Improving skills development and access to employment for PADs

Increase the recruitment of PADs

Recommendation 16: The Ministry of Labour, The Ministry of Advanced Education, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery should work with employers, particularly those of African Descent, to provide dedicated employment, internship, volunteer and on the job training opportunities. This should include, but not be limited, to subsidized work placements opportunities for youth at risk.

Deepening representaion in health services

Increase the recruitment of PADs

Recommendation 20: The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Advanced Education should work with healthcare professionals of African descent and professional bodies to reform credential recognition and licensure systems to better accommodate seasoned healthcare professionals of African descent immigrating to Canada.

Deepening representaion in health services

Increase the recruitment of PADs

Recommendation 21: The Province, through responsible ministries, should provide dedicated funding to establish scholarships and mentorship programs to attract more People of African Descent to BC’s healthcare industry as well as studies in health-related fields. It is crucial that admission barriers for Black students are replaced with a reflexive system of admissions and support that accounts for the structural challenges faced by Black and People of African Descent in BC.

Deepening PAD representaion in legal and justice services

Increase the recruitment of PADs

Recommendation 28: The Minister of Justice and Attorney General, the Minister of Education, and the Minister of Advanced Education should collaborate to make dedicated funding and bursaries available to students of African descent interested in Law School. These ministers should model such funding on the UBC fund to support students of African descent established in partnership with two Black judges — retired Supreme Court Justice Selwyn Romilly and current Provincial Court Judge David St. Pierre — as they exemplify the power of leveraging People of African Descent agency in amplifying success of People of African Descent oriented initiatives.

Deepening PAD representaion in legal and justice services

Increase the recruitment of PADs

Recommendation 29: The Ministry of Advanced education should perform a contextualized review of admission processes and criteria that constitute systemic barriers to admissions to Law School for students of African descent.

Improving anti-racism accountability systems in K-12 education

Implement policy and legislative safeguards for PADs

Recommendation 40: The Ministry of Education must actively design and implement programming to actively inform and engage students/parents on redress mechanisms independent of the education system (e.g. Human Rights Commission). The Anti-racism legislation must consider legislating an independent complaint process for racialized students and their families.

Improving anti-racism accountability systems in K-12 education

Implement policy and legislative safeguards for PADs

Recommendation 41: The Ministry of Education must boost access to advocacy services for students/families of African Descent. Such dedicated advocacy services must be backed by strategic policy that emphasizes implementation by teams with the necessary cultural humility and lived experience. This can be mandated either under the Representative for Children and Youth Act or under the pending Anti-racism legislation.

Improving anti-racism accountability systems in K-12 education

Implement policy and legislative safeguards for PADs

Recommendation 42: The Ministry of Education must develop, in conjunction with educators and psychologists of African Descent, the necessary competencies and toolkits for contextually interpreting the evaluations and assessments of educators and principals of African Descent by students and reviewers, respectively. This is critical as a de-contextualized review system could reflect anti-Black racism and discrimination that in turn affects the professional and career chances of educators of African Descent.

Improving anti-racism accountability systems in K-12 education

Implement policy and legislative safeguards for PADs

Recommendation 43: The Ministry of Education must ensure that the eventual K-12 Education Anti-Racism Action Plan recognizes the peculiarity of anti-Black racism and its implications. It is critical that the Ministry of Education pursues an implementation strategy that supports collaboration with Black-focused organizations and educators of African Descent to promote the action plan within the Black community. The associated oversight and implementation committees must include students, educators and community leaders of African Descent.

Deepening representation in schools

Increase the recruitment of PADs

Recommendation 44: The Ministry of Education must prioritize the training, recruitment and retention of more mental health and career counselors of African Descent for BC schools.