City invites Black and African diaspora communities to collaborate at town hall

We recognize that for too long anti-Black racism, and the systems that allow and support it, including our own, have gone unacknowledged and unaddressed in Vancouver.

City Manager Sadhu Johnston

September 17 2020 –

On Thursday, September 24, the perspectives of the Black and African diaspora communities will be elevated and centred at a virtual town hall with the City of Vancouver focused on addressing anti-Black racism.

Event details

The anti-Black racism town hall will take place from 6 to 8pm on Thursday, September 24.

Actively participate

We're inviting and centring the perspectives of Black and African diaspora communities in this discussion. Participants who want to actively participate in the discussion can email equity@vancouver.ca for log-in details.

Watch the livestream

The event will also be livestreamed on YouTube for members of the Black and African diaspora communities who want to watch, allies, and the general public.

Submit questions or comments

We encourage participants to submit questions or comments ahead of time via our Shape Your City website

Purpose of the town hall

At the town hall, we will respond to the comprehensive recommendations from the Black and African diaspora communities, update on the actions that are being taken, and listen as the communities contribute their priorities, concerns, and aspirations for the next steps that the City needs to take.

The event will be facilitated by community activist Vanessa Richards, and hosted by City Manager Sadhu Johnston and General Manager of Arts, Culture and Community Services, Sandra Singh.

Recent events have renewed our commitment to tackling these issues with greater dialogue and accountability. The town hall is the latest step that we're taking to address historic and ongoing anti-Black racism, which has painful, deep, and lasting impacts on residents and families.

Ahead of the event, staff have prepared a detailed summary (235 KB) of the valuable recommendations, research, and analysis that community members have invested time and labour in sharing with us, as well as outlining the upcoming initiatives that are proposed to accelerate this crucial work.

These community recommendations are already shaping the upcoming anti-Black racism strategy and equity work that is underway.

About the participants

The virtual town hall, which is also intended to provide space for Black residents who may not have shared their ideas before, will be attended by several City leaders.

Speakers will share information about the current initiatives that their department is working on in response to the community recommendations, answer questions from community members, and actively listen to the proposed priorities and perspectives voiced by community members.

City Manager Sadhu Johnston and Sandra Singh, General Manager for Arts, Culture and Community Services, will host the town hall and other members of the City Leadership Team including:

Paul Mochrie, Deputy City Manager
Gil Kelley, General Manager of Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability
Lon LaClaire, General Manager of Engineering Services
Francie Connell, Director of Legal Services
Andrew Naklicki, Chief Human Resources Manager

Quotes

City Manager Sadhu Johnston

“As we build a city that everyone can thrive in, our goal is to ensure that Black and African diaspora community members are fully able to contribute their ideas and priorities as we shape our anti-Black racism strategy and upcoming initiatives.

“We recognize that for too long anti-Black racism, and the systems that allow and support it, including our own, have gone unacknowledged and unaddressed in Vancouver. We see this town hall as a key step in working collaboratively with the communities who have invested so much time and labour into this work and putting these requests into action with dedicated resources and funding.”