Recognizing Black History Month
CABBIE RICHARDS
Q&A WITH Why Black History Month Matters
Cabbie Richards, Sportsnet Executive Producer and Host of SNBets, sat down with Mediaplanet to discuss the importance of Black History Month.
Growing up in Toronto, have you noticed any differences in how Canadians celebrate Black History Month today?
Overwhelmingly, yes. Until the mid 2010s, large corporations, media companies, and sports leagues didn’t publicly acknowledge or celebrate Black History Month. I’m 45 years old, so for most of my life, Black History Month was celebrated primarily within the community and not in broader society. Black culture has been commoditized for decades in the mainstream: television, music, movies, entertainment, culture at large, and so on. And to get broader recognition that highlights the contributions of not only our icons and civil rights leaders but also artists, entrepreneurs, teachers, and people with much lesser profiles feels like we’re finally being seen.
How do you think Black history should be incorporated into the education and promotion of sports in schools?
Unfortunately, I haven’t been in an elementary school or high school classroom in a meaningful way in almost 30 years so I can’t answer this question. There might be curricula or capsules dedicated to Black History Month taught by educators that meet or surpass my expectations. If there’s substantial acknowledgment, consuming literature, content, and learning of the contributions of Black Canadians or Black Americans, that meets my expectations.
How important is it for influential members of the media like yourself to use their platforms to address social justice issues and to promote diversity and inclusion?
As a public figure, I understand that I represent more than myself or my immediate family. A common sentiment in my community is that as Black people, we’re judged by our worst and not by our best. As a group, we’re stigmatized by someone else’s wrongdoing or criminal acts. So, yes, it’s worthwhile to use one’s platform to speak truth to power and to address social issues and to promote diversity and inclusion. My platform isn’t huge and I don’t often use it to speak out about societal ills or injustices. Every person has a choice as to when to let their voice be heard or what kind of action they want to take or how to make a difference in their community.
What does Black History Month mean to you?
Black History Month means to remember, recognize, and celebrate achievements by individuals in the Black community and contributions to the culture at large — in the arts, sciences, medicine, finance, literature, entertainment, history, and so on. It’s an acknowledgment of Black excellence.
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Michael Taylor
GGeorge Brown College Graduates, Employees,
and
Students Are Working Together to Promote and Support Black Futures
During Black Futures Month, George Brown College demonstrates its commitment to providing equitable, accessible, and inclusive learning and working environments to students.
eorge Brown College celebrates Black Futures Month in February, when we recognize Black excellence and innovation and represent the rich history of peoples from the African diaspora. Developed by George Brown's Office of Anti-Racism, Equity, and Human Rights Services in collaboration with Black students, employees, and union locals, Black Futures honours the past while relishing the present and anticipating a bright future.
The work of ensuring George Brown College provides equitable, accessible, and inclusive learning and working environments continues all year. Guided by our Anti-Racism Action Plan, Indigenous Education Strategy, and our commitments under the Scarborough Charter, we’re taking tangible steps to become an anti-racist institution and to support reconciliation.
Changing the financial services industry Financial services executive and George Brown College graduate Ray Williams started the first Canadian chapter of an organization for Black finance professionals two decades ago to create networking and advancement opportunities. Today, he's proud to see more diversity in senior leadership positions, but there's still much work to be done.
Williams is the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Financial Markets at National Bank Financial. Throughout his career, he's worked to foster Black talent, support Black organizations and entrepreneurs, and highlight the gap when it comes to leaders from Black and other diverse communities in finance and the federal public service.
"When I talk about being a quiet activist and a social justice warrior, I'm talking about creating equity within all spaces," he says. "I understand what it looks like because I happen to be a Black man working in an area where, more generally speaking, I’m a minority, and quite often, there’s a missing piece. The missing piece is the lack of understanding that I have the same ambitions as my peers, yet I'm looked at differently."
Creating networking and advancement
district to Toronto's Bay Street, Williams co-founded the Canadian chapter of the U.S.-based National Association of Urban Bankers in 1996. The monthly meetings provided members with a "sense of comfort in knowing there were others like them on Bay Street," explains Williams.
The group changed its name to the Urban Financial Services Coalition when Williams became president in 2000. Today, it’s known as the Canadian Association of Urban Financial Professionals, and recently celebrated its silver anniversary.
"I'm proud to say that I helped create something that’s now 25 years old,” says Williams. “I'm also proud to say that when I look around today, there are so many more people of colour in senior management positions, myself included. There’s still a lot of work to do because there are many people who are extremely capable but don't necessarily always get the opportunities they deserve based on their particular brilliance because too often that's discounted."
Williams is also the Chair and Co-Founder of the Black Opportunity Fund, which was launched in 2020 to address underinvestment in Black communities. The group supports Black entrepreneurs, businesses, and community organizations.
"We're talking about how we can change the economic environment for Black people in Canada," says Williams.
Williams completed the Culinary Skills program at George Brown's School of Continuing Education in 2011. As a dedicated lifelong learner and advocate for accessible education, he deepened his connection to the college by supporting the Food Court Social. The annual event, which features top Toronto chefs, supports George Brown programs for people with mental health and addiction challenges.
"I think George Brown, from a wider community standpoint, does and undertakes so much," says Williams.
And as a member of the George Brown College Foundation's Board of Directors since 2021, Williams helps to support the needs of George Brown students and to
improve access to education.
Creating a sense of community and safe space
While Williams continues to address inequities in the financial sector and advocate for improved access to higher education, a group of George Brown employees and students works to ensure that Black students find a community and support on campus.
When I talk about being a quiet activist and a social justice warrior, I'm talking about creating equity within all spaces.
Black Student Success Coordinator Abisola Asha runs the Black Student Success Network (BSSN) and has significantly expanded its programming over the past year, guided by the BSSN pillars of academic support, information and referrals, mentorship, and social engagement.
Asha established monthly BSSN dropins for students to meet, grab a bite to eat, and talk to an academic advisor or student ambassadors. The drop-in events highlighted the need for increased mental health support for Black students. Asha worked with the college's Counselling and Student Well-Being team to develop a new approach.
"During the drop-ins, I realized that our students were stressed. There's so much going on with the pandemic, and being a Black student, in general, is very challenging," says Asha. "To address this, I developed the Talking Circle. It has been an excellent way for the students to sit with a mental health professional and psychotherapist from the college to talk about their lives."
BSSN Student Ambassador Wangechi Mwaura says the monthly Talking Circle events provide an important outlet. "It's a safe space where you can come and talk about certain things that affect us specifically as Black students," she says.
Through these initiatives, along with George Brown College’s ongoing leadership
George Brown College
Designing Culturally Sensitive and Accessible Care For Black Ontarians
The Black Physicians’ Association of Ontario (BPAO) is leading the charge to deliver culturally sensitive care that African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) communities deserve. At the onset of the pandemic, BPAO and the Black Health Alliance (BHA) stepped up to fill the healthcare inequities by educating and vaccinating the community through the Black Health Vaccination Initiative (BHVI).
“If not us then who,” says Chenai Kadrunge, Executive Director of BPAO. As the organization representing Black physicians in the province, they immediately understood how COVID-19 would disproportionately affect ACB communities and swiftly staged clinical interventions using their expertise. As a result, both agencies successfully ran over 320 community events, administered more than 75,000 vaccines by ACB physicians and collaborated with more than 29 community partners to achieve this feat.
Building health infrastructure on culture and empathy
Delivering and designing culturally sensitive care in a complex health ecosystem required open collaboration between BPAO, BHA, community health centers (CHC), government and corporate sponsors and ACB community members.
In 2021, ACB communities represented
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Sabrina Seecharran
4.3 per cent of Canada's population, half of which resides in Ontario. Black physicians are underrepresented in health care, making up 2.3 per cent of professionals in Ontario, which limits access to culturally sensitive care and perpetuates the widespread harm and negligence Black patients often experience. As a result, ACB communities distrust the traditional healthcare system, preventing them from seeking medical attention and living with untreated conditions instead.
Before the organizations launched their clinics, they engaged with the community at barber shops, churches and mosques to gain insight into how best to serve their needs.
Concurrently, they liaised with various CHC and cultural associations to paint a complete picture of the communities' healthcare journey and how to work with the existing infrastructure.
The visibility of Black physicians makes a difference
Dr. David Esho is a family physician and lead for BHVI, who shared that resilient partnerships are key to sustainable community programs. One of the first clinics launched in partnership with the Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA), Caribbean African and Canadian Social Services (CAFCAN) and Black Creek Community Health Center (BCCH) delivered a unique model that
allowed patients to have greater time for dialogue with physicians, seats for people to wait and music to keep things lively. There was a slight rush on the opening day during the morning from curious individuals, who later returned in the afternoon with their family and friends, gathering over 2000 people on that day alone. ACB communities want to take care of their health, and seeing a room filled with Black healthcare providers made a difference in taking this initiative.
BPAO and BHA propel change through data-driven solutions
After vaccination initiatives slowed down, BHVI transformed into the Black Health Wellness Initiative (BHWI) to address the broader health and wellness needs lacking in the traditional healthcare ecosystem. Through BHVI, BPAO worked closely with the BHA as a strategist who facilitated connections with the right community partners. Together they collaborate and collect disaggregated data to make informed decisions that better health outcomes for ACB communities.
BPAO continues to work with BHA and other partners to run programs like Black Health Talks and wellness fairs to restore their community's faith in their collective capacity to create change.
Leaders who reflect the diversity of the population, bring different perspectives that shape everything from how products and services are designed and delivered to who is hired and who is retained. For more than a decade, research by the Diversity Institute (DI) at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University showed clearly that there were gaps in representation at the top. While more than four percent of Canadians are Black, a review of 1600 corporate board members found only four Black women and nine Black men. Other research had revealed the ways in which anti-Black racism permeated systems at every level. In collaboration with the Future Skills Centre, DI has explored evidence-based solutions to advance diversity in corporate leadership, employment across sectors, entrepreneurship, post-secondary education, trades, and high school graduation.
One resounding conclusion is the need to work upstream. “If you want change in the boardroom, you have to start with the classroom,” says Dr. Mohamed Elmi, Executive Director at DI. “We know that education is one of the strongest drivers of social mobility. And, seeing a lack of role models and opportunities, many Black youth still feel discouraged from pursuing higher educa-
tion and employment in specific fields.”
“Collaborating with partners like the Lifelong Leadership Institute, the Jean Augustine Centre and many others, we have paid particular attention to the impact of the pandemic on Black youth. Building on the success of the Study Buddy free tutoring program, the Advanced Digital and Professional Training Program (ADaPT) and our entrepreneurship training programs, we recently developed and launched customized programming for the Peel District School Board. With the help of the Government of Ontario Black Youth Action Plan (BYAP), we are laser focused on ensuring Black Youth have the skills they need to be part of the future of work,” said Elmi.
The ADaPT for Black Youth program is designed to rapidly upskill senior students and recent graduates with a combination of in-demand technology and business courses, communication skills for job success and wraparound supports including career counselling and work integrated learning.
The success of the ADaPT program rests on active engagement with employers. Large employers such as RBC, Adecco, Moneris, government departments and SMEs quickly realized its benefits. With placement rates exceeding 90 per cent, even during the
pandemic, the program struck a responsive chord. “1-DEGREE/Shift worked closely with the Diversity Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University to recruit very capable, well-prepared, enthusiastic, diverse and eager candidates to fill our Project Coordinator role through their ADaPT program,” says Linda Morana, Manager, Program Experience, 1-DEGREE/Shift.
ADaPT’s innovative design provides new pathways for youth into jobs in business. Kunal Variawa, a university graduate in Toronto with a BA in criminology and a minor in geography, heard about ADaPT from a friend who had been through the program. “ADaPT offers those hands-on cutting-edge skills that we need to be successful in the workplace,” says Variawa. “ADaPT made sure that we had the best resumes, preparation and skills that were needed in order to go into those (job) interviews and conquer them”.
“Racism, anti-Black racism and any other forms of discrimination carries a huge social and economic cost to Canada,” adds Elmi. “In the current environment, employers need access to talent, access to diverse markets and new ways of thinking. If we want to crack glass ceilings we have to first open the doors.”
