitudes. The accompanying user guide is particularly supportive, helping users navigate through various scenarios effectively and sensitively.

I can see how these cards can initiate meaningful dialogue and prompt actionable strategies for confronting anti-Black microaggressions. I appreciate the inclusion of videos featuring Black practitioners and activists, which add depth and relatability to the scenarios. The curated resources are also a fantastic addition, providing practical strategies for centering Black youth wellbeing.

Overall, the Call-In-Cards are a comprehensive resource that I will definitely be integrating into my work and sharing with my network. They provide a robust framework for both learning and action, making them an essential tool for anyone committed to ABR.

[Andrea]

Anti-Black racism persists in Ontario for a variety of complex reasons, many of which stem from historical, social, economic, and systemic factors. Here are some key factors contributing to the ongoing issue:

1. Historical Legacy: Ontario, like many parts of the world, has a history of slavery, segregation, and discrimination against Black people. Even though slavery was abolished in Canada in the 19th century, its legacy persists in social attitudes, institutional structures, and systemic inequalities.

2. Structural Racism: Institutions and systems in Ontario, such as education, healthcare, employment, and criminal justice, have embedded racial biases that disadvantage Black communities. For example, racial profiling by law enforcement, discriminatory hiring practices, and disparities in access to quality education and healthcare all contribute to perpetuating anti-Black racism.

3. Implicit Bias: Many individuals hold unconscious biases or stereotypes about Black people, which can influence their attitudes, behaviors, and decision-making processes. These biases may manifest in everyday interactions, employment opportunities, housing, and other aspects of life, reinforcing systemic inequalities

Addressing anti-Black racism in Ontario requires a multifaceted approach that tackles both systemic issues and individual attitudes. It involves policy reforms, community engagement, education, allyship, and ongoing efforts to challenge biases and dismantle discriminatory structures.

[mogbeyi]

I believe anti-Black racism persists in Ontario due to systemic and institutional biases that subtly underpin our society—often colloquially described as “racism with a smile.” This term captures how ingrained prejudices, though less overt, profoundly affect critical areas such as education, employment, and law enforcement, continuing to disadvantage Black communities significantly. Despite increased awareness and policies aimed at equity, the deeper societal acknowledgment and structural changes necessary are slow to materialize. Addressing this issue effectively requires not only policy reform but also a cultural shift toward real inclusivity, where barriers to full participation for Black individuals are actively dismantled.

[Henry]

Currently listening to and loving Andra Day’s “Rise Up” Courtesy of our good Dr. Anucha 🙂

[Rahma]

Organizations often look for practical tools to have critical conversations around ABR- the call in/call out cards are so effective to initiate these conversations. What I appreciate most is that the scenarios reflect situations across various levels of an organization and are not just targeted to frontline and programming levels. The user guide is also really supportive- especially making distinctions of when a situation requires calling out versus calling in considering the element of safety and preventing further harm. I will definitely be sharing this widely and incorporating into my practice and teaching.

[Kathe]

There are over 300 contributions to this discussion thread! This space has provided us with an opportunity to share with and learn from one another since the Centering Black Youth Wellbeing certificate was first launched.

We reviewed ALL of your suggestions and created a NEW Factsheet: 20 ‘Simple Things’ to Centre Black Youth Wellbeing, summarizing 10 individual and 10 organizational practices to centre Black youth and support Black youth wellbeing.

Check it out and continue to share your practices here!

[Kathe]

Hi everyone! Our team has created a variety of NEW resources to support connecting your anti-Black racism learning to action 📣

You’ll find these across each of the four themes of The Call-In-Cards 🔍

I wanted to highlight a few here, and I’d love to learn how some of these strategies and practices can be applied in your work with Black youth, families, and communities:

–So, What IS an Anti-Black Microaggression? 50 Examples from Black Youth (Factsheet)

–Confronting Anti-Black Microaggressions: Strategies for Black Youth and Non-Black Allies (Evidence Brief)

–The N-Word: Four Empowering Responses for Black Youth (Evidence Brief)

–20 ‘Simple Things’ to Centre Black Youth Wellbeing (Factsheet)

Many thanks to Arielle, Hajar, and Kuir, YouthREX Research Assistants who led the development of these resources 🙏❣

(Oh, and check out this collection of practical resources on our Knowledge Hub, curated for The Kit for Centering Black Youth Wellbeing!)

[Yaw]

The Call-In-Cards is one of the effective kits employ to address the ABR.

[April]

I believe anti-black racism is still a problem in Canada due to its deep-rooted history of slavery. The marginalization and enslavement of black people were hardly mentioned. I learnt a lot at the beginning of this course about the hardships blacks had to endure. The book mentioned ” Blacks at the Border” speaks about this. Stereotyping on blacks continues to be an issue today. Facing barriers in receiving education, employment inequity and suffering with health issues are all results of anti-black racism. The Underground Railroad depicts the life story of those slaves escaping for freedom throughout North America.

[Gary A]

By leveraging the values of compassion, mercy, and service to others inherent in faith-based organizations, social services can be tailored to meet the specific needs of Black youth. Collaborating with faith leaders has been identified as a strategy to enhance community health, emphasizing the importance of partnerships between social service providers and religious institutions (Heward-Mills et al., 2018).

[REX]

Share your reflections, strategies and struggles with using the Call-In-Cards to guide and connect your anti-Black racism learning to action!

[Dori]

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[April]

The key components of our youth program is building trust with our stakehokders, using a collaborative approach to build rapport with the youth in the community. Recruiting mentors with similar lived experiences can help youth relate better. Collecting data by doing surveys. Building positive relationships with youth from the communtiy allows us to determine their needs.

[April]

These challenges can be addressed by removing some of the barriers by offering more face-to-face communication, focus groups, and social inclusion. More focus needs to be placed on the possibilities that evaluation could offer youths for strategic learning instead of focusing on the outcomes.

[April]

What are good practices for making sure that youth can make an informed decision about participating in an evaluation of a youth program?

Good practices will include:

– Notifying youths that their participation is voluntary and they are allowed to retrieve from the process at any time.

– Informed consent should be given by the youth and the guardian.

– Treating clients with respect and dignity.

– Use transparency. Inform clients of what the evaluation is about.

– Explain confidentiality.

[Salma]

I agree with a lot of points mentioned in the posts, in order to help identify service needs for Black youths, we have to look at some of the concerns and issues that the Black community has to face on the regular basis. Once we hear what they have to say about their experiences, we should start being proactive in designing pathways and programs for professionals, listen to their other people’s views and help young people overcome barriers. Programs and training should be held in a variety of settings including schools, community organizations and agencies. There should also be more Anti-Black Racism and DEI policies in place at workplaces.

[Salma]

One simple thing I could do in my work as a community worker is to continue listening to Black youth on what their experiences and perspectives are like when they navigate themselves around the City of Toronto and its surrounding areas.

One simple thing that organizations and agencies could do to help center Black Well-being and it will benefit employees in the workplace is providing training such as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). This will help educate them on a variety of different topics, such as Anti-Black Racism and how to properly engage with people of African and Caribbean descent professionally.

One thing I would like to improve when it comes to the outcome for Black youth personally and professionally, is that I would like to continue educating people on the topic of Anti-Black Racism (ABR) and the history behind it.

[Salma]

I think we should conduct some research using a variety of different methods such as qualitative and quantitative research, focus groups, and community-based research. This will help create a better understanding about Black youths and their families’ experiences and perspectives on the issues and challenges that they face in today’s society. As Rahma mentioned in her lecture in Module 2, “We must allocate greater resources and support to these communities.”

[Rose]

There is incredibly important research being done (past, present, and continuously) by Black scholars, researchers, students, and community members. Drawing on this research can be part of anti-racism work, for instance, if needing evidence for those in doubt about or not understanding the extensive impacts of anti-Black racism. – RS

[Rose]

Thank you for all the thoughtful responses here. Black youth, families, community members must be the leaders of all parts of this process and be well compensated for their time and expertise, and have the programs and services developed be fully and continually funded. -RS

[James]

Within my organization, we need to develop ways to safely and meaningfully uplift the voices and experiences of black youth. This will require thought, planning, engaging with the community, and identifying how we can move beyond a tokenistic approach to inclusion to a more meaningful way to capture the lived experience of black youth. This will require buy-in from front line staff and leadership, with a focus on how we can move towards more meaningful outcomes rather than just checking a box to say that feedback was gathered or that the community was consulted.

[James]

One simple thing I can do in my organization is present management with a recommendation to include ABR training for all new and current staff, as well as commit to an action plan to implement ABR principles into our work. I also want to focus on what I can do as an individual to better support black youth and families. For this, the concept of critical self reflection really stuck with me. Taking the time to reflect on experiences, hold myself accountable, and identify any biases that arise. This will take active work, ongoing education, and taking the time to listen to and learn from the black youth, families, colleagues, mentors, and friends in my life. As a part of this, I want to challenge myself to lean into the discomfort that comes up when reflecting, as this is where I feel true growth will happen.

[Joshua]

I believe that one simple thing we can do to center Black youth wellbeing in the workplace is to listen closely, self reflect, continue to advocate for Black youth wellbeing, and continue the conversation.

I believe that our agency would benefit from Black led mandatory trainings/ education that center Black youth.

[Rose]

Thank you for your discussion post, Joshua.

I echo your point. The places I have practiced would greatly benefit from additional workshops and trainings including and similar to these offered through YouthREX.

Imagine if more of our white colleagues took or had taken this Centering Black Youth Wellbeing Certificate on Combating Anti-Black Racism, and how this learning could positive impact their approaches to their work. – RS

[Joshua]

I believe that moving toward programs and services where Black youth are not experiencing anti- Black racism, would include reassessing the understanding of “power and opportunity,” within agencies.

Representation Matters

Healthy Black representation would be present at every level of the agency. Healthy Black representation would be supported by the broader agency and an intricate part of leading the overall direction. It would be essential that this happen without the expectation of Western assimilation, and without being labeled a “Black organization” due to the presence of Black leadership. Additionally, Black youth/ individuals would be meaningfully credited and compensated for their contributions, as appose to being expected to provide free consultation work.

Furthermore, Black centered supports and programs that include credible academic and business advancement opportunities, as well as quality mentorship for success would be made available, and effectively/ appropriately communicated.

[Helena]

The most simple and important thing that we can do as community frontline workers is to engage with various types of research including quantitative and especially qualitative which allows us to foster a lens of unique experience and narrative which may impact our work or interactions with Black community members. A very simple interaction could turn an individual away from feeling comfortable with, heard or included by, a resource due to a naïve or undereducated approach. Interactions with research allows us to identify what is functional and productive versus harmful in invisible or unrecognized ways. Quantitative data helps to identify the true values of actionable approaches, policy changes, and shifts in (or better-yet and hopefully reductions in) systemic racism. The raw data allows us to both identify functional programming, such as proactive youth involvement, community connections, police training and education surrounding institutionalized racism in the criminal justice system; and to identify harmful behaviours such as persistent institutionalized racism in the criminal justice system, arbitrary use of force, overrepresentation, and much more. There are a plethora of productive ways to utilize the research conducted that, as spoken on in the lectures, allows functional response to and advocacy for change on behalf of and with Black communities.

[Helena]

The forefront of inclusive and pro-active programming is funding and equitable access. Pathways must be drawn with the consideration of barriers to accessing these programs including poverty, transportation, and overall accessibility. Furthermore, program development should be addressed with an all-encompassing lens allowing broader contributions in activity, art, education, and other forefronts of programming; to be inclusive of different narratives, histories, perspectives, approaches, and skillsets instead of focusing on program material which is white-washed and westernized. Proactive programming would be engaging, available, inclusive, and considerate of its desired consumer.

[Joshua]

I believe that healthy Black representation at every level including research teams and governance boards is essential to truly experience change. This has the power to inform and engage useful dialog and also explores what meaningful steps forward can look like. We know that exploring the impacts of anti black racism is incredibly important and must continue. I believe that in addition to this, the continued exploration of meaningful and tangible next steps is essential. We as Black individuals are more than a statistic.

The more we appropriately validate ones lived experiences and resilience, is the more we create space for healing and the recognition that we do not need permission to know that we have a strong lineage, a sure hope, and a bright future.

Love well.

[Rose]

Thank you for your addition to the discussion, Aija. Greatly appreciated your thoughtful response. Another fundamental component to add, in thinking about Dr. Shah’s important lecture, is how white supremacy and whiteness operate, maintain, and intensify anti-Black racism. -RS