Call for Advisory Members: Understanding the Impacts of Anti-Blackness Online

About the Project

Nia Centre for the Arts is embarking on a Canada-wide, community-based research project to learn more about, validate, and better understand the impacts of anti-Blackness, racism and hate online directed towards Black-Canadians, including, but not limited to:

1. What are the lived experiences of Black-Canadians experiencing anti-Blackness within online spaces? Particularly, social media platforms including, but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
2. What are the impacts of experiencing anti-Blackness online on Black Canadians? How does this affect our behaviour, and how we see ourselves both online and offline?
3. In revealing information about the first two points of inquiry, what recommendations can we make towards future research and investigation in this area? Further, what recommendations can we make to Black Canadians on how to more safely navigate online spaces to mitigate harm and negative impacts.

Through a national survey, focus groups and interviews, we aim to develop a research study and research publication that summarizes our findings, and provides recommendations towards safer engagement and increased digital literacy to combat the impacts of anti-Blackness experienced by Black-Canadians online, while also developing recommendations on how online, social environments can better support their Black-Canadian users, and community members as a whole. 

About the Role

To support our community-based research study, we are looking for individuals to join our Community Advisory. The purpose of the Community Advisory is to provide ongoing feedback on our research methods and practices, while also offering critical insight and community-based accountability. As a member of the Community Advisory, members will be asked to:

• Provide feedback on research methods, practices, and applications, including reviewing survey, focus group, and interview questions and methods
• Provide insight on key stakeholders to engage throughout the research, publication, and recommendations development process
• Support outreach efforts of the survey & publication(s), including providing support with the dissemination of flyers, survey links, Calls for Participation, and more

We are looking for Advisory Members with a wide-range of backgrounds and experiences, however the following are considered assets:

• Having an interest and commitment to supporting Black-Canadians 
• Having industry-specific experience within the fields of social media and online social platforms
• Having a critical understanding of how Black-Canadians use (or don’t use) online social spaces, particularly social media platforms, including historic trends and barriers
• Having a background in, or an in-depth knowledge or understanding of human behaviour and trends on online social spaces, particularly social media platforms
• Having an understanding of community-engagement, particularly in community-based research facilitation 

Advisory Members will be asked to contribute up to 25 hours of support until April 2022, and will be provided with an honorarium of $500 in recognition of their support.

Interested? Get in Touch!

Please email us at info@niacentre.org with the subject line: Community Advisory, with a brief email along with your resume detailing why you are interested in joining the Community Advisory, and how you anticipate being able to provide support towards the research project as a whole 

About Nia Centre for the Arts

Nia Centre for the Arts is a Toronto-based charitable organization that supports, showcases and promotes an appreciation of arts from across the Afro-Diaspora. We present professional development programs for artists, engagement and mentorship programs and opportunities for youth, and present special events and exhibitions to our community, and Canadians as a whole. 

In October 2020, we began renovations on our 14,000 sq. ft. facility in Toronto, Ontario to build Canada’s first multidisciplinary Black arts centre. This new space will help bring our entire community together to experience art rooted in Afro-diasporic traditions. Once renovated, our facility at 524 Oakwood Avenue will feature a 150-seat multi-purpose performance space, an event space, a digital media studio, an artist studio, youth space, gallery space, and more. Learn more at niacentre.org