This article highlights Canadian resources on African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) communities and HIV and harm reduction. The resources include reports, guides and tools to aid service providers working with ACB communities, as well as resources for ACB people affected by HIV.
HIV prevention
These resources include guides, program models and reports to support HIV prevention programming for ACB communities.
HIV prevention guidelines for ACB communities
African and Caribbean Council on HIV/AIDS in Ontario (ACCHO)
2019
These guidelines address the delivery of HIV prevention services in ACB communities, as well as HIV testing and linkage to care. The guidelines reference the delivery of services in Ontario but provide culturally relevant guidance that can also be used in other provinces and territories.
Let's talk: A facilitator's guide
ACCHO
2016
This guide can be used to facilitate discussion and reflection among service providers looking to support ACB service users who are having challenging conversations with family and friends about HIV and other topics.
Black PRAISE: An intervention to strengthen how Black congregations understand HIV affecting Black communities
The Black PRAISE Research team
2020
This evidence brief summarizes Black PRAISE, a program to raise awareness about HIV-related knowledge and stigma that was conducted among ACB congregations in Ontario. The brief reviews the components of the program and their impact on the communities involved.
Operation Hairspray
Ottawa Public Health
2010
This case study provides an overview of Operation Hairspray, an HIV prevention and awareness program conducted by Ottawa Public Health. The program involves engaging employees of hair salons and barber shops who serve ACB communities to deliver basic HIV information to their customers in a culturally relevant way.
One of these things ain’t like the other: Exploring the HIV prevention needs of young adult Black same gender loving men
Gay Men’s Sexual Health Alliance (GMSH)
2020
This report summarizes the findings from focus groups conducted with young Black same gender loving men. The focus groups gathered men’s insights on the HIV prevention methods they use, the issues impacting their sexual health and well-being, and ways to improve the HIV prevention services delivered to them.
HIV testing
These resources promote and share information about HIV testing with ACB communities.
HIV self-testing project: African, Caribbean and Black community approaches
Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention (Black CAP) | HIV Edmonton | Ribbon Rouge | Women's Health in Women's Hands Community Health Centre | CATIE
2024
In this webinar, service providers share their experiences of implementing HIV self-testing within ACB communities.
The Care Collective
ACCHO
2020
The Care Collective is a campaign directed at ACB women that promotes HIV testing within the context of self-care.
Glad I tested
Women’s Health in Women’s Hands Community Health Centre
2015
In this video, five ACB women share their experiences of getting tested for HIV.
The test
iSpeak
2015
This short film follows a heterosexual Black man as he experiences the anxiety and uncertainty associated with deciding to get tested for HIV. The film was developed through the research project iSpeak, which focused on heterosexual ACB men and HIV in Ontario.
Living with HIV
These resources examine issues that impact ACB people with HIV.
HIV and the criminal law in Canada
HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO) | HIV Legal Network | ACCHO | Africans in Partnership Against AIDS (APAA) | Black CAP
2024
This booklet for ACB communities summarizes the impact of the criminal law on HIV disclosure in Canada. An accompanying video is also available.
Linking lives to care
ACCHO
2023
Linking Lives to Care is an HIV education and awareness campaign that uses social media to share information about HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care, and the social determinants of health with ACB community members A video explains the components of the campaign and the rationale behind it.
Because She Cares
Because She Cares Collaborative
2021
Because She Cares is a research project that explores the experiences of ACB women with HIV working in the HIV sector in Canada. The women’s experiences are shared through poetry and film.
To the beat of our own drum: African, Caribbean and Black Canadian elders on aging with HIV
Realize
2019
This report summarizes a literature review and the findings of focus groups examining the experiences of aging with HIV among ACB people.
Harm reduction
These resources address harm reduction and decriminalization of drug use from the perspective of the ACB community.
Decriminalization and harm reduction in the African Caribbean and Black communities: Getting to Tomorrow dialogue
Canadian Association of People who Use Drugs (CAPUD) | Black CAP | Toronto Harm Reduction Alliance | Zero Gun Violence Movement | DevelopMe Youth Centre | Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (CDPC)
2022
This report summarizes key themes from a dialogue convened to discuss the impact of current drug policies on ACB communities.
Decriminalize now: Akia's Story
HIV Legal Network
2021
In this short film, Blacktivist Akia shares their experience with drug use and their perspective on the criminalization of drug use in Canada.
Black voices locating our grief
AIDS Bereavement and Resiliency Program of Ontario (ABRPO)
This interactive module explores the experience of grief within the ACB community and is intended for service providers working in HIV and harm reduction.
Examining inequities
These reports address the inequities that impact the health of ACB communities and explore strategies for confronting them.
We can’t breathe: A manifesto for transformative action to address HIV among Black Canadian communities
Ad Hoc Committee on HIV in Black Canadian Communities
2022
This manifesto reviews how the current response to HIV has been inadequate for the ACB community and proposes a renewed approach that addresses anti-Black racism and includes the equitable, self-empowered participation of ACB community members. The manifesto was developed by a committee of ACB researchers, activists, scholars, people with HIV and frontline workers.
Health in focus: Racialized 2SLGBTQ health
Rainbow Health Ontario
2022
This report examines the historical and present-day impact of racism and discrimination toward racialized 2SLGBTQ people and its effect on their health and access to healthcare. The report also examines how healthcare services can work to overcome these inequities.
Race-based equity in substance use services
Public Health Ontario
2022
This rapid review summarizes literature on substance use services for racialized communities. The review found limited studies on substance use services, with most studies examining inequities and barriers and facilitators to service access.
Findings from the survey on the impact of COVID-19 on access to STBBI-related services, including harm reduction, for African, Caribbean and Black people in Canada
Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)
2022
This national survey assessed the impact of the early COVID-19 pandemic on the ACB community. The survey examines access to services for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI) and harm reduction services, and experiences of discrimination and food insecurity, among other issues. The survey was conducted in collaboration with a national working group that included ACB researchers, service providers, and community members and leaders.
Social determinants and inequities in health for Black Canadians: A snapshot
PHAC
2020
This brief report highlights the role anti-Black racism and discrimination play in the health-related inequities experienced by ACB communities in Canada and presents data illustrating these inequities.
A/C study community report: HIV among African, Caribbean, and Black people in Ontario
A/C Study Research Team
2020
This report summarizes a community-based research project on the factors impacting the risk for HIV among ACB communities in Ontario. The report includes key actions to address the vulnerabilities and inequities identified by community members.
About the author(s)
Erica Lee is CATIE’s manager of website content and evaluation. Since earning her master of information studies, Erica has worked in the health library field, supporting the information needs of frontline service providers and service users. Before joining CATIE, Erica worked as the Librarian at the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT).