Black Community Forum

This list represents those organizations that have clearly indicated that they expect to be consulted and wish to participate and assist in helping to achieve the general priorities and objectives of the Black Community Forum:

  • To develop a process that will identify a long-term development plan for the Black Community.
  • To ensure that this planning process is a cooperative effort within the Black Community.
  • To identify and promote a structure to support the planning process.
  • To develop effective partnerships within the network of Black community groups and to encourage effective implementation strategies for the benefit of the total community.
  • To provide a Forum for networking and strengthening existing relationships.

These organization accept the principles and protocols of the Black Community Forum, and meet the requirements of being: non-profit organizations in good standing, or specially approved sub-units of accredited organizations that by their letters patent and missions and mandates contribute to the protection of rights and freedoms of all Canadians, to the development of sustainable social economies in Quebec and Canada and to the full participation of the Black and other minority communities into the society of Quebec and Canada.

Members Of The Black Community Forum

    1. BCRC (Black Community Resource Center)
    2. ICED (Institute for Community Entrepreneurship and Development, Concordia).
    3. QBBE (Quebec Board of Black Educators)
    4. BTW (Black Theatre Workshop of Montreal).
    5. BSC (Black Studies Center Portal and Archives)
    6. Black History Month Round Table
    7. Union United Church (and Outreach Programs)
    8. UNIA (Universal Improvement Negro Association)
    9. Kola magazine (Black Writers Guild)
    10. La Ligue des Noirs (he Black Coalition of Quebec)
    11. The PAN-Black/Pan-Afrique Events Portal (Alliance of Black Organizations).
    12. The Rights and Freedom Adhoc Community Committee
    13. BASF (Black Academic Scholarships Fund)
    14. The QBMA ( The Quebec Black Medical Association )

Supporting Committees and Collaborators

  1. The Health and Mental Health Connections
  2. CRARR (Center for Research-Action on Race Relations)
  3. REISA
  4. CEDEC (Community Economic Development and Employability Corporation)
  5. QAHN (Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network)

 

The Network Coverage

Because the Forum is based on the network leadership framework, it is rich in information and covers the entire range of human needs and social programming and development across diverse ethnicities: parenting, health, mental health, education, employment and employability, human rights and freedoms, economic development, political representation at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels of the society, strengthening of families, strengthening of organization structures, literacy, crime prevention, anti-racism and anti-profiling, arts and culture, creative tourism, etc.   Many of its organizations have been providing services to the community and contributing to the development of Montreal and Quebec societies for approximately fifty or more years. The Union United Church is like the spinal cord from which has sprung many inter-connected agencies and relationships. It is celebrating its 110 anniversary. The UNIA is older than 50 years. The Quebec Board of Black Educators (QBBE), the Black Theatre Workshop (BTW) and the QBBE are with us for 45 years and counting. Each year for approximately 40 years the QBBE has tutored and provided accreditation opportunities for more than 150 youth each year in the English School system of Montreal. That is, between 6, 000 to10, 000 youth over 40 years.

 

Resolution creating the Secretariat

It is the resolved that the Forum may act through its secretariat to mobilize and activate the social and political legitimization of organizations serving the community. It does so with the support of key organizations and leadership in the community, especially during crisis and on matters affecting the community as a whole (June 16 2016).

The Secretariat of the Black Community Forum

The Secretariat of the Black Community Forum is a permanent administrative structure created by the recommendation of the Val Morin Black Forum of 1992 and re-affirmed at the Forum of June 16 2016. It represents the members of the Forum, which are non-political, voluntary sector chartered organizations that provide services to the Black communities; that subscribe to the founding principles and protocols set out in the 1992 Val Morin Black Forum as modified by the June 16 2016 Forum of organizations; and whose missions and mandates are aligned to the priorities determined by consensus in the community and adopted at the General Forum.

The activities and responsibilities of the Black Community Forum are carried out by the Secretariat located in a designated community organization space and whose charter/ letters patent and mandate it is to engage in activities that develop and strengthen community based organizations. Currently, the BCRC provides the day to day administrative services and facilities. The BCRC, whose mission and mandate are based on a holistic community development approach, has been carrying out this function since 2000 through a sub-committee of the organization called the “BCRC Black Leadership Forum”. This has been renamed (since June 16 2016, Black Community Forum) the”Secretariat of the Black Community Forum”.

The Secretariat of the Black Community Forum is the administrative arm of the Black Community Forum. It is responsible for the day-to-day administration and carrying out of the directives and recommendations of the General Forum.

The Secretariat acts in strict accordance with the purposes, protocols, and recommendations set down in the Val Morin July 1992 modified by the June 16 2016 General Forum. These are described in part under sections 6.5 of the Black Forum Report (1992) and under the section with sub-heading, “Plenary Recommendations” in the document “Summary of the June 2016 Proceedings of the Forum”. According to the recommendation approved at the 1992 and 2016 General Forums the powers of the Secretariat to act is limited by the following regulation which states that:

“the Forum will facilitate the review, description and formulation of the Community’s agenda, but … the community organizational structures remain the fundamental units that carry out the agenda”.

The message conveyed is that “the community is only as strong as the sum of its parts” knit together by the operating principles of “collaborative unity and existential responsibility.”

Responsibilities and functions of the Secretariat

The secretariat is required to carry out certain specific functions on behalf of the Forum. The following are function carried out by the Secretariat for the Forum:

  1. The Forum agrees that during crisis within the Black community, a special issues meeting, involving a cross section of community groups will be called to determine a policy direction, to develop a public position, and to mandate its spokespeople.
  2. The Forum will create a permanent sub-committee of the Forum for researching, identifying and preparing a list of those significant historic persons whose contributions to Black arts and culture, Black advancement, world peace, and order and sustainable development merit recognition in a manner consistent with best Canadian practices in toponymy.
  3. It is proposed that this permanent sub-committee consist of experts and representatives named from organizations whose mission and mandates involve them in research in social history and biographical studies.
  4. That the Forum undertake a detailed review of the current status of Black employment and employability in the Black communities to measure the changes, if any, that have taken place since 1992. That is, according to recommendation 6.2.1.9 of the Val Morin Black Community Forum, that “A FORUM BE HELD TO INFORM AND INVOLVE THE WIDER BLACK COMMUNITY ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT”   planning. This is expected to include an investigation of the measured impact of the initiatives of all levels of government, private and public institutions, and social and private entrepreneurs on advancing the objectives of the Yolande James Task Force to bring about a full participation of the Black Communities in Québec Society. In particular, given Bill 101, the Secretariat is required to pay special attention to representing the needs, status and future of the English-speaking Black Communities.

 

Structure of Secretariat of Black Community Forum

Administrative Personnel

 

  1. Dr. Clarence S. Bayne, Chair of the Secretariat (President of BCRC, Professor Emeritus, Concordia; Director of ICED, Concordia). Responsible for Social and Economic Development.
  2. Mr. Sean Seales (Chief Administrator)
  3. Ms. Raeanne Francis (Administrative Coordination)
  4. Secretarial assistant (TBA)

Members of the Forum assigned to the Secretariat 

  1. Madame Yvonne Sam (Chair of Rights and Freedoms Ad hoc Community Committee)
  2. Mr. Michael Farkas (President Black History Month Round Table: Responsible for Pan-Black Identity Events Manifesto and the promotion of Black history, culture and contributions to the development of Montreal and Quebec).
  3. Dan Phillip, La League des Noirs.
  4. Erene Anthony, representative of the Union United Church and its Heritage Committee.

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