“We need to come together as a community, Black Creek community, come together and do something for ourselves…” These were the words of a Canadian-born woman from the Black Creek community, a composite of four neighbourhoods located in the northwest inner suburb of Toronto, on a research project seeking to explore the relationship between systemic racism, employment and economic inequalities, and health.
Black Creek is a community occupied by many people from distinct ethnic and racial groups on a low income, who face unique challenges in securing employment and economic opportunities. How do these families overcome the challenges they face and how do these strategies affect their health and well-being? These were the questions posed by the researchers in Income Security, Race and Health: Employment and Income Insecurities faced by Racialized Groups and their Impact on Health.
The research project was conducted in three phases:
The first phase, the Photovoice eXposed Project, showcases the photographs taken by local residents on the social impacts of poverty and racism. Photovoice is an approach which enables people from the community to visually represent their knowledge of their own reality.
The second phase, Process Report, describes the experiences and perspectives of different communities and service providers on the system-related barriers and discriminations that people from racialized communities face in the labour market and the impact that these have on the income security and health of their families.
The third phase, Family Interviews and Workshops, presents findings of interviews conducted with local families on the strategies they use to achieve income security and the economic and health impacts of these strategies.
Four research bulletins will provide highlights of the findings from the second and third phases. Stay tuned to find out more!
Income Security, Race and Health: Employment and Income Insecurities faced by Racialized Groups and their Impact on Health
Principal Organization: Access Alliance Multicultural Community Health Centre
Partner Organizations: Black Creek Community Health Centre, Griffin Centre, Toronto Public Health, Delta Family Resources Centre, York University, YoukU-TD Community Engagement Centre, University of Toronto (Cities Center), Ryerson University, Colour of Poverty Campaign, Black Creek Community Collaborative
Participants: Low-income racialized groups in Black Creek area
Research Methods: focus groups, interviews, photovoice