Black History Month is a time to recognize and learn about Black people and their communities’ histories, honour and celebrate Black leaders and their work, both past and present, and acknowledge and celebrate their contributions to Canadian society. The Alliance for Healthier Communities is committed to advancing health equity and improving health outcomes of Black communities. Our work to advance Black Health is informed by our Black Health Committee, which is comprised of Black executive directors and chief executive officers of members of the Alliance for Healthier Communities.
As we celebrate Black History Month, we focus our attention on the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to leave paths of destruction through Black communities across Canada. Black Canadians continue to buckle under the weight of ongoing health emergencies; Black people continue to experience loss and devastation from COVID-19 and related crises brought on by it. Much of this loss is rooted in deep historical inequities that result from anti-Black racism, which is steeped in Canada's legacy of social, cultural, economic and political oppression of Black communities and people. Considering this legacy and the more recent experiences of the pandemic, we call on Ontario's leaders and policymakers to act urgently to address the inequalities that continue to fuel the COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate impact on Black communities. The pandemic will not end for everyone unless it ends for Black communities. This means political and health system leaders must urgently address the social and structural determinants of health that make Black people vulnerable to health crises. Once again, this virus has exposed historical fault lines that Black communities face in their everyday lives. The time to address inequities faced by Black communities is now.
This year's Black History Month is focused on Black Futures. The Alliance for Healthier Communities welcomes the focus on creating a more inclusive future for Black people and communities, which centre on their health and wellbeing. However, we are concerned that without corrective and game-changing policies to meet Black communities' needs better, the futures we envision will remain unequal. If we are to truly create inclusive futures for Black people and communities, we need to focus on addressing anti-Black racism and the countless ways it impacts health and wellbeing. To accelerate our work towards better-envisioned futures, we urge our governments, leaders, and policymakers to be bold, intentional, and just in their work to make the necessary progress in improving Black health and wellbeing.