Black Mental Health Week

In 2020, the City of Toronto hosted the first Black Mental Health Day in partnership with TAIBU Community Health Centre. It is now observed annual on the first Monday of every March.

But what started as a single day has already grown into a week. Black Mental Health Week is an initiative to highlight, support and improve the mental health of the Black community.

Black Mental Health Week is recognized this year from March 6 to 12.

Here’s some of the work that we are doing to support the mental wellness of Black people in Canada:

• Shining A Light on Mental Health in Black Communities, a fact sheet that brings together statistics, information about the barriers to care that this community faces, and tips for how to better support them.
• Amplifying Black Experiences in Cannabis and Mental Health Research: Virtual Dialogue Series, a summary report that focuses specifically on the experience and perspectives of Black communities. (If you’re in a hurry, you can skip to the key takeaways).
• Cannabis & Mental Health Research Projects, which include 2 projects focused on Black communities.

In addition, we have published a series of articles in our magazine, The Catalyst, about black experiences with mental health in Canada:

• “More than skin deep,” Rewriting the personal narratives born from anti-Black racism
• “Fabiola’s Story,” Addressing a void in mental health care systems
• “Stigma-bursting in song,” Belgian singer Stromae — whose European hits meld weighty themes with clubby beats — touches on the complexities of mental health on his recent album, Multitude. Ahead of his North American tour, Florence K — CBC Music host, singer, author of three books on mental health, and PhD candidate in neuropsychology — looks at its lyrics and layers.
• “Black like whom?,” A broader term captures the rich diversity within communities. Why we use ‘ACB’ over ‘Black’
• “Weaving through the challenges,” The ABCs of finding paths to ACB mental health care