Community resilience, advocacy, and transformative approaches

A substantial body of research demonstrates that racialized communities, particularly those shaped by collectivist worldviews, draw upon relational, communal, and spiritually grounded strategies to cope with trauma and chronic stress, relying on family networks, friendship circles, community elders, and culturally embedded practices that affirm connection and shared responsibility (Boss, 2006; Daly et al., 1995; Moore et al., 2022; Sharpe, 2015). These relational forms of coping are closely tied to non-Western cultural frameworks where healing is understood as both a personal and collective process, and spiritual practices remain central sources of strength (Bryant-Davis et al., 2011; Jacob et al., 2023; Markus & Kitayama, 2014). Sharpe and Boyas (2011) found that survivors engaged in spiritual coping and meaning making, maintained emotional and symbolic connections to the deceased, relied on collective care, and often concealed their emotions as a way of protecting others from additional burden. In contexts of structural inequality, racialized violence, and historical trauma, community-based and culturally rooted responses are indispensable to individual and collective healing, filling gaps left by under-resourced formal systems and embodying forms of innovation aligned with the values outlined in CBJS.

Based on these findings, Sharpe et al. (2018) developed the first culturally responsive intervention for Black survivors of homicide victims, grounded in her Model of Coping for African American Survivors of Homicide Victims, integrating spirituality, communal coping, meaning-making, and the recognition of structural racism into trauma-informed support, with promising outcomes adapted to several Black communities within North America.

The Youth Association for Academics, Athletics and Character Education (YAAACE), a Black-led, Black-focused, and Black-serving organization operating in Toronto’s Jane and Finch community since 2007, exemplifies culturally responsive, community-driven gun violence prevention. Serving more than 1,000 families and clients annually, YAAACE’s Centre for Community Safety and Roots of Violence implements strength-based, trauma-informed programs, including TO Wards Peace and New Narrative, that support justice-involved youth and adults while addressing the structural conditions and biased narratives that contribute to community violence. Its data-driven knowledge mobilization work, multi-sector partnerships, and engagement with all three levels of government position YAAACE as both a direct service provider and a systems-level advocate, demonstrating that sustained, culturally grounded investment in Black-led organizations produces meaningful outcomes for Black gun violence survivors, homicide-bereaved families, and the broader communities in which they live.

Recognizing the central role of community resilience and Black-led innovation, the Government of Canada has increasingly adopted a public-health and community-driven approach in advancing CBJS. The Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative (SBCCI), launched in 2019, strengthens Black-led organizations, addresses systemic barriers and anti-Black racism, and promotes the full social and economic inclusion of Black Canadians. Since its inception, SBCCI has provided more than $200 million to build capacity, expand programming, and reinforce the leadership of Black community institutions across the country, including an additional $25 million for 2024–2025 and $36 million for 2025–2026, reflecting federal recognition that long-term safety, justice, and well-being in Black communities must be grounded in culturally responsive, Black-led solutions.