Latest news with #Blackyouth
National Post
24-07-2025
- National Post
Jamie Sarkonak: Supreme Court puts gangster youth before public safety
Article content The court went on to add that this should be a nuanced inquiry that doesn't involve stereotyping or racial discounts — even though that's exactly what's going on here. The racial dimension is most helpful to the groups who are most abundant in the youth gang population: Black youth (25 per cent of underage gangsters, according to the most recent data, found in a 2002 Public Safety report), followed by First Nations (21 per cent). Article content Altogether, this decision is most helpful for Canada's most brazenly dangerous, out-of-control youth: the ones who have already been inducted into gang life, whose parents are absent or even supportive of their actions, who live to glorify violence and who are unlikely to be rehabilitated. The ones who swarm, stab and shoot others in public, with no regard for human life, and the ones who brag online about killing harmless elderly ladies on the way home from the grocery store. Article content It's also an additional incentive for gangs to recruit minors into their ranks — something they already do to minimize legal risk, and are sure to do more now that adult sentencing has likely been relegated to history. Article content Article content Altogether, the killer of Shahnaz Pestonji is exactly the kind of person that the majority of the Supreme Court set out to protect from facing the deserved consequences. The boy is Black, 14 and likely of a rough and disadvantaged background given his actions. Based on his actions, he appears to be lacking in sophistication and revelling somewhat in bravado, having appeared to have to participated in an interview — while on the run from police — to tell his side of the story: 'She didn't give me the keys so I yoked her,' explained the subject, adding that he 'wasn't even scared.' Article content The interviewee expressed regret in killing the woman ('Fam … that was an idiot thing. Cause, I can't lie, after I think about it, she didn't deserve it … Low key I would not have done that stuff.'), but overall, it was clear he was on a completely different moral plane than the average Canadian. Article content
The Guardian
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Death of Malcolm-Jamal Warner shocks fans: ‘We saw ourselves in him'
For Black youth and teens growing up in the mid-1980s, The Cosby Show offered something rarely seen on television up until that time: a sitcom that placed characters who looked like them in a positive light. And Malcolm-Jamal Warner's Theo Huxtable was the character generation X most related to. Fans took quickly to social media on Monday as news of Warner's accidental drowning in Costa Rica spread. 'It's like losing one of us,' said Harriet Cammock, a 58-year-old Detroit author and speaker. 'This is the thing with television. When you're watching people every week on television, you think you know them and you're related to them.' Warner was swimming Sunday afternoon at Playa Cocles in Costa Rica's Limon province when a current pulled him deeper into the Caribbean, according to that country's judicial investigation department. First responders found him without vital signs. Cori Murray, executive vice-president of content at Ebony Magazine, was saddened upon hearing about Warner's death. She said his Theo character mirrored the everyday Black teenager, which was rare to see on TV at the time. While so many portrayals of young Black teenagers leaned negative, The Cosby Show, especially Theo, showed warmth, joy and relatability. 'He wasn't just a character. We saw ourselves in him,' Murray said. 'You know how Kendrick Lamar has the song 'Not Like Us'? Well, Theo was one of us. He was like us.' Murray, who met Warner a few times, recalled his character off-screen matched the warmth he exuded on television. She called him respectful and pleasant and said he had a 'megawatt smile' that lit up the room. 'His energy stayed with you,' Murray said. 'You don't have a bad memory when it comes to Theo or Malcolm-Jamal Warner. As much as we loved the character, we also watched Malcolm grow up in real life. No scandals. No mess. Just a talented young man who matured into an upstanding, handsome adult.' The Cosby Show was groundbreaking and a ratings giant, drawing in viewers across racial, cultural and economic backgrounds. The show ran for 197 episodes from 1984 to 1992. In 1986, Warner earned an Emmy nomination for supporting actor in a comedy. The show starring Bill Cosby as Cliff Huxtable and Phylicia Rashad as his wife, Clair, 'made the wider society aware that there are Black people who live like white people do', said Cammock, who is Black. 'The perception that we don't live like they do was hurtful.' Gil Robertson, co-founder and president of the African American Film Critics Association, reflected on Warner's rare path in the entertainment industry. 'There was never any scandal, no controversy,' said Robertson. 'He transitioned from a teen star to a respected adult without the baggage we often see from others in his generation. That's no small feat.' Robertson added: 'The legacy of Theo Huxtable – and Malcolm's performance – will live on. It left an imprint that will continue to resonate in our culture for generations.' Lynn Reasonover, 62, of Oak Lawn, Illinois, began receiving messages Monday afternoon about Warner's death. Her initial thoughts were 'Nope, didn't happen.' 'Then, I kept seeing the news flashes and friends started sending texts,' Reasonover said. 'So, it's sinking in. Makes you realize how much some celebrities help shape our memories. His work had such a huge impact. I'm feeling a personal loss because we grew up with him. It's like losing a part of our childhood.' Reasonover saw much of her family in the Huxtables, where both parents were professionals who valued education and handled family issues with understanding and love. 'They had similar problems to what we experienced growing up,' she said. 'We could relate and that's why we laughed.' Rasheda Williams, 46, of Detroit was about the same age as Rudy, the youngest character on The Cosby Show and Theo's little sister. Williams said she and others are mourning Warner's passing because of what they saw in the character he played. 'He's like the ideal cousin you wish you had,' Williams said. 'Hearing the news has really affected some of us. It was unexpected. He wasn't sick. That makes it even more tragic.' 'He wasn't just an actor,' she said. 'He was also an activist, a positive role model, not just for young Black men, but for young Black women as well.'
CBC
16-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
More Black youth are reaching out for mental health, substance use help in Windsor
Social Sharing A program that offers mental health and substance use support to Black youth in Windsor is seeing more people reach out for help, according to service providers. Having only started three years ago, the program AMANI, has now had to create a waitlist for service. Formerly known as the Substance Abuse Program for African Canadian and Caribbean Youth or "SAPACCY," the program helps people between the ages of 12 and 29 years old, who are African, Caribbean, and/or Black. There are eight regions in Ontario that offer the AMANI program, which is funded by the provincial government. According to the website, it's the "first-ever Canadian hospital and community partnership focused on advancing care for Black youth." The Black-led program specifically works from an Afrocentric lens, one that understands how racism and oppression can impact the mental health and substance use issues youth deal with. "A program like AMANI that is culturally affirming and facilitated by providers that have similar lived experiences allow Black youth and their families to be able to ... let go and be able to trust the individual that is caring for them," said Nadine Manroe-Wakerell, director of clinical practice overseeing Windsor's AMANI program. When it first launched in Windsor, Manroe-Wakerell says they had about 70 clients. Last year they logged more than 260 clients and this year, she says, they've had to start putting people on a waitlist. Manroe-Wakerell says the amount of time someone waits for service depends on the severity of their needs. But, she says, AMANI staff check in with people on the wait list to see how they're coping. Windsor Black youth struggling with anxiety, depression As for who is reaching out for help, AMANI's lead social worker Giselle Vinsky says it's often youth with family conflicts, as well as anxiety and depression disorders. "We have immigrant parents who are raising kids in the Canadian system," she said, adding this means AMANI often needs to educate parents on mental health issues. Stats Canada report finds racialized girls struggle with supports Tailoring the program to racialized youth by ensuring providers come from a similar background plays a big part in the program's success, says Monroe-Wakerell. Oftentimes, Manroe-Wakerell says people in minority groups will "code switch" — meaning they talk or act differently around people from other communities, instead of being their authentic selves. This, she says, is what sometimes keeps Black youth from fully opening up to health care workers. "With many of our Black youth, racism, biases and unfortunate situations have had a negative impact on their ability to either access care [or] their ability to feel like the care is effective," she said. And according to a report released last month from Statistics Canada, that's a common trend. The report looked at access to support services for mental health and substance abuse among girls and women ages 15 to 29 using 2022 data, the most recent available. It found that there were demographic differences in how patients felt about treatment they received for mental health or substance use issues. In particular, racialized girls and young women were more likely than their non-racialized peers to say they were unsatisfied with the care they accessed. The Statistics Canada report said this could be because there are not many health care providers "trained in culturally appropriate health care." But AMANI is one program trying to address that issue. Program allows youth to let their guard down Windsor resident Juchelle West is currently using AMANI's services. She says talking about her problems to someone from a similar background allows her to be more "open and vulnerable." The 19-year-old, who was born in Jamaica and grew up in the United States, has struggled with her mental health for years. She told CBC News that she's been diagnosed with depression and borderline personality disorder. "If the person can connect to me in a certain way and I feel like I'm opening up to talk to them, then yeah, it's going to be a better session for me," she said. "Especially if [they're from] the same heritage or something close to it or like [their] parents [are] from the same island or you eat the same food. It just would just feel like a sister or a brother ... that makes you feel like I can talk to this person." And Vinsky says she sees the way clients have let their guard down — a big deal for people in the Black community, who she says often don't trust the healthcare system. "They are a lot more willing to open up and share and communicate how they're feeling," she said. What could help? Beyond AMANI, Vinsky says she wants to see more meaningful diversity and cultural competency training at organizations, as well as a focus on hiring racialized health care providers. As for West, she says lower wait times would help, as well as tailoring the process so that patients are paired with a provider they are likely to connect with.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
More Black youth are reaching out for mental health, substance use help in Windsor
A program that offers mental health and substance use support to Black youth in Windsor is seeing more people reach out for help, according to service providers. Having only started three years ago, the program AMANI, has now had to create a waitlist for service. Formerly known as the Substance Abuse Program for African Canadian and Caribbean Youth or "SAPACCY," the program helps people between the ages of 12 and 29 years old, who are African, Caribbean, and/or Black. There are eight regions in Ontario that offer the AMANI program, which is funded by the provincial government. According to the website, it's the "first-ever Canadian hospital and community partnership focused on advancing care for Black youth." The Black-led program specifically works from an Afrocentric lens, one that understands how racism and oppression can impact the mental health and substance use issues youth deal with. "A program like AMANI that is culturally affirming and facilitated by providers that have similar lived experiences allow Black youth and their families to be able to ... let go and be able to trust the individual that is caring for them," said Nadine Manroe-Wakerell, director of clinical practice overseeing Windsor's AMANI program. When it first launched in Windsor, Manroe-Wakerell says they had about 70 clients. Last year they logged more than 260 clients and this year, she says, they've had to start putting people on a waitlist. Manroe-Wakerell says the amount of time someone waits for service depends on the severity of their needs. But, she says, AMANI staff check in with people on the wait list to see how they're coping. Windsor Black youth struggling with anxiety, depression As for who is reaching out for help, AMANI's lead social worker Giselle Vinsky says it's often youth with family conflicts, as well as anxiety and depression disorders. "We have immigrant parents who are raising kids in the Canadian system," she said, adding this means AMANI often needs to educate parents on mental health issues. Stats Canada report finds racialized girls struggle with supports Tailoring the program to racialized youth by ensuring providers come from a similar background plays a big part in the program's success, says Monroe-Wakerell. Oftentimes, Manroe-Wakerell says people in minority groups will "code switch" — meaning they talk or act differently around people from other communities, instead of being their authentic selves. This, she says, is what sometimes keeps Black youth from fully opening up to health care workers. "With many of our Black youth, racism, biases and unfortunate situations have had a negative impact on their ability to either access care [or] their ability to feel like the care is effective," she said. And according to a report released last month from Statistics Canada, that's a common trend. The report looked at access to support services for mental health and substance abuse among girls and women ages 15 to 29 using 2022 data, the most recent available. It found that there were demographic differences in how patients felt about treatment they received for mental health or substance use issues. In particular, racialized girls and young women were more likely than their non-racialized peers to say they were unsatisfied with the care they accessed. The Statistics Canada report said this could be because there are not many health care providers "trained in culturally appropriate health care." But AMANI is one program trying to address that issue. Program allows youth to let their guard down Windsor resident Juchelle West is currently using AMANI's services. She says talking about her problems to someone from a similar background allows her to be more "open and vulnerable." The 19-year-old, who was born in Jamaica and grew up in the United States, has struggled with her mental health for years. She told CBC News that she's been diagnosed with depression and borderline personality disorder. "If the person can connect to me in a certain way and I feel like I'm opening up to talk to them, then yeah, it's going to be a better session for me," she said. "Especially if [they're from] the same heritage or something close to it or like [their] parents [are] from the same island or you eat the same food. It just would just feel like a sister or a brother ... that makes you feel like I can talk to this person." And Vinsky says she sees the way clients have let their guard down — a big deal for people in the Black community, who she says often don't trust the healthcare system. "They are a lot more willing to open up and share and communicate how they're feeling," she said. What could help? Beyond AMANI, Vinsky says she wants to see more meaningful diversity and cultural competency training at organizations, as well as a focus on hiring racialized health care providers. As for West, she says lower wait times would help, as well as tailoring the process so that patients are paired with a provider they are likely to connect with.
CTV News
09-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Sudbury conference focuses on the mental health of Black youth in the city
The Power of First Steps: Navigating the Mental Health Needs of Black youth was the theme of a one-day conference Thursday in Sudbury.
