AkwatuKhenti

08/08/2022

“The emancipation experience of newly freed Africans across the western hemisphere revealed clearly that freedom from forced servitude, torture, brutal work conditions and deliberate family break up was not going to be freedom to live, learn, work and be healthy, period. For instance, in America alone one million of four million newly freed Africans died of smallpox, cholera, dysentery and starvation in the decade after emancipation. Threats from infectious disease would become part of the Black experience."

Key Emancipation 2022 highlights:
- Remembering why emancipation was not a gift but the result of blood, sweat and tears as a result of struggle and resistance
- Why emancipation should be commemorated/celebrated
- What it tells us about contemporary circumstances
- How we can all move forward

07/29/2022

Advancing reflective dialogue about Black history, humanity and empowerment.

Candidly put, Dr. Akwatu Khenti enlightens us about what the Black perspective is through his own personal lived experience and uncovers the multiple facets of the human race that demonstrates evolution from Africa. He amplifies that Black humanity is all humanity and because anti-Black racism has become definitive over the past 5 centuries, there needs to be a definitive component in the need to address racism as a priority to understand the human experience, and to move forward…

Listen to his podcast here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zwmyvbkjxk

Dr. Khenti seeks to renew conversations about the power of a positive Black identity to meet contemporary challenges. A VanceWorldMedia ProductionDirected...

07/08/2022

Honoured to be representing anti-racist public health perspective on gun violence at round table with community leaders, PM and Raptors president ⁦

03/13/2022

Current sanctions send the necessary message, as well they should, however Western leaders also needs to be signaling potential off ramps to Russia before we enter Armageddon type circumstances... where all potential ends defeat the means.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/08/russia-ukraine-war-possible-trajectories

There are two likely paths: continued escalation, potentially across the nuclear threshold, or a bitter peace imposed on a defeated Ukraine

03/06/2022

Thought it was obvious, all refugees deserve humane responses! Are Ukrainians more deserving of sympathy than Afghans and Iraqis? Many seem to think so... Read article@

Are Ukrainians more deserving of sympathy than Afghans and Iraqis? Many seem to think so

02/26/2022

Sometimes science casts lights on human experiences best explained by spirituality, this seems like one such unveiling: Scientists gain an accidental glimpse into an age-old question about what happens to the human brain as we die.

Scientists gain an accidental glimpse into an age-old question about what happens to the human brain as we die.

02/24/2022

As part of the Toronto Voices vaccine engagement series, the City of Toronto has released the delivery of a personal message from the Black Scientists' Task Force 's very own Chair, Dr. Akwatu Khenti. His four minute message encapsulates and contextualizes historic anti-Black racism faced by Black communities and appeals to all at a humane level about the importance of vaccination. See video here:

'Black Bodies' profiles Dr. Akwatu Khenti, Chair of the City's Black Scientists’ Task Force on Vaccine Equity, who shares a personal message about COVID-19 v...

02/24/2022

CityNews Toronto shares insights into the work the Black Scientists' Task Force is spearheading in Toronto's Black communities and the role vaccine misinformation, mistrust and hesitancy is playing in keeping vaccinate rates lower than necessary.

The Black Scientists’ Task Force has made progress towards vaccine equity, but vaccination rates in the Black community remain lower. Faiza Amin reports on the race to address these challenges, and the calls for continued engagement.

02/19/2022

It's exactly a year since we formed the Black Scientists' Task Force to address the impacts that COVID has on Black communities, boost vaccine confidence and uptake, and provide community supports for our fellow brothers and sisters. Through a series of townhalls our team sought to answer questions about vaccine equity, concerns stemming from taking the vaccine and the role systemic racism plays in our communities.

Dr. Akwatu Khenti, Rev. Denise Gillard and Liben Gebremikael discuss the work of the Black scientists' task force on vaccine equity.

02/03/2022

We need time to rebuild relationships, time to address the concerns of our communities, address the root of mistrust and implement strategies to de-stigmatize vaccination. Hear what Dr. Khenti had to say:

Dr. Akwatu Khenti, chair of the Black Scientists' Task Force on Vaccine Equity, explains the concern over the demonstrations in Ottawa and the importance of giving balanced evidence in order to make decisions.

02/02/2022

Does anyone have the right to call into question the humanity and historic suffering of our fellow Canadians?-Dr. Akwatu Khenti

The recent convoy against vaccination is not only spewing misinformation about the vaccine in the race against the virus, but also sends mix messaging and stirs a lack of confidence in it. Who suffers as a result? Statistically, higher risk populations who make up a large proportion of hospitalizations suffer the most and have higher mortality rates. We need to raise an alarm and bring awareness to the harms being caused...

https://toronto.citynews.ca/video/2022/01/30/black-scientists-say-misinformation-on-vaccines-hurt-black-communities/

Black Scientist’s Task Force says media coverage of the ‘Freedom Convoy’ in Ottawa takes away from the progress made within racialized vaccine-hesitant communities. Melissa Nakhavoly has more on the dangers of misinformation being spread and how it m

01/25/2022

New data reveals that COVID-19 vaccination rates are surprisingly low in various areas throughout Toronto for children aged 5-11. What are we doing to protect our children during this pandemic?

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2022/01/25/how-many-kids-aged-5-to-11-have-been-vaccinated-in-your-toronto-neighbourhood-you-might-be-surprised.html

Even with dozens of equity-driven campaigns by public health officials, vaccination rates remain stubbornly low in some parts of the city.