It was three years ago today that George Floyd’s public murder disrupted the status quo of racial inequity, causing organizations, institutions, and associations in Canada, the United States, and every continent of the world to acknowledge the need for change. There were extraordinary declarations of support, financial pledges made, Solidarity Statements publicized, and heartwarming apologies made to BIPoC, Equity-Deserving people who have carried the weight of oppression on their necks for centuries.
Promises to do better, now that knowledge has come, by representing the communities being supported and served in leadership and decision-making positions to ensure Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion become centred in everything. The Ontario Society of Registered Psychotherapists (OSRP) made these kinds of commitments, with cries of outrage for the injustices seen, and intentions to continue to do better moving forward.
It has been three years, and though we have a diverse Board of Directors, implemented some BIPoC Initiatives, and initiated an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee, OSRP has no measurable way of demonstrating improvement, growth, or change beyond this. From the outside looking in, the efforts of the world’s Associations, Institutions, and Organizations who are similarly positioned are often labelled PERFORMATIVE because they lack any measurable signs of improvement.
With the intention of establishing a measurable benchmark to assess improvement, the EDI Committee of OSRP is excited to announce the Launch of their Race-Based Data Collection Initiative that begins this 2023-2024 Membership Renewal year.
The OSRP’s EDI Committee is working in collaboration with the Black Psychology Section of the Canadian Psychological Association to launch this Initiative. Race-Based Data Collection is in alignment with the February 2022 statement in the Communiqué made by Deborah Adams, “... we need work to reduce barriers like systemic inequities resulting from anti-Black racism and lack of representation in the profession to improve access to much-needed mental health care for the Black community in Ontario.”
In the collection of this data we can specifically identify gaps in representation, develop plans for inclusion, repair harms due to inequities, and explore the varies areas where much change is required.
It will also put the OSRP in position to justify our declaration of representing the community being served, because we will have the data to prove this, or show what efforts are being made to implement change.
This is a big and bold step for OSRP which requires much discussion, learning and unlearning to ensure its success. Given this, the EDI Committee is facilitating Lunch & Learn about the importance of Race-Based Data Collection in Ontario on May 31st, 2023.
This is an invitation to participate in a Panel Discussion about the importance of Race-Based Data Collection in Ontario.
Date: Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Venue: Virtual/Zoom
Cost: none
To register: https://osrp.ca/event-5279392
Feel free to bring your own lunch and enjoy it during the session.
This Lunch & Learn is open to all OSRP members and the community. Please feel free to invite your peers, colleagues, and community to join in this exceptional learning and unlearning event.
Confirmed panelists:
- Michael Bowe (Senior Equity and Inclusion Leader)
- Kafui Sawyer, RP (Canadian Psychological Association)
- Shequita Thompson-Reid (Senior Director of Equity)
- Dr. Maria Wallis, Ph.D, Sociology (CASW, OSRP Member)
This is an opportunity for you to learn more about OSRP's new initiative designed to reduce barriers like systemic inequities resulting from anti-Black racism and other systems of oppression, that perpetuate the lack of equitable representation in Psychotherapy in Ontario.
