We are seeking your participation in a video project to acknowledge and honor individuals from Black communities across Canada who have been lost to the Covid 19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare long-standing inequities in access to healthcare in Black and racialized communities. Black communities in Canada were disproportionately negatively impacted by the virus, in terms of infection and mortality rate. Black communities also bore a disproportionate economic burden with significant job loss and a higher number of business foreclosures during the pandemic than any other community.

Recognizing the specific need for positive intervention for Black Francophone and Anglophone communities in the greater Montreal region, an initiative to promote COVID-19 awareness and vaccine confidence among Black communities in the Montreal and Laval region was launched in May 2021. This initiative was done in collaboration with the Direction régionale de santé publique (DRSP) of Montreal and Laval, the Centres intégrés universitaires de santé et de services sociaux (CIUSSS) and several individuals, community organizations, and health professionals from Black communities who are mobilized around addressing the systemic issues and obstacles to vaccination. The collaborative developed several tools to promote information, awareness and access, including information townhalls, pop-up vaccine clinics and a powerful 6-part Public Awareness Video campaign which you can view here: http://qbma.ca/vaccination-covid-19/

As we are approaching the second anniversary of the start of the pandemic, the collaborative wishes to use the final video in the series for an In Memoriam Project. The three objectives are to call attention to the disproportionate impact that the COVID-19 had on Black communities across Canada; to honor those we lost during the last two years and put a face to the pandemic and to remind us that these are not statistics or data points on graphs – they are people, whose loss has left a significant impact on the loved ones left behind

We are collecting the names and pictures of the people from Black communities across Canada who passed away as a result of COVID-19. The images and names of the deceased individuals shared with us by their loved ones, will be assembled in a video produced by acclaimed director Jorge Camarotti.

In order to collect this information and amplify this important initiative, we are asking you to please share images and names of loved ones you’ve personally lost to the pandemic, and to also share the following form with individuals within your communities.

• Form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Cb6w80rJxuYKXv-Qkxy1IJs0LFNSBW5ujYWckdqsW80/prefill

Please note that the images and information shared through the form will only be used as part of the In Memoriam Project and will not be communicated to another party or for any other purpose.