Join Toronto Public Health and Wellesley Institute’s Dr. Kwame McKenzie on February 12th for a discussion on strategies for closing health inequities, as part of the City of Toronto’s Black History Month events.
Racism makes people sick. A 2013 Toronto Public Health (TPH) report shows that racism results in increased rates of depression, work and life stress, as well as worse self-reported health. In fact, the more racism a person experiences, the more likely they are to suffer from poor health.
Racism is a prevalent reality in this city. Research shows that two-thirds of Torontonians report having experienced discrimination because of their race, ethnicity or culture. Given Toronto’s ethno-racial diversity, racism is a public health issue in this city.
Dr. Kwame McKenize is an international expert in racism and mental health. He will speak about the evidence in this area of research; resiliency factors in communities; and how public health and other city divisions can reduce health inequities in racialized communities.