Black Mental Health Week 2025
Black Mental Health Week 2025 continued the vital work of raising awareness and celebrating resilience within Toronto’s Black communities.
Led by the Confronting Anti-Black Racism (CABR) Unit and TAIBU Community Health Centre, and supported by Black Health Alliance (BHA), Strides Toronto, and other community partners, this year’s events and discussions inspired connection, reflection, and collective empowerment across the city.
Centered on the theme “Joy as Resistance,” the 2025 campaign highlighted joy as an act of strength and resistance against systemic oppression—a reminder that within Toronto’s Black communities, joy is both a celebration and a survival strategy.
The year’s messaging echoed this enduring spirit:
- Celebrating Black Joy and Resilience
- Choosing Hope and Joy in a Challenging World
- Reclaiming Power Through Laughter
Honouring Afrocentric Wisdom
At the heart of Black Mental Health Week 2025 were Afrocentric principles that guided collective healing and empowerment:
- Ubuntu – “I am because we are,” a reminder of the power of community and shared well-being.
- Sankofa – “Returning to fetch what is at risk of being left behind,” drawing strength from cultural memory and ancestral knowledge to shape our growth.
By centering joy, BMHW 2025 highlighted the strength and resilience within Black communities and affirmed the transformative role of mental health in nurturing restoration, creativity, and a thriving future.
Together, we celebrated Black joy, resilience, and community well-being — and together, we continue to 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 2026, happening March 2–9!
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.