Our Research

Background

Black youth living in Southwestern Ontario have long been invisible in scholarship, policies, and general public discourses about this distinct region. Despite this historically white region experiencing a sharp rise in its Black and African populations, little is known about the racialized population residing in the locales that we are examining, and the inequalities that they may be facing.

In 2019, informal community conversations were held in London, where Black parents, guardians, community members, and youth expressed concerns about the future of young Black individuals in London-Middlesex, Chatham-Kent, and Elgin counties. These discussions highlighted the micro and macro aggressions occurring in spaces presumed to be safe, such as classrooms, workplaces, and public venues. 

The conversation concluded with a consensus that skills development programs, mentorship opportunities, and dialogue with policymakers are crucial for inspiring change. However, generating knowledge about the Black community is essential before effective programs and policies can be developed.  

Issues being addressed

Collectively, a team of Black community agents, scholars, allies and stakeholders will work to address the following interconnected questions:

  • How does it feel to be Black in Southwestern Ontario? How do the Black communities conceptualize the needs and aspirations of their youth?
  • What challenges do Black youth in SWO communities face when striving to address their needs?
  • What best practices have emerged in SWO to address Black youth's needs? How might relational modes of thinking/strategizing (i.e. intersectionality) offer a critical method of describing the layered needs of Black youth in SWO?

Project goals

  • Document and examine how Black SWO communities describe, define, decode, and dignify their lived realities (Year 1).
  • Understanding the similarities and differences in Black SWO youth's experiences, particularly as they converge and diverge across regions, ethnicities, genders, classes, etc. (Year 1.5 - 2).
  • Document community desires and Black youth concerns aimed at reducing systemic barriers in the worlds of work, education, and mentorship. This report will be shared with service providers and stakeholders (Year 2).
  • Build a reciprocal and sustainable community-researcher relationship for future collaborations (Year 2).
  • Co-create findings informing and developing collective strategies for challenging and changing marginalization in and across SWO (Year 2).

How does this project give back to the Black SWO Community?

When conducting research in equity-deserving communities, it is important to offer something in return to have a lasting, positive influence on the population in question, rather than simply documenting their issues without offering any solutions.

  • Adds to the body of Black Canadian youth literature with a focus on diverse locations.
  • Shapes the future of Black Canadian scholarship by merging theory and practice with young research talent.
  • Highlights the critical and humanistic importance of conducting research in collaboration with the community, one that is culturally, ethnically, and geographically connected.
  • Provide an encouraging reference point to those seeking to explore under-documented Black lives in an overwhelmingly white space.
  • Inspire transformation geared towards correcting the negative narrative directed towards Black youth, including the misrecognition of Black communities.