Establishing the Ad Hoc Committee

How we got started

By 2020, there was growing concern about the grossly disproportionate and increasing burden of the Canadian HIV epidemic among Black communities.

The Ad Hoc Committee came together in December 2021 to develop a Manifesto for a new approach to HIV among Black communities, and engage Black stakeholders (researchers, service providers, policy makers, people living with HIV, etc.) about the need for a transformative approach to HIV.

The special session at CAHR 2022 and the follow-up meeting six weeks later were supported by a small grant from CAHR.

Stakeholder dialogue (2022)

The Ad Hoc Committee organized a 2-hour special session at the CAHR conference on April 2022, followed by an invitation-only business meeting in June 2022. Participation was restricted to Black participants with lived or professional experience related to HIV in Black communities. The special session attracted 70 Black participants who are involved in diverse efforts to address HIV among Black communities.

The Ad Hoc Committee prepared a draft Manifesto on Addressing HIV in Black Canadian Communities that informed and guided the discussion at a special conference session and follow-up meetings for Black constituents (researchers, people living with HIV, and program and policy practitioners).

Participants engaged in facilitated discussion and debate about: current trends in HIV among Black communities; the failure to HIV responses that do not account for the impact of anti-Black racism and insufficient access to the social determinants of health; the need for transformative action consistent with the content and direction of the draft Manifesto; the formation of an Interim National Committee and next steps for a workplan to mobilize stakeholders and advocate for change.

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