Black Mental Health Week 2025
Black Mental Health Week 2025, led by the Confronting Anti-Black Racism (CABR) Unit and TAIBU Community Health Centre, is supported by Black Health Alliance (BHA), Strides Toronto, and a network of community partners hosting activities across the city.
This year’s theme, “Joy as Resistance“, underscores the power of joy as an act of defiance against systemic oppression. Within Toronto’s Black communities, joy is more than a fleeting emotion—it is a profound expression of resilience, survival, and cultural strength.
Our 2025 messaging reflects this theme:
- Celebrating Black Joy and Resilience
- Choosing Hope and Joy in a Challenging World
- Reclaiming Power Through Laughter
Honouring Afrocentric Wisdom
At the heart of BMHW 2025 are Afrocentric principles that guide healing and empowerment:
- Ubuntu – “I am because we are,” reinforcing the importance of community and collective well-being.
- Sankofa – “Returning to fetch what is at risk of being left behind,” drawing from historical and cultural knowledge to foster growth.
By centering joy, BMHW 2025 acknowledges the strength within Black communities and the transformative role of mental health in creating spaces for restoration, creativity, and a thriving future.
Join us in celebrating Black joy, resilience, and community well-being this March. Together, we heal.
About Black Mental Health Week
Black Mental Health Week (BMHW) is a citywide initiative dedicated to raising awareness about the mental health impacts of anti-Black racism and fostering healing within Toronto’s Black communities.
In 2020, the City of Toronto officially declared the first Monday of March as Toronto’s first Black Mental Health Day. Recognizing the need for expanded support, the initiative grew into a full week in 2021. Now observed annually during the first full week of March, BMHW provides critical opportunities to advocate for culturally responsive mental health services, amplify Black voices, and engage communities in meaningful dialogue around well-being and resilience.
This movement is rooted in the Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism, fulfilling key commitments to expand mental health services, replicate effective Black-led health models, and educate the public on how systemic racism affects Black mental health.
What’s Next
An exciting week of events is coming for Black Mental Health Week 2025, happening March 3–9!
Stay tuned as more details will be announced soon.
Stories
Stories of Black Torontonians sharing their views on Black Mental Health Week.
Liben Gebremikael,
Executive Director of TAIBU Community Health Centre
David Lewis-Peart,
educator, community worker and writer
Josette Drummond,
mother, educator and business owner
Paul Bailey,
President of Black Health Alliance
partners
Toronto for all
Toronto For All is a public education initiative by the City of Toronto to help create a city that is free from discrimination and racism, including systemic racism. Toronto’s Confronting Anti-Black Racism (CABR) Unit released the Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism.
Strides Toronto
Strides Toronto is a community-based agency that provides responsive services in partnership with individuals, families and communities to strengthen their social and emotional well-being and promote healthy development.
We support children, youth and families by helping them directly with their mental health, personal and interpersonal development or connecting them to services in their community. We do Whatever It Takes to meet you where you are at.
Black Health Alliance
Black Health Alliance is a community-led registered charity working to improve the health and well-being of Black communities in Canada. Building on our track record as an effective mobilizer and champion, we continue to grow our movement for change.