Toronto, Ontario, November 12, 2021 – The Health Research Council for People of African Descent is a national foundation that conducts, and promotes health research for People of African Descent. Through the lens of Anti-Black racism, institutional and systemic barriers; our work supports the growth, knowledge, and best practices that reduce and eliminate health disparities for the African diaspora across Canada.

The creation of the Council is timely. With the United Nations’ (UN) declaration of the International Decade for People of African Descent, recent efforts for the collection of race based data, as well as the pandemic in which Black people and communities, and continue to be disproportionally affected; the need for Black health research is extremely urgent.

The Council acknowledges the need to look at health beyond the biological markers and considers the social, economic, and lived experiences of Black people; including violence, technology, proximity to power and other social determinants of health which contribute to the lives, and quality of life for Black people across the diaspora.

According to, Dwight Townsend, Executive Lead of the Council, “health is not achieved in isolation. It’s both a local and global issue; and while the Council conducts research that primarily serves Black Canadians, we must also consider our connections to the broader diaspora. This recognizes Black People’s shared ancestry, migration patterns, and common experiences that result in physical, mental, and spiritual health deficits.”

In partnership with academia, governments, health and community organizations; the Council will lead ground breaking health research that mobilizes and supports equitable health outcomes, public policies and best practices for People of African Descent.

We look forward to what the Council will mean to Black Canadians, and the tremendous value it will add to the African diaspora and broader health care system.