Black Lives Matter

Statements about anti-black and anti-indigenous racism and police violence.

Words have power. We know this first hand from our history with HIV stigma and discrimination. We hope that at this critical time, the sharing of these powerful statements will help to deepen our understanding, heighten our commitment, suggest paths of action and connect us in our emotional responses. Many of you will have seen some or all of these in recent days but we thought it important to share them collectively  and to ensure wide and consistent distribution of these incredibly thoughtful, passionate and insightful statements.

One of the multiple ways that THN is reflecting on and informing our role, actions and commitments, both organizationally and as a sector, will be through a Member & Partner Discussion session. We undertake this and other efforts with deep intent for meaningful engagement and contribution to this critical work. As we do so, we witness and stand with activists who are fighting anti-black and anti-indigenous racism and police violence which has had, and continues to have such a profound impact on the holistic well-being of black and indigenous individuals and communities.

Asian Community AIDS Services (ACAS) stands in solidarity with Black folks around the world, with the families and communities to which Regis Korchinski-Paquet, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery belonged, and with the many others who were and continue to be victims of unjust policing systems. See More…

 ACCHO’s Statement of Solidarity:

We, along with the communities we exist to serve across Ontario, continue to watch in horror and grief at the events taking place south of our border over the last few days. See more…

  APAA Stands in Solidarity with Justice for Black People Position Statement by APAA
This is an unprecedented time for Black people around the world. Repeated police brutality is the grim reality that Black people face on a daily basis. Since being released from slavery in the 19th Century, deep rooted systematic racism has continued to considerably affected the lives of black people in North America and other parts of the world. The judicial system, which should stand as the ultimate recourse for such injustices is not divorced from these systematic imbalances. See more …

 We stand in solidarity with our community here in Canada and around the world “Because all Black People’s Lives are Important”. See More ..

 Canada’s source for HIV and hepatitis C information, stands with activists across Canada, the United States and around the world fighting against anti-Black racism and police violence. Black Lives Matter.
Anti-Black racism is not an issue confined to the United States. Anti-Black racism is a pervasive and systemic problem in Canada that causes harm in many ways. See more …

  Over the past week, we’ve witnessed unprecedented violence against Black communities in North America – much of it the hands of police and the state. The latest incidents of state-sanctioned violence against Black people, including Regis Korchinski-Paquet, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade and countless others, remind us that to be Black in North America is to live with enduring and historic anti-Black racism that perpetuates violence, and systemic, economic, health and social inequities. In recognition of these realities, the Ontario AIDS Network and its members stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter movements in Ontario, across Canada, and around the world.  See more ...

 The Ontario Harm Reduction Network (OHRN) stands in solidarity with Black communities in Canada, the U.S. and around the world to actively resist anti-Black racism, white-supremacy, police violence and systemic injustices against Black communities. We call for justice for Black communities who have been subjected to police violence and the inexcusable deaths that have resulted. See more …

  Systemic racism exists in Ontario. This is unacceptable and this must change. The Ontario Nonprofit Network stands in solidarity with our Black, Indigenous and People of Colour colleagues and community members, and their loved ones. See more…

The past week has been extraordinarily troubling with the persistent acts of racial violence against Black people in Canada and the United States. Anti-Black racism is unacceptable, and these events once again highlight the ongoing systemic racism and injustices that impact our patients, colleagues, staff, learners, families and friends and has no place in our communities or institutions. We can only imagine the pain, anger and many emotions our Black co-workers, patients and friends are feeling. We are here to support and stand with you.

 In the past few weeks, we at the provincial WHAI team, along with our partners and allies across Ontario, have been watching in horror as two young women in Canada have been killed by police: Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a Black-Indigenous woman in Toronto, and Chantel Moore, an Indigenous woman in Edmundston, New Brunswick. See more…

Resources on Solidarity with Black Communities
The City of Toronto’s Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism. You can follow them on Twitter at @CABR_Toronto, and sign up for the listserv and updates here.