This new guide will serve as a starting point for finding information on Black Health Pedagogy and Research. It includes curated lists of key books and journals, core databases in health sciences and black studies, as well as community organizations and other kinds of resources. Tips on how to develop effective search strategies are also covered.
This resource is a living guide that will be reviewed and updated annually, and also revised as needed. Feedback & content suggestions are also welcome.
This guide was developed in partnership with Dr. Roberta Timothy (Dalla Lana School of Public Health) and the Master of Public Health (MPH) Black Health Program.
Greetings Village! I am Dr. Roberta K. Timothy. As Black Health Lead, Program Director and creator of the MPH in Black Health program at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, I am extremely proud to introduce to you to the Black Health Pedagogy and Research Guide (BHPR) - an Ancestrally driven African/Black resistance space grounded in intersectionality, transnational Indigenous knowledges, Pan-Africanism, African/Black feminisms and decolonization frameworks.
As part of my work as the Black Health Lead (2021-2025), I identified the need for pedagogical and research-based resources to support teaching and learning related to Black health.
For this purpose, I have worked with librarians Kaitlyn Merriman and Vincci Lui to create a Black Health pedagogy and research resource. It supports the faculty and students from the MPH new field in Black Health, DLSPH, community, and the University of Toronto faculty, staff, and students in general, by providing specialized pedagogical and research materials related to the field.
This BHPR guide is a collection of academic resources that support excellence in Black Health research, policies, and programming locally and throughout our diverse Diasporas. It adds to the growing body of decolonizing projects and materials.
The guide builds on and supports the work of many African/Black Pan-African, resistance-centred movements and honours the work and dedication of our Ancestors, Elders, and community members who continue to push the critical work of decolonizing systemically racist structures that continue to compromise African/Black health since the onset of colonialism. The guide recognizes the need for a space where academia, students, researchers and community can collaboratively address the persistent health crises experienced by African/ Black communities through decolonizing pedagogies and critical academic resources.
These resources are just the beginning of what we expect to be an ongoing process of building critical content that addresses the urgent and critical health issues, affecting the African /Black community. BHPR is a living growing platform, and here at the DLSPH MPH, Black Health program we will continue to build this body of resources year after year with the help of our graduate students whose work has been critical to this effort. This guide is also intended to be a guide beyond the walls of the academy and significantly for the wider community of multidisciplinary health care stakeholders who are doing this emancipatory work.
We look forward to growing these resources and increasing access to critical knowledge that address health and healthcare violence faced by African/Black communities. We will continue to challenge the existing structural oppressions that perpetuate health inequities impacting African/Black communities. BHPR hopes to also create a space where Black health wellness can be prioritized and actualized.
- Dr. Roberta Timothy (Bio)
[Photos courtesy of Roberta Timothy & used with permission]
