Home - CBWC | Ontario Region

Congress of
Black Women of
Canada, Ontario Region

CBWC chose the Cactus as a symbol to
represent the strength and resilience of Black Women

Who We Are

Scholarship Awards Program

Scholarships are available through a regional chapter

Regional Chapters

Upcoming
Events

Head to our event page to register for our upcoming events!

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Who We Are

The Congress of Black Women of Canada is a national non-profit organization, started by Kay Livingstone in 1973. The organization is dedicated to improving the lives of all Black women and their families in their local and national communities. The Congress of Black Women of Canada evolved from the Canadian Negro Women’s Association (CANEWA) which was founded in 1951 by a small group of Black women in Toronto. In recognition of the significance of self respect and self esteem to Black people, CANEWA’s chief goal was to expand Black consciousness in Canada and beyond.

The Ontario regional body of the Congress of Black Women of Canada provides leadership and direction to create and maintain relationship among the Ontario chapters in their mission to address the social, economic and cultural issues and needs of Black Women. The Ontario region aims to provide organizational visibility, facilitate consistency of leadership and coordinate responses to the concerns and issues of all Ontario chapters. With a focus on the mission to assist Black women and their families, we collaborate to deliver programs and events that address child development, education, health, housing, pension, racism, sexism and human rights. Working within the framework of the mission and vision of the organization, each chapter is responsible for outreach as is relevant in their respective communities.

The regional organizational structure is as follows: Regional President, Regional Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.

Let’s make our Community a better place

2021 International Women's Day

Time to advance gender equality and support an inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, a recovery that will better position us for the future.

International Women’s Day is an important timeline for the Congress of Black Women of Canada – an organization that is committed to creating community and building connections among Black women as we address our shared opportunities, challenges and triumphs. We implore all women, Black Women in particular to take time for your own self-care and protect your overall health. Make this a priority this International Women’s Month!

It is worth noting that similar to Black History month, International Women’s month is celebrated for some of the same reasons – Black History month to ensure racial equity for a group of people who have been marginalized for years, and International Women’s month to ensure gender equity for women to reach their highest potential in society.

For Black women, double whammy … they must cope with both race inequity and gender inequity!

The impact of Covid-19 on the Black woman is huge – many make up a large percentage of front-line workers, many are care givers – they do not have the luxury of staying home during this pandemic – most have no benefits – no work, no pay! Also impacted are those women who run their own businesses – a lot of women are self-employed through their own businesses, all of which have been severely impacted by Covid-19. The recovery for them will be difficult.

Certainly Covid-19 has highlighted the need and opened up possibilities for our Canadian government to take bold and historic actions to address women’s economic inequality. The Economy must work for women. We need to see an economy that values women’s paid and unpaid work and one that expands and protects the care sector, especially when we take into consideration that women still provide the largest percentage of care.

As we celebrate International Women’s Month 2021, make your emotional, mental and physical health a priority. Join the Congress of Black Women Ontario Wellness Revolution!