Services/Support for Black Families and Caregivers
- ByBlacks: Black Youth and Family ServicesDirectory of African Canadian health and community service providers.
- Black Legal Action Centre (BLAC)Non-profit community legal clinic delivers legal aid services to low and no income Black/African Canadians in Ontario.
- TAIBU Community Health CentreOffers support to Black-identifying clients throughout the Greater Toronto Area in accessing primary care, and health promotion and disease prevention programs in a culturally affirming environment.
For a list of mental health resources, including peer support groups, visit the Mental Health for Care Providers guide. To access more information specifically for kin/alternate caregivers, visit the Kin/Alternate Care guide.
General Resources for Black Families and Caregivers
- Navigating the child welfare system: A guide for Ontario's Black community [2021]Created by the One Vision One Voice (OVOV) program to inform African Canadian families of how anti-Black racism can operate in child welfare. It offers African Canadian families support and guidance about how to navigate and interact with the system.
- "I [STILL] can't breathe": Supporting kids of color amid racialized violence [2020]Webinar recording and transcript from EmbraceRace featuring child psychologist Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith.
- Family care, community care and self-care tool kit: Healing in the face of cultural trauma [2016]Toolkit developed by and for people of African ancestry to support healing in the face of historical oppression and
contemporary sociopolitical cultural trauma.
Hair Care
- How to Care for Natural Hair for Beginners | My Full Natural Hair Regimen [2023]Offers tips on how to take care of natural 4c hair daily and nightly including what to do after washing, after taking out braids, in braids, in twists, in anything.
- This is the story of Black hair [2021]Sheds light on how the stigma around Afro-textured hair is a construct.
- 20 Ways To Care For Your Afro Textured Hair [n.d.]Tips and video tutorials on how to care for afro textured hair.
Affirmations and Black Joy
- Positive Affirmations for Black Kids [2021]A blog post that includes a list of affirmations for Black kids that can be incorporated into daily life.
- Black Joy Manifesto [2020]The 'Black Joy Manifesto' is a short film and poetic love letter to the beauty and importance of Black lives.
- 10 Black Canadian Women On Why Their Joy Is Radical [2020]A list containing 10 Black Canadian women that explain what brings them joy, and how being joyful in this moment is radical.
Resources for Discussing Race and Racism
- How to have open and honest conversations with children about racism [2023]An interview with writer Jaspreet Kaur who speaks on how to talk to children about race and racism.
- Raising anti-racist children [2023]An article that discusses the process by which young children learn about race—and how to prevent prejudice from taking root.
- How to not raise a racist white kid [2020]Article by author Jennifer Harvey. A related resource featuring Harvey is also available here
- Racism and violence: How to help kids handle the news [2020]Article from Child Mind Institute providing guidelines for parents and caregivers to help children understand and deal with troubling news about race and violence
- How to talk to your children about protests and racism [2020]Article with information for speaking to children of different ages as well as giving Black children "the talk".
- Watch the entire CNN/Sesame Street racism town hall [2020]Part 1 and 2 of Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism, a town hall for children and families.
- 10 tips for teaching and talking to kids about race [n.d]These tips are designed to help parents of all backgrounds talk to their children about race