ABSTRACT
The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted not only in the closing of national borders but also in the revival of symbolic borders informed by colonial, orientalist, and white supremacist legacies that have entrenched socioeconomic and racial inequalities, resulting in devastating impacts on migrant and refugee communities in the Global South and on racialized communities in the Global North. At the same time, racialized and migrant communities, and their allies, continue to struggle and reformulate strategies of survival and resistance. As social work educators and scholars situated in Quebec, Canada, the authors of this chapter aim to engage in critical dialogue and reflection about the ways in which COVID-19 has reorganized how they engage in social work research and education alongside oppressed communities and within their university and school of social work. The authors witnessed of the impacts of COVID-19 were shaped by forms of hypervulnerability that revived feelings of belonging and rejection to dominant and oppressed communities as well as silenced and intergenerational traumas. These dynamics were informed by historical colonial heritages that are often erased but then resurfaced in the form of colonial scars. As COVID-19 broke upon these colonial scars, the authors engage in critical dialogue about the ways in which their varied social locations and experiences shaped how they navigated complex "insider/outsider” dynamics. Through deep listening and giving account to oneself, a decolonial feminist approach in responding to COVID-19 crises is proposed. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: A failure to ensure racial equity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has caused Black communities in Canada to disproportionately be impacted. The aim of the current study was to determine the needs and concerns of Black communities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and to highlight the importance of collecting race-based COVID-19 data early on to address these needs. METHODS: Six qualitative interviews were conducted with local community health centre leaders who serve a high population of racialized communities within the GTA. Content analysis was used to extract the main themes and concerns raised during the interviews. RESULTS: The findings from this study provide further evidence of the disproportionate impact COVID-19 has had on Black and other racialized communities. Difficulty self-isolating due to overcrowded housing, food insecurity, and less social support for seniors were concerns identified by community health leaders. Also, enhanced financial support for front-line workers, such as Personal Support Workers (PSWs), was an important concern raised. In order to lessen the impact of the pandemic on these communities, leaders noted the need for greater accessibility of testing centres in these areas and a greater investment in tailored health promotion approaches. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our findings point to the importance of collecting race-based data to ensure an equitable response to the pandemic. The current "one size fits all" response is not effective for all individuals, especially Black communities. Not all populations have access to the same resources, nor do they live in the same conditions (Kantamneni, J Vocal Behav 119:103439, 2020). A deeper consideration of the social determinants of health are needed when implementing COVID-19 policies and responses. Also, a lack of attention to Black communities only continues to perpetuate the under-acknowledged issue of anti-Black racism prevalent in Canada.