In response to the ongoing police brutality of Canadian and US-American police, many academic institutions have followed the lead of major companies by releasing statements maintaining their commitments to anti-racist and social justice efforts, including Western University.

Police cruisers casually stationed at a neighbourhood playground filled with Black and Brown children. These same vehicles eerily patrolling the surrounding streets in the evenings. Always present, always watching.  As a Somali-Canadian woman growing up in an ethnically diverse but historically underprivileged neighbourhood in Kitchener-Waterloo, I regularly witnessed the implicit criminalization of my community through the suffocating ubiquity of law enforcement personnel. When confronted with recent news of a Somali-Canadian man brutalized by local police after a traffic stop, I am deeply disturbed, though I cannot say I am surprised.

Two years ago we brought you the success story of Neale’s Sweet N' Nice Ice Cream when the company landed a major distribution deal at Sobeys grocery stores in Ontario. We’re excited to learn that the Caribbean flavoured ice cream brand is expanding to 53 stores from the Loblaw group including No Frills and Real Canadian Superstore and 44 stores in Metro starting in July. We checked in with one of the founders Andrew McBarnett.

STATEMENT ON THE DEATH OF REGIS FROM THE KORCHINSKI-PAQUET FAMILY On Wednesday May 27, 2020 at approximately 5pm a 911 call was made by a concerned mother Claudette Beals-Clayton, for the safety and well-being of her child Regis Korchinski-Paquet. Regis was in distress over a family conflict and her mother sought police assistance to bring calm to the situation.

(PHOTO: SUPREME CUT BARBERSHOP) As lockdown restrictions begin to ease up around the province, barbershop owners are preparing themselves for opening day as soon as they receive their greenlight. Supreme Cut Barbershop owner, Flory Wembolwa, said that he won’t have a problem filling the shop once it’s open. “Some people are requesting to be first when we get back from quarantine,” said Wembolwa. “So it’s something that’s high in demand.”

Add this to the “racism is inescapable” files. Even when you are going out of your way volunteering your time, risking your health by being outdoors to give back to your community, racism is just waiting for you right around the corner where you least expect it. That’s what a group of five volunteers was faced with earlier this week when they received a hateful message from someone in the community who they had actually just helped.

ByBlacks.com chatted with the Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter Toronto (BLM TO) Pascale Diverlus to find out about the COVID-19 Black Emergency Support Fund organized to support Black Canadians severely financially impacted by the global pandemic.

There is a lot of confusion these days about what we need to do to avoid being afflicted by the new Coronavirus. Guidelines and recommendations from our public health agencies are changing rapidly, and rightfully so – we are living in unprecedented times and information is being updated constantly and in real-time as we find out more about how the coronavirus acts and what works best to combat it.

Ontario's NDP Leader Andrea Horwath has proposed a plan to help small and medium-sized businesses, charities and community-based non-profits, including a designated fund for Black businesses and entrepreneurs, and others who face historical barriers to financing.

With this ever-extending lockdown, we’re all driving our cars a lot less. You could even be planning to leave your vehicle in the garage or on your driveway for a couple of weeks at a time or even up to 30 days. Here are some tips for keeping your car healthy during quarantine: