
to find out about upcoming Real Talks.
On February 28, 2022, – in honour of Black History Month – Realize partnered with ASE Community for Black Canadians with Disabilities to host a Real Talk addressing challenges people experience at the intersections of blackness and disability in Canada. Facilitated by ASE’s Nkem Ogbonna, and featuring panelists Bernard Akuoko (CNIB), Liz Arnarson (ASE), Donald Turner (Native Community Worker), and Tammy Yates (Realize), the event focused on the importance of taking an intersectional approach, the key issues and gaps that need to be addressed as identified by people in the community – especially during COVID – and a discussion of how we can remove barriers nationwide that exclude persons with disabilities, particularly those who are of intersecting identities. These important issues are framed against a reality that doing front-facing work is no small feat. From the lack of diversity within organizations and the lack of culturally relevant community resources, it is often solely on the back of Black persons with disabilities to support this community programming (which can lead to burnout). What can we as a collective do better to the people doing this intersectional work? The need for funding for intersectional work was a clear message as was the need for real allyship in the wider community. We were thrilled by the interest in this Real Talk, with over 200 participants. For those of you who were unable to join us, the event was recorded and will be available for viewing on Realize’s YouTube channel next month.