DURHAM BLACK NETWORK

Together We Are Stronger®

Durham Black Network is a group of Black Community Members / organizations (70% Black & 30% Allies) advocating for Equity and Equality. Established in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd, driven by a shared passion of needing change, dedicating their time to focus on dismantling barriers to help eliminate Systemic Anti-Black Racism issues that the Black Community faces within their diverse lived experiences. Our programs Includes the Black Experience Townhall and Black Open Mic focused on Awareness, Support & Building Relationships. Our partners include The Municipality of Clarington and the Clarington Public Library.

Mission: Our mission is to identify, illuminate and combat Anti-Black Racism through positive action and supportive allyship.

Vision: To create a legacy for future generations where members of the Black Community have a sense of belonging that comes from being valued and respected.

Black Experience Townhall

Addressing the impact of Anti-Black Racism

Looking at the various areas and creating an environment to bring those entities to the Townhall to interact through expert presentations, real-life stories, and community dialogues with both the Black Community and Allies. Through our program structure, Black Community Members can have a platform to be heard and allies are able to listen with empathy to better understand each other and work together to improve the systemic barriers that exist. The outcome of this program is to build self worth, confidence and social connectedness to improve and positively influence their quality of life with the goal of creating equity and equality within our systems.

Learn about the next Townhall

Through our program, organizations will be able to look within their systems and approached to change and create new behaviours and approaches to break down barriers within their systems. Our program will show and demonstrate that allies care about how the Black Community are impacted and want to work to help change the barriers that exist in our systems so that equality and equality can exist. This program will allow and encourage new behaviours, provide education, and create accountability for change. With the recent social climate, our mandate has expanded to target specifically the challenges facing the Black Community, create a movement of awareness and develop strategies that influences systemic and societal change to overcome Anti-Black Racism. Our expanded programming aims to support the well-being of Black Black Community, as they endure and combat the Systemic, Anti-Black injustices that permeate through our various institutions. The Black Experience Townhall achieve this through Education, Dialogue, Support, and Resources for the Black Community, navigating this challenging landscape.

Black Open Mic

A safe space to share Systemic Anti-Black Racism

The Black Open Mic focuses on elevating the voices of the Black Community. An opportunity to elevate voices while expressing experiences through creativity of poetry. The healing activity is led by a Black Psychotherapist/ Social worker who shares strategies or creative process that helps to build or start that journey of healing including decompressing what was heard and how to consider ways of healing from the trauma of racism. Join our FREE virtual conversation for the Black Community to share their encounters with Systemic Anti-Black Racism. Has your voice been heard? We invite you to bring your stories or poetry. Real talents, real people and real stories. Please Join us and share this event so that others may receive needed support. Let's keep on talking, last Thursdays every 3 months.

Learn about the next open mic

Equity & Equality T-Shirt

Check our our store for Durham Black Network Merchandise to help support our programs for the Black Community.

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Community support

DBN run programs such as, the Black Open Mic every 3 months, Black Experience Townhall (a 3-part series on Community Safety & Justice, Healthcare & Mental Wellbeing and Education & Child Welfare) to help support the Black Community in addressing Systemic Anti-Black Racism with a focus of moving forward because Together We Are Stronger®.

For Black History month 2022, DBN members did delegations at the Municipality of Clarington, City of Pickering and Town of Ajax to recognize Black History Month and share the great work the team are doing in the community. Durham Black Network Members also took part in supporting Durham Catholic Virtual Elementary School by selecting quotes from Black Leaders for students to record themselves saying which were played during morning announcements during the month of February 2022. The team also recorded a video played for students and staff of Durham Catholic Virtual Elementary School for the morning announcement in recognition of Black History month.

Durham Black Network