African Caribbean and Black Voices

African Caribbean and Black Voices


About


weSpeak is a 5-year program of research and related activities focusing on the African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) heterosexual men in Ontario to address their health needs, interest and vulnerability to HIV. The 5year project, which began in 2016-to 2021, was conducted by a team of researchers, community stakeholders and ACB Men in Ontario. For the first episode of the podcast, Dr Winston Husbands, a driving force behind several community and policy initiatives to address HIV related health disparities experienced by Black communities in Ontario and a Co-Principal Investigator for the weSpeak program, will share the concept of the study and the essence of the focus on Black heterosexual men. Also speaking on the episode is Co-Investigator Wesley Oakes, Senior lead, strategic partnerships and health equity initiatives at the Ontario HIV Treatment Network. -AMBIENCE- Thanks for staying with us. The weSpeak program had a forerunner called ispeak. Dr Winston Husbands gives a brief chronicle of ispeak and how it led to the concept of the weSpeak study. -Sound bite- So, what motivated Wesley Oakes and the team to focus on Black Heterosexual men? -Soundbite (Wesley Oakes) The social structures may have neglected Black heterosexual men in HIV programs and related conversations over time. Dr husbands explain why. -SOUNDBITE- The interrogation of the stereotypes became one of the main issues for the Black men in the open spaces for conversations; vulnerability was a significant theme, says Oakes. -SOUNDBITE- Dr Husbands corroborates Oakes's analysis. He says the study revealed that Black men want to be productively involved in Black communities and respond to HIV conversations just like everyone else. SOUNDBITE- -ambience- What has migration got to do with the vulnerability of ACB Men? Hear what Wesley Oakes has to say. -SOUNDBITE- The study revealed a new dimension to what society thought they knew about Black men. Dr Husbands observed that Black men do not have a singular identity. -SOUNDBITE- The research is about raising heterosexual ACB men's awareness about vulnerabilities to HIV and the implementation of research to curb exposure while strengthening resilience, but how willing were the participants to speak to HIV? Dr Husbands tells us more. -SOUNDBITE- The team adopted the Concept Mapping approach to gain insights and perspective from the focus groups and in-depth interviews. Dr husbands and Oakes say it brought out aspects of Black men contrary to the mundane beliefs. -SOUNDBITE- The podcast's second episode will focus on Blackmen and communities in dialogue on HIV vulnerabilities and collective resilience. Our guests on the edition are Brandon Hay, the founder of the Black Daddies Club and Andre Harriot, a high school teacher and weSpeak team member. WeSpeak research is funded by the Ontario HIV Treatment Network and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.