“Our mission is clear: to transform the lives of Black children and ensure they thrive, achieving their fullest potential in a world free from the constraints of anti-Black racism.”
Dr. Bukola Salami, PhD, Canada Research Chair in Black and Racialized People’s Health
Welcome to our newsletter.
I am thrilled to share the progress of our Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada project seeks to transform the lives of Black children and youth in Canada by addressing the unique needs of this population within the child welfare, immigration, justice, education, and health systems. In the first six months of the project, our activities included setting up the project, establishing governance structures, developing policies, and hiring highly qualified professionals. Additionally, we delivered a Black Youth Mentorship Program for high school and undergraduate students. Over the summer, I had the privilege, along with our research manager, Dr. Aloysius Maduforo, to mentor undergraduate and graduate students as they completed a scoping review of the literature. We conducted weekly two-hour workshops covering diverse topics related to research and career planning. Our search yielded over 270 research articles focused exclusively on Black children and youth in Canada. We are now in the process of analyzing this data.
We are also actively engaging diverse stakeholders and holding meetings with team members to develop projects that will positively impact Black children and youth in Canada. Our executive committee has been meeting monthly to guide all stages of the research project, and we have held numerous meetings with various committees to ensure comprehensive input.
My motivation for this project is simple yet bold: to transform the lives of Black children and ensure that every Black child in Canada can achieve their highest potential and well-being. I believe early engagement with diverse stakeholders is essential to achieving the maximum impact. As this project is one of the largest Tri-Council grants focused on the Black population in Canada, we are positioning it to build capacity—including that of early-career researchers—so we can have a sustainable impact on our communities. To accomplish this, we are creating a training environment to nurture the next generation of leaders in the Black community. Alongside delivering the Black Youth Mentorship Program and providing research opportunities for graduate students and early-career researchers, we are establishing a summer institute for these groups. The summer institute will be held from May 5 to 7, with a subsequent conference on May 8 and 9 in Calgary.
Achieving a sustainable impact that eliminates historical and contemporary anti-Black racism—as well as other intersecting inequities faced by Black children, youth, families, and communities—is at the core of our mission.
We are just beginning, and I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish five years from now.
Transforming Black Lives was founded with the mission to transform the lives of Black children and youths in Canada. With a history rooted in advocacy and community engagement, we have continuously worked to address systemic issues affecting Black communities.
