Black Organizations to Distribute $25M Fund for Infrastructure and Capacity Building Announced

By Neil Armstrong

Photo credit: Kathy Grant     Floydeen Charles-Fridal, executive director of the Caribbean African Canadian Social Services (CAFCAN)

 

Meeting of the Minds (MOM), a group of Black community leaders and organizations, says it is pleased that after several months the results of its collective efforts have paid off.

 

 On May 16, Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development announced the names of the intermediary entities that will lead the distribution of the $25M allocated under the umbrella budget for the UN International Decade for People of African Descent.

The Black Business Initiative, Le Groupe 3737 and Tropicana Community Services were named as the organizations that will ensure that Black communities can fund programs and operations related to capacity building and infrastructure projects.

While congratulating them, MOM commended the federal government for choosing the agencies that it identified and recommended to the ministry last year.

On August 27, 2019, the government simultaneously announced the $25M capacity building fund in Montreal, Toronto and Halifax.

Both announcements are a result of several years of advocacy work by some Black community leaders who pushed the government to recognize the UN International Decade for People of African Descent, and the 2017 report from the UN Group of Experts on People of African Descent that followed their visit to Canada to look into the human rights condition of Black Canadians.

MOM also said a recommendation of over 35 Black community organizations and leaders from across the country at an all-day working meeting hosted by Employment and Service Development in Gatineau, Quebec on July 23, 2019 influenced the protocol of how these funds would be allocated.

The group said it was certain that these announcements are efforts to underscore the federal government's commitment to the UN International Decade for People of African Descent,” noting that Minister Hussen stated that “this is another step forward” in that direction.

“We look forward to the intermediaries’ continued engagement with Meeting of the Minds, their ongoing service to community and continued success in doing so. We stand committed to
working with government and organizations across Canada dedicated to equity and racial justice to build capacity in our diverse Black communities across this nation. We remain steadfast in mobilizing around these efforts,” said MOM.

In its presentation of the 2019 budget, the government noted that in recognition of the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent it would provide $25M over five years starting in 2019-20, for projects and capital assistance to celebrate, share knowledge and build capacity in Canada’s vibrant Black Canadian communities. 

A few months later, Adam Vaughan, parliamentary secretary to the minister of families, children and social development, announced the government’s support would help stakeholders to create the first national institute for Black Canadians. 

The Canadian Institute for Persons of African Descent (CIPAD) will work to advance initiatives that impact Black Canadians at a systemic level.

Floydeen Charles-Fridal, executive director of the Caribbean African Canadian Social Services (CAFCAN) in Toronto, collaborated with the Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute in Halifax, Nova Scotia and other organizations had submitted a proposal to the government for CIPAD.

“We are excited about the meaning of this announcement to present and future generations of African-Canadians as it amplifies and honours our legacy, perspective and contributions towards building and strengthening this nation. The Canadian Institute for People of African Descent and the intermediary model will enable capacity building in Black communities and further underscores the value of applying a Black lens in addressing the long-term systemic issues that we have faced in this country for generations,” said Charles-Fridal shortly after the announcement made by Vaughan.

Within days of the October 21 federal election, an agreement was signed with Employment and Services Development Canada (ESDC) to begin a feasibility study for the national institute for Black Canadians.

On October 24, the government disbursed the first installment of funds, ($174,000.00), to get the study started.

Charles-Fridal says the feasibility study is underway and they anticipate that it will be completed by late summer “at the end of which there will be a final report that is to be shared with the funder (ESDC) and the public.  Because of the pandemic we do not know if we will be able to hold the gathering in person to share the report.  If not, it will be done virtually.”

She said CAFCAN and the Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA) would be able to apply for funding for capacity building projects.  

“The criteria as to what this process will be is not yet determined.  We understand that it will be at least the end of the year before the funds become available.  The three named intermediaries do not yet have a contribution agreement with ESDC.”

Asked what the $25M means for CAFCAN and the JCA as organizations, Charles-Fridal said they could secure funding through the $5M capital assist fund.  

“Because the focus of this portion of the fund is on infrastructure, we would each or collectively submit an application that could be about brick and mortar enhancement or some other form.”

She noted that with the capacity building amount, the original intent of the intermediary structure was to focus on different priority areas that were determined last year.  

“Since we do not yet know what this will look like, it is hard to say.  Our hope is that whatever eligibility criteria are established, we would qualify.  If I heard the minister correctly, entities (including CAFCAN and JCA) if eligible, could get up to $100,000.00 in funding to be used towards whatever capacity building initiative we have been successful at applying for.  

“It is a small amount of funding but could be treated as seed money towards an initiative that is more long term and sustainable. It serves as an opportunity for our organizations to build capacity in an area that we would like to develop.”

She said for some Black-led, Black-serving organizations that could be governance, board recruitment and development, operations, among other things.

The executive director said it will be interesting to see how this all rolls out post-pandemic as the decision to allocate $25M was almost one year ago.  

“As you know Black Canadians were already vulnerable before the pandemic.  Such is the case for many of Black entities doing meaningful and effective work.  I suspect that for those who survive, their applications would look very different now than they would have; meaning that they may more likely be seeking funding support to address the impact that the pandemic has had on their organization,” she said.

Ontario’s Plan to Collect Race-based Data on COVID-19 Applauded

By Neil Armstrong

 

After weeks of Black health leaders calling for the collection of race-based socio-demographic data on the impact of COVID-19, Ontario has finally agreed to do so.

Dr. David Williams, chief medical officer of health, recently announced that the province would soon begin the process, which comes after consultants said it was necessary to collect socioeconomic status data.

Dr. Williams said the data could also help to identify which populations are at risk, particularly as public health measures are eased and more efforts are geared towards containment. The information would also inform program or policy decisions.

This turnabout came weeks after a press briefing on April 10 where Dr. Williams was asked about collecting race and socio-demographic data.  The question was prompted in response to efforts that the leaders in the Black Health Alliance initiated by an open letter.

Their concern was informed by statistics in the United States and the UK indicating the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black and racialized communities.

At that time the chief medical officer of health said all people are considered “equally important” hence the province would not be looking to collect race-based data.

The Black Health Alliance sees the government’s plan to collect race-based data as a good step forward but it has some concerns.

Its president, Paul Bailey, says communities have been asking for this kind of data collection for a while and more specifically with regard to COVID-19.

“Some of our concerns though are around data quality, specifically as it relates to different public health units… what standards they’ll be using to collect data, whether it’s asking very specific kind of questions, uniformity around those, and then how we have to actually analyze and then act on that data.”

 Angela Robertson, executive director of Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre, and Dr. Kwame McKenzie, CEO of the Wellesley Institute and some other Black health leaders are putting together a working group to offer advice to the ministry of health and long-term care.

Black Health Alliance is a broader collective that helps to bring community voices concerns and issues to the table that they then advance.

Bailey said it is concerning to many that the Public Health Agency of Canada says it is still considering the collection of race-based data, given the fact that Canada is in the midst of the pandemic right now.

Meanwhile, public health units in Peel Region, Toronto and Middlesex-London, and the provinces of Manitoba and Quebec have decided to collect socio-demographic data. Alberta's chief public health officer had committed to begin looking into race-based data collection.

“So there’s a movement around it and yeah, folks are continuing to pressure the federal government to align on this front,” says Bailey, noting that it is frustrating but the data collection is important.

On April 2, Black health leaders issued an open letter calling for race-based collection of data on COVID-19’s impact on Black communities in Ontario. 

“To change this pandemic’s trajectory we must be willing to ask difficult questions, including asking who is left behind in current responses and which communities are at increased risk of harm. We will not contain COVID-19 without bringing critical analysis and differential population health actions to our pandemic response,” said the coalition of Black leaders who work in the community health sector.

“We have always understood that a plethora of factors affect health outcomes for Black populations in the province. “Good health” is a product of access, social, cultural and economic factors. Similarly, structural and systemic inequalities are contributors to poor health outcomes. Ontario is home to the largest proportion of Black people in Canada. Here too, as in the rest of Canada, race is a determinant of health.”

It noted that COVID-19 does not flatten these disparities but instead amplifies them.

The coalition said Black workers, particularly Black women, are over-represented in front facing service provider roles, including among personal support workers (PSWs) and registered practical nurses (RPNs). 

It said many are providing essential services, yet unable to access support for their families. 

“COVID-19 is an unprecedented crisis. The policies enacted as the province and communities respond to the pandemic will have lasting impacts. Avenues for minimizing harm are available to the province, including comprehensive consultations with experts and strategists identified by our communities. We urge policy makers and emergency response planning bodies to adopt a critical lens in implementing policies. COVID-19 responses should not further disenfranchise and harm already marginalized communities.” Robertson was among the twelve signatories of the letter.

Meanwhile, Unifor, Canada’s largest private sector union, applauds the province’s move to collect race-based data on the novel coronavirus but is requesting responsible collection guidelines and asks other provinces to follow suit.

“The disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 disease on racialized communities has once again exposed how economic and structural inequality affects people’s health,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor national president.

 “We can observe this clearly, but without the data to guide us, governments will be ill-equipped to put in place lasting solutions. Ontario’s announcement to collect this data is a necessary first step.”

The union said the sharp rise and concentration of cases including infections and fatalities amongst people of colour in several countries prompted workers across Canada to call for race-based data collection. 

Some Ongoing and Upcoming Virtual Events, Some Postponed to Later in the Year

By Neil Armstrong

The annual Blockorama at Pride Toronto Festival will be a virtual event and close the festival on June 28, 2020

 

As a result of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, several Black organizations have shifted their events to virtual platforms.

This is a compilation of some that have planned ongoing and upcoming events, or postponed them to a later date.


A Different Booklist Cultural Centre: The People’s Residence

A Different Booklist Cultural Centre has been hosting various activities online, including webinars, interviews with authors in its ‘Literary Salon’ and other presentations via Zoom and Facebook Live. adbcc.org


Black Business and Professional Association

The Black Business and Professional Association presents its ‘As a Professional Series’ and other webinars on Zoom. It has also rescheduled the date of the 38^th BBPA Harry Jerome Awards to October 10, 2020 at the Beanfield Centre (at The Exhibition Centre across from Hotel X), 100 Princes’ Blvd., Toronto.  

Blockorama 2020

Curated by Blackness Yes! Blockorama is the largest and longest-running stage at Pride Toronto. Blockorama has a vibrant history that features local Black artists: Blocko DJ's, drag, ballroom, and musical performers.  This must-see event closes out the Pride Toronto Virtual Pride on Sunday, June 28. Check out the full schedule of programming at www.pridetoronto.com/virtualpride

In a Facebook post on April 2, Blockorama & Blackness YES! noted that because of COVID-19 “we cannot currently gather in large crowds, limiting our ability to gather and be together in a time of crisis.”

“It is perhaps not surprising that Pride Toronto has been cancelled/postponed for 2020, in light of this, we are deeply saddened to say that Blockorama will not take place in person this year. We applaud these efforts to maintain physical distancing and support saving the lives of folks on the margins. No one is expendable in this crisis, and staying home will ensure we all survive this,” read the post.

“We as a community worked together and fought for this space for Black queer, and trans folks to be together and thrive, and the spirit of Blocko will survive! Keep planning your Blocko outfits for the days when we can be outside, together, again. Keep supporting your communities and helping everyone to have what they need to survive this,” it continued.

Also programmed for Sunday, June 28 is BQC - Black Queer Collective, a showcase of Black queer and trans youth, and LatinX, a virtual party featuring Toronto's favourite queer Latin-American performers and DJs.

Blockorama at the Pride Toronto Festival

 


Black Gay Men’s Network of Ontario

The Black Gay Men’s Network of Ontario is a centralized hub for same-gender-loving men of African, African diaspora, Afro-Latino, Caribbean and Black identities, operating from Toronto as an independent and autonomous entity.

Its goal is to provide cultural, intergenerational and mentorship opportunities, leadership, self-development and empowerment, as well as activism support aimed at improving the lives of Black queer people in Ontario. BGMN kicked off a series of live performances on May 17. Check out bgmn.ca for more of its plans.

Canadian Black Chamber of Commerce

The Canadian Black Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit organization. It is the initiative of the National African Canadian Association (NACA), which was created to serve one of the five tenets of the NACA which is commerce and economic development within the Black diaspora. The CBCC has been hosting various seminars on Zoom. www.blackchamber.ca


First Fridays

First Fridays is a community activity club whose purpose is to organize a monthly activity(s) and/or event(s) that are focused on building and improving upon awareness, networking and information sharing for youth, adults, minority and mainstream communities in education, employment, self-employment, health and wellness, the arts and other areas of interest.

First Fridays in Toronto was founded in 1994. It is one of over 30 First Fridays that occur on the first Friday of every month throughout North America in cities like Montreal, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and New York, to name a few. Recently, a First Fridays in Peel Region, Ontario was launched.  www.firstfridays.ca


Jamaican Canadian Association

The Jamaican Canadian Association has postponed its annual Walk Good Walkathon from May to August 30, noting that the new date is pending any directive or established protocols issued by Public Health officials regarding COVID-19.  Jcatoronto.org


Nia Centre for the Arts

Founded in 2009, Nia Centre for the Arts is a charitable organization that showcases and promotes arts from the African diaspora. It offers programs in music, photography, liter­ature, the visual arts, theatre and interdisciplinary arts. www.niacentre.org

The Walnut Foundation

The Walnut Foundation had initially planned its annual walkathon for Saturday, June 6, 2020 but that has been postponed. It is now a virtual walk throughout May and June. www.thewalnutfoundation.com

Grace International Jerk Food & Music Festival

Toronto Ont. (May 16^th, 2020) – With the City of Toronto announcement on Friday cancelling all City-permitted major festivals and events with the attendance of 25,000 or more through August 31st, the Grace International Jerk Food & Music Festival (Grace JerkFest) was among the festivals on the City’s list. However Grace JerkFest is NOT cancelled and will take place in a virtual format on Saturday August 8^th and Sunday August 9^th, 2020.

“Of course we are disappointed that we won’t be having the festival in Etobicoke’s Centennial Park this year. This is a 19 year tradition that is a staple in the summer calendar,” said Anthony Plummer, executive director of the festival. “But we are now living in a different time and safety comes first and so we had to pivot and come up with a new way to bring the food, culture and music to Torontonians.”

The virtual Grace JerkFest will still consist of top headline performers, local acts, chef demonstrations and will incorporate a jerk food experience for participants. Full details will be released shortly.

For more information about Grace JerkFest:

Visit www.jerkfestival.ca, Follow @JerkFestival on Twitter  gracejerkfest on Instagram and GracejerkfestCanada on Facebook.

The Toronto Islands are a chain of 15 small islands in Lake Ontario, Canada

Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada

Pandemic Inspires Performer to Pen Poem About Global Affairs

By Neil Armstrong

Photo contributed      Tania Hernandez aka Miss Tania Lou

 

The coronavirus pandemic and other global happenings have spurred a Jamaican Canadian cultural performer and vocalist to write a poem about her ruminations on the first quarter of the year.

Tania Hernandez aka Miss Tania Lou says the sheer “shock and awe of the leap year” inspired her to put her emotions into words, using her Jamaican dialect, Patois, to convey her thoughts in the poem “2020!”  

“Speaking my birth country language elicited a deep, primordial response of how my ancestors and descendants would have expressed themselves, through the use of our wise sayings, colorful, humorous, but packs a punch and sharp like a two-edged-sword,” says Hernandez who lives in Hamilton, Ontario and has worked in special education for over twenty years.

She says writing is cathartic and allows her to express deep thoughts that permeate her heart, spirit and soul.

“The catastrophic events that came one after another right from the beginning of 2020 leaped into the lives of everyone in the world - forest fires," Britain Brexit! /From di monarch/ Harry and Meghan exit," locust infestations, earthquakes, storms, geopolitical strife, and then to "crown" it all, there comes coronavirus- COVID-19 pandemic – ‘lick wi down fi six,’” she said.

Describing the virus as an invisible enemy, Hernandez said it brought the world to a standstill and that her poem speaks about “the continuous barrage of catastrophic attacks all over earth.”

“Then novel corona comes on the scene unleashing unmercifully, illness, death, fear, uncertainty, economic collapse, business closures (business shut braps!), job losses, people having to be social - distancing and quarantining and changing the fabric of life - the pace of life- as we know it.”

She believes the “new-normal is to take stock of ourselves, be still and be mindful of ourselves and others, take attention off ourselves and think of others by practicing good hygiene and protecting one another. The natural law of action and reaction, and the divine, biblical law of "You reap what you sow," and "Love your neighbor as yourself," seem to be playing out right now.”

“I strongly feel that man's inhumanity to man and nature has wreaked havoc on this earth and I feel that nature and the supernatural divinity of this earth is responding to our maltreatment of what we were given to protect. We are stewards of this earth,” she said.

The poem ends with a call for a spiritual cleansing.

 “It is only through heartfelt penitence, humility, changing of our selfish ways, and asking the Divine Creator -' Massa God' for forgiveness for our actions that have harmed the earth and others, that we can truly gain momentum, peace, stability and healing.  Yes, "Tek di case and gi mi di pillow/We plead fuh mercy Faada God!/We repent a wi sins!"

Hernandez is a multisensory language practitioner, teaching kids with dyslexia, and other learning/developmental exceptionalities. She has authored the books – What Teachers Are Made Of (2015), and Alphabet, Vowels, Consonants & Syllables Reading Magic (2019).

She has written and recorded reggae and soca songs, and is also a gospel, jazz and R&B vocalist.

As a cultural performer, she continues to pay tribute to Louise ‘Miss Lou’ Bennett-Coverley whom she considers to be Jamaica’s ‘Mother of Culture.’

“I have made it one of my life's goal to carry on her legacy of preserving, promoting, protecting and performing Jamaican cultural heritage through songs, poems, stories, jokes, proverbs and dance.”

Hernandez says her poem, Happy Full Hundred Miss Lou!, has been a big hit on Facebook.

She admired watching Miss Lou on the 1970s’ children’s television show, Ring Ding, and even appeared on it. Hernandez is now working on a project with the Jamaican Cultural Association of Hamilton to put on a children’s program called Ring Ding later this year.

“It was from a child that I was motivated to perform my 'Jamaicanness' and I have been continuing to do so as a part of the diaspora community in Canada - spreading all that is lovely about our birth country. Like Miss Lou, I believe our children should learn about where they came from or they will not know their true power,” she said.

 In partnership with the Jamaica Foundation of Hamilton (JFH) and community members, she will be teaching many children how to perform cultural arts at its annual gala in November.  

The event will include a presentation of Miss Lou's digital archives at McMaster University Library and her son, Fabian Coverley, and his family will be in attendance.

The goals of the foundation are to support the Jamaican and Caribbean community, bring people together in unity, and to raise funds for the National Children’s Home in Jamaica.

Hernandez’s altruism includes being a sponsor, volunteer, mentor and theatre performer at Citikidz Hamilton, a not-for-profit organization which aims to end child poverty in Canada.

She is married and has four children and one grandchild.

Link to Miss Tania Lou’s poem, 2020!

https://youtu.be/ZQJh6zey-qA

[This story was published in the Thursday Star, April 16, 2020.]

Food Aid Project Launched to Help Low-income Black Households

By Neil Armstrong

Photo contributed     Eno Akan-Essien, director of support services, Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention (Black CAP)

 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention (Black CAP) has launched a project that distributes food aid packages to low-income African, Caribbean & Black (ACB) households in Toronto.  

The AYA Project, which started over the Easter weekend from the agency’s seed funds, provides grocery packages consisting of a combination of basic food items that are culturally specific and can sustain a household for up to two weeks.  There are two types of packages: family and individual.

Eno Akan-Essien, director of support services, says the official launch of the project was held on May 1 and their fundraising goal to sustain the project is $50,000. They are accepting donations for its long-term sustainability.

The initial plan was to provide groceries to fifty of their clients fortnightly but they recently heard from some non-clients who are in precarious situations and also in need of packages.

“And we had a request from eight trans women and fifteen youth who are really precariously housed,” she said, noting that they want to provide for all those in need of food.

“As an agency people usually come to us and with social distancing measures in place…. We thought it would be great if we reached out to people to offer something practical.”

She said the majority of people that Black CAP serves are newcomers and they are not eligible for the emergency relief funds and different types of monetary aid that people are getting in the province.

These are people who already struggle with food insecurity so the agency thought it would be “a good way for us to reach out to people in a practical way and at least bridge that gap.”

Akan-Essien acknowledged that there are food banks and other ways in which the government is set up to help people but these are not familiar foods for people who are new to the country so the AYA Project provides culturally appropriate food “that people already know how to cook.”

“You can imagine a person who is at home with a bunch of children and this is not necessarily the time when they’re trying to be adventurous and figure out how to make something of a box or can of something they don’t know.”

She said, however, if they are given food they know “they can not only cook it but they can figure out ways to make it stretch. That is comfort, there’s something you know; it feels good.”

It also provides a bit of respite for them from anxiety because of the uncertainties they are experiencing around the halting of immigration processes for now.

To ensure social distancing, Akan-Essien and her team are delivering the food packages to their doorsteps.

“Of course, the reception is grand. Who doesn’t want a box of saltfish, red snapper and avocado, sweet potatoes and just wonderful things that you know coming to your door and you don’t have to go anywhere to source it.”

Akan-Essien said there are limits in many places regarding food quantity but fortunately they found Black grocers who are willing to not put a limit on what they can purchase.

“Because they are themselves a part of this same community they are willing to work with us to make it more affordable and extend our reach,” she said.

Nief Neamatt, communications coordinator of Black CAP, said the aim for the AYA Project is for it to be self-sustainable so they have developed an online page for people to donate monthly or to make a one-time donation.

They are in need of volunteer drivers to deliver the packages and all such volunteers will undergo an interview process.

“Now more than ever, the ACB community needs your support. Food is one of the most basic of needs. The ever-growing economic instability due to job loss and ineligibility for financial support makes it difficult to meet those obligations,” says Black CAP.

The agency chose the Adinkra symbol, Aya – a fern leaf – representing resilience and perseverance from its branding to name the project with the hope that they will be able to continue nourishing their clients and more.