About Us

Background

Canadian responses to HIV have failed Black Canadian communities. A group of Black stakeholders (researchers, community advocates, service providers and people living with HIV) came together as an ad hoc committee in December 2021 to explore the possibilities for a transformative agenda on HIV in Black communities.

The Ad Hoc Committee on HIV in Black Canadian Communities

The Ad Hoc Committee came together in late 2021 through shared concerns about the worsening situation with HIV among Black communities in Canada.

The Committee’s immediate goal was to organize a special session at the Canadian HIV conference in April 2022 where Black researchers, people living with HIV, and practitioners would:

• share their concerns about the failure of Canadian responses to HIV among Black communities, and
• explore a transformative, community-engaged approach to addressing HIV in our communities.

Members of the Ad Hoc/Interim Committee

The Ad Hoc Committee originally comprised: Amanuel Tesfamichael, Eric Peters, Josephine Etowa, LaRon Nelson, Maureen Owino, OmiSoore Dryden, Wangari Tharao, and Winston Husbands.

In September 2022, the Interim National Committee was formed from the original members, plus: David Este and Emmanuela Ojukwu