Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Directed Reading: Anti-​Black Racism as a Policing and Public Health Crisis

Course Description

This course will explore the historically-rooted anti-Black racism that is negatively influencing the policing of Black and racialized individuals and communities in Ontario. The class will examine the crises of public trust, confidence, meaning and credibility in Black and racialized communities with respect to policing, and to a lesser extent, provincial and public health authorities for whom responses are found wanting. The lack of timely and well planned provincial and public health responses to ongoing  patterns of excess Black deaths due to homicide victimization, disproportionate police killings of Black people, years of life lost due to racialized detention and incarceration as well as mental health consequences of racial profiling, will also be considered from both a policy lens and a critical race theory perspectives.

Course Objectives

The course will provide tools for critically analyzing biased policing and criminal justice outcomes impacting the health and well being of Black individuals and communities. It will explore public health framing and interventions with which to counter the stereotypes and public stigmatization that sustain racialized mortalities and criminal justice outcomes; as well as strengthen public health responses and health equity outcomes.  The class will also consider the current calls to defund the police and potential innovations in collaboration between mental health and criminal justice initiatives.

Methods of Assessment

Reflective Paper	25%
Major Essay	50%
Class presentation	25%