Addressing Anti-Black Racism

Project Scope

The Addressing Anti-Black Racism project, including community engagement, will be exclusively focused on services offered by the City and within its jurisdiction. Matters outside this scope, while welcome as part of any community discussions and recognized as deeply impactful to the diverse Black communities in Vaughan, will be recorded and, where possible, provided to the relevant organizations for any subsequent action. Learn more about the City of Vaughan’s government structure and services.
 

Project Updates

Thank you to everyone who took the survey, which was open from Feb. 13 to April 30, and participated in the series of focus groups and drop-in sessions between March 13 and April 25 to help identify and address anti-Black racism by improving City programs, policies, procedures and services.

The City values the feedback and opinions of its residents. The information gathered during the community engagement process will inform the development of a report, recommendations and multi-year action plan to address anti-Black racism.

Since the project launched in September 2022, the City has:

• Reviewed existing Anti-Black Racism Action Plans across cities in Canada to better understand existing efforts, plan components, structures and more.
• Identified organizations led by and/or supporting the Black community in Vaughan and York Region.
• Organized an Addressing Anti-Black Racism Special Advisory Committee comprised of Black citizens through a ​public recruitment. The mandate of the Special Advisory Committee is to:
  • provide advice on the project.
  • facilitate community connections.
  • advise on and guide the community engagement process.
  • provide feedback on the reports in each phase of the project.
  • provide feedback on the recommendations and action plan.
• Organized focus group sessions with organizations supporting the Black community in the city.

Project timeline

• Strategy review and initial outreach – Fall 2022 | Complete
• Community engagement: identifying key issues and recommended actions – Winter/Spring 2022 | Complete
• Validation of the draft action plan – Summer/Fall 2023 | In Progress
• Launch the final action plan city-wide – 2024 

Special Advisory Committee 

The City established the Addressing Anti-Black Racism Community Engagement Action Plan Project Special Advisory Committee is to ensure the project centers the voices and expertise of the diverse Black communities living in Vaughan and the organizations that serve them. 

The Special Advisory Committee is made up of seven diverse Black community members and policy leaders with lived experience and/or expertise. 

The mandate of the Special Advisory Committee is to:

• provide advice on the project.
• facilitate community connections.
• advise and guide the community engagement process.
• provide feedback on the reports in each phase of the project.
• provide feedback on the recommendations and action plan.

The committee will exist for the length of time it takes to complete the Addressing Anti-Black Racism Action Plan project, which will be approximately 15 months. 

Understanding Anti-Black Racism

Anti-Black racism is historic, pervasive and systemic in Canada. It refers to attitudes, beliefs, prejudices and/or discriminatory practices that are directed at Black people. It is micro (as seen in day-to-day interactions) and structural (as seen in laws and policies). It is entrenched into societal practices that reflect and reinforce beliefs, attitudes, prejudice, stereotyping and/or discrimination directed at people of African descent and is rooted in their unique history and experience of enslavement and colonization here in Canada. Anti-Black racism can be reflected in many forms, including disparities in health, education, employment and others. These outcomes can vary greatly within the Black community, as Black individuals of different genders, religions, ages, sexual orientations and other identities experience overlapping barriers. This means to address anti-Black racism, the diverse identities and lived experiences within the Black community must be supported.

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