ABOUT US

FIRST, WE ACKNOWLEDGE OUR ANCESTORS.

Equitable Action for Change stand in prayer to all our indigenous ancestors around the world enslaved, stolen, displaced, lost and free. From Punt, Masr, Timbuktu, UIuru, Aotearoa, Turtle Island and all indigenous lands on mother earth, known and unknown, spoken and unspoken. None of us would be here without our Black Indigenous Ancestors.  Ase/Amen.

We acknowledge the presence and continued contributions of Black People of many nations who have been on Turtle Island for centuries. We acknowledge that we are on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We also acknowledge that Tkaronto is covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Williams Treaties signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands.

We recognize and acknowledge that the land in which we live and work has been a site of human activity for 15,000 years.  We speak all your names in gratitude and reverence.

Today, the meeting place of Tkaronto/Toronto is still the home to many Indigenous, aboriginal and native people from across Africa, Turtle Island and the World over.  We are grateful to have the opportunity to work and live in the community, on this territory. Ase/Amen.

We VISION: To advocate, serve, empower our communities towards our individual, collective healing and reconciliation journeys.

 

MISSION STATEMENT: Healing, Empowering and Reconciling our communities equitably. An Equitable Action for Change begins with each of us. We are demanding equitable now for our communities and all Canadians for our collective healing.

 

KARIBUNI/WELCOME to Equitable Action for Change. We are a Black created, led, focused and serving not-for-profit, multi-service agency located in Tkaronto/Toronto, Ontario. We provide services in harm reduction, substance use challenged supports, assistance for sexually abused/physically abused, immigration/settlement services, employment assistance, community outreach services and arts supports.  Our work with an emphasis on access to services to reduce the systemic harms primarily to Black identifying LGBTTIQQSA, sex worker, drug user, substance challenged, intermittently housed/homeless/unsheltered folks.. among others in Tkaronto/Toronto. We work with our communities on anti-gang, anti-Violence initiatives. We work with our communities on equitable access to basic human rights such as access to food, housing and legal support. 

Equitable Action for Change works with our communities to mitigate the harms that come with the multiple racial disparities faced by our Black identifying peoples. 

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Our mission is to improve the lives of Black-Identifying people who face  barriers to their daily physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being. We do so by meaningfully engaging our communities by providing support to each other from a Peer Led Harm Reduction support service delivery model.  We work to ensure equitable access to primary access to services, while delivering quality services through a range of evidence informed programs, services and approaches.

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Multiple Canadian based data show that Black-identifying people are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, opioid crisis, homelessness, incarceration, contact with the legal system, sexual violence and physical violence.. in addition to other inequities. The statistics are even worse for Black LGBTTIQQS folks, especially youth.  It is for this reason our organization was created - to support our communities in order to prevent further harms. 

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As individuals with lived and living experiences who come from the marginalized communities we are supporting, our community services include community-based and -focused services, safety promotion, harm reduction, as well as environmental health programs for our vulnerable marginalized peoples. We are equally committed to equity and inclusion as our name reflects - as well as respect in our work and delivery of our services to our communities. It is to this vain that we demand Equitable Action of Change for all in our communities. 

 

As the famous African proverb; "It takes a village to raise a child," we intend on working in solidary collaboration with all our amazing community partners to deliver services to our vulnerable and marginalized Black identifying communities. We work from the lens of Nothing About Us, Without Us!