Abstracts
Abstract
In the spring of 2020, African Nova Scotians were faced with two emerging pandemics: the ongoing pandemic of anti-Black racism, and the pandemic of COVID-19. The Association of Black Social Workers created a response specific to the needs of African Nova Scotians, employing the six practice principles of Africentric social work. They established a partnership with community and government partners to manage a phone line to triage based on need, and a virtual community check-in to connect about the pressing Black Lives Matter movement. This paper contextualizes the historic and current systemic racial inequities faced by African Nova Scotians within the context of the current public health emergency, and the need for an equitable, community-based emergency response. This specialized, Africentric service provision model can be used to inform the development of emergency responses for other Black communities in Canada.
Keywords:
- anti-Black racism,
- social work,
- African Nova Scotian,
- COVID-19 pandemic,
- health equity,
- relief
Résumé
Au printemps 2020, les Néo-Écossais d’origine africaine ont été confrontés à deux pandémies émergentes : la pandémie continuelle de racisme anti-Noir et la pandémie de la COVID-19. L’Association of Black Social Workers a créé une réponse spécifique aux besoins des Néo-Écossais d’origine africaine, en utilisant les six principes d’intervention du travail social afrocentrique. Elle a établi un partenariat avec des partenaires communautaires et gouvernementaux pour gérer une ligne téléphonique de triage en fonction des besoins, et une communauté virtuelle permettant de rester connecter au sujet du mouvement « La vie des Noirs compte » (Black Lives Matter). Ce document met en contexte les inégalités raciales systémiques, historiques et actuelles, auxquelles sont confrontés les Néo-Écossais d’origine africaine dans le contexte de l’urgence sanitaire actuelle, et la nécessité de mesures d’urgence équitables et communautaires. Ce modèle de prestation de services afrocentriques spécialisés peut être utilisé pour éclairer l’élaboration de mesures d’urgence pour les autres communautés noires du Canada.
Mots-clés :
- racisme anti-Noir,
- travail social,
- Néo-Écossais d’origine africaine,
- pandémie COVID-19,
- équité en santé,
- aide
Appendices
Bibliography
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