Research with Black Communities to Inform Co-Development of a Framework for Anti-Racist Health and Community...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sociology
• Health Equity

Background:

• Systemic racism's impact intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The "Black Lives Matter" movement heightened awareness of systemic racism and the need for anti-racism initiatives.
• Research addresses the urgent need for institutional anti-racism work in health and community services.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify priority areas for anti-Black racism interventions in health and community programming.
• Co-develop tailored strategies with African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities.
• Examine how to build purposeful relationships between organizations and ACB communities in London, Ontario.

Main Methods:

• Conducted semi-structured interviews with nine leaders from ACB communities in London, Ontario.
• Interviews were conducted in French or English.
• Employed interpretive description methodology for analysis and interpretation.

Main Results:

• Participants confirmed the pervasive nature of anti-Black racism, with systemic racism causing the most significant harm.
• Key recommendations include creating ACB-specific services and education for non-Black communities.
• Increased representation, inclusion, and engagement of ACB individuals in organizations, particularly in leadership, are crucial.

Conclusions:

• Organizations must actively pursue anti-racist strategies and policies to avoid perpetuating systemic racism.
• A proposed framework can guide authentic partnerships between health/community organizations and ACB communities.
• The framework supports the co-development of effective strategies to combat anti-Black racism.