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DiversityTalk

@diversitytalk

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Public health + social development consultancy
Research. Strategy. Policy. Evaluation.
Stronger systems. Healthier communities.
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The experience of living through COVID-19 made “pandemic” a household term, but as news cycles now focus on the recent Andes hantavirus cases, the term “outbreak” is resurfacing. These words are often used interchangeably, yet they signal very different levels of urgency and geographic reach. A disease like the seasonal flu or malaria is considered endemic because it is a constant, predictable presence. It maintains a baseline level that health systems expect and manage through routine care. An outbreak, such as the recent clusters of Andes hantavirus in South America, occurs when cases suddenly spike beyond that expected baseline in a localized area. Because an outbreak is confined to a specific region or institution, the response is focused entirely on rapid containment to stop the spread before it grows. When that spread moves beyond a local cluster to affect a wider region or an entire country, it is reclassified as an epidemic. A historical example would be the 2014 Ebola surge in West Africa. The pattern shifts from localized to regional, moving quickly and unpredictably through communities and requiring active interventions like widespread testing and public health mandates. The term pandemic is reserved for when an epidemic officially goes global, crossing international borders and affecting multiple continents simultaneously. This was the reality of COVID-19. Because the scale is worldwide, the response must be equally massive, requiring international coordination and synchronized policy changes to manage exponential growth. Understanding these distinctions helps clarify why a local outbreak is handled differently than a global crisis. #publichealth #healtheducation #epidemiology #hantavirus taken in Canada by @diversitytalk
1
5 months ago
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Leaves of Legacy returns in February 2027. Now formalized as a flagship platform of @diversitytalk, next chapter of Leaves of Legacy continues with our work as a public education and cultural archive platform exploring Black plant histories, cannabis and drug policy, cultural memory, and reparative justice. Rooted in research. Built through public scholarship. Created to honour the stories, knowledge, resistance, and futures carried across the African diaspora. Toronto, February 2027. #LeavesOfLegacy #BlackCannabisHistory #PlantHistories #ReparativeJustice taken in Canada by @diversitytalk
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5 months ago
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Come celebrate Black love at Friendsgiving Oct 10 🤎 What does Black love mean to you? For @jermainehenry.ca it's beyond romantic love; it's the consideration, care and respect we share with our friends and family (or chosen family). It's acknowledging and expressing our roots & culture. Brown Sugar: Friendsgiving invites us to celebrate and appreciate Black love & mental health. An intimate evening of good food, meaningful conversations, music, connection, and real talk about the relationships that help us heal, survive and thrive. Oct 10th, 5pm Bring your people. Come solo. Pull up! Get tickets ASAP brownsugar-friendsgiving.eventbrite.com Link in bio. 📽 @prolific.canada Community Partners: @hiphop.healing x @diversitytalk x @sundesocial x @griefwitness x @alittletimeforus #BrownSugarFriendsgiving #BlackLove #MentalHealth #Friendship #CommunityCare by @diversitytalk
9
9 days ago
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We're baaack! This time for Friendsgiving. Oct 10th 🤎 What if we celebrated the love that shows up for us every day? The friends who check in. The family who holds us down. The chosen family who becomes home. The people who remind us that we don’t have to do life alone. Join us Saturday, October 10th for Brown Sugar: Friendsgiving- Celebrating Black Love, Friendship & Mental Health. An intimate evening of good food, meaningful conversations, music, connection, and real talk about the relationships that help us heal and thrive. Bring your people. Come solo. Pull up! Black love isn't just romantic. Black love is friendship. Family. Community. Care. Tickets: Available brownsugar-friendsgiving.eventbrite.com DM for promo code Presented by @hiphop.healing x @diversitytalk Community Partners: @sundesocial x Poetic Therapy x Time For Us Wellness Hub Flyer @designly.inc #BrownSugarFriendsgiving #BlackLove #BlackMentalHealth #Friendship #ChosenFamily CommunityCare by @diversitytalk
4
18 days ago
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🌱Did You Know... the theme of Kaya Fest is Education Before Recreation. Cannabis has so many benefits and uses for the body and earth. 🎬 EDUCATION BEYOND RECREATION🌿 Join us, as we create space for Visual storytelling that invites critical dialogue and nuanced insight into the lived experiences of Cannabis and how we can craft an equitable future. Films on screen: ’Earthworm’- Dir. by Donisha Prendergast (@iamdonisha ) ‘Kiss My Grass’ - Dir. by Mary-Ann Pryor ‘Peter Tosh Town: Origins of a Rebel Wailer’ Dir. by @andrelivingston @cesarbuelto @ms__tosh Moderated by: Ika Washington (@diversitytalk ) Visual artist Komi Olaf (@komiolaf ) will exhibit from his collection ‘Cannabis HerStory’. Featuring Niambe Tosh (@ms__tosh ), the youngest daughter of Peter Tosh, whose musical legacy gave voice to a liberation movement to legalize it! Special acoustic performance by Sharon Marley (@iamsharonmarley ) with a tribute honouring Rita Marley’s influence and representation as a Rastawoman🌸 A visually elevated experience of Cannabis. 3 films. 2 cultural legacies. 1 Stage! This is Education Before Recreation🔥 📍 Toronto | 📅 Aug 20 6pm-10pm Center for Social Innovation - 192 Spadina Ave 🎟️ FREE EVENT!!! Free registration through the Eventbrite link in HOV bio. Register and receive $15 OFF General Admission to Kaya Fest. Aug 22!! Limited availability so RSVP now to get yours! Come curious. Be part of the conversation. Curated by @humanityovavanity.to_ Powered by @ocs__canada Presented by @thekayafest Special Thanks to our Come-Unity partners: @diversitytalk @hightechhealing @azeb_inc @studio.olaf @kayaent_promo #KayaFilmSymposium #KayaFest2026 #EducationBeforeRecreation #ThePlant by @diversitytalk
8
2 months ago
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🎬 EDUCATION BEYOND RECREATION🌿 ‘Herb is a plant’ - Bob Marley The KAYA FEST Film Symposium brings film, music, art and conversation together for an evening of ideas, culture and connection around a special plant. Cannabis, herb, ganja, marijuana… has had many names and experiences in the world, with roots that stretch deep into the history, culture and stories of people globally. Join us, as we create space for Visual storytelling that invites critical dialogue and nuanced insight into the lived experiences of Cannabis and how we can craft an equitable future. Films on screen: ’Earthworm’- Dir. by Donisha Prendergast (@iamdonisha) ‘Kiss My Grass’ - Dir. by Mary-Ann Pryor ‘Peter Tosh Town: Origins of a Rebel Wailer’ Dir. by @andrelivingston @cesarbuelto @ms__tosh Moderated by: Ika Washington (@diversitytalk) Visual artist Komi Olaf (@komiolaf) will exhibit from his collection ‘Cannabis HerStory’. Featuring Niambe Tosh (@ms__tosh), the youngest daughter of Peter Tosh, whose musical legacy gave voice to a liberation movement to legalize it! Special acoustic performance by Sharon Marley (@iamsharonmarley ) with a tribute honouring Rita Marley’s influence and representation as a Rastawoman🌸 A visually elevated experience of Cannabis. 3 films. 2 cultural legacies. 1 Stage! This is Education Before Recreation🔥 📍 Toronto | 📅 Aug 20 6pm-10pm Center for Social Innovation - 192 Spadina Ave 🎟️ FREE EVENT!!! Free registration through the Eventbrite link in bio. Register and receive $15 OFF General Admission to Kaya Fest. Aug 22!! Limited availability so RSVP now to get yours! Come curious. Be part of the conversation. Curated by @humanityovavanity.to_ Powered by @ocs__canada Presented by @thekayafest Special Thanks to our Come-Unity partners: @diversitytalk @hightechhealing @azeb_inc @studio.olaf @kayaent_promo #KayaFilmSymposium #KayaFest2026 #EducationBeforeRecreation #ThePlant taken in Centre for Social Innovation by @diversitytalk
10
2 months ago
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Today, DiversityTalk turns 6. 🎉 What started as a simple desire to create space for meaningful conversation has grown into something I could not have fully imagined. DiversityTalk began from a place of advocacy, curiosity, audacity, and a refusal to stay only in the rooms where these conversations felt comfortable. I wanted to build something that could enter different spaces, ask harder questions, open up new ways of thinking, and support the shifts needed across systems, communities, and institutions. Six years later, DiversityTalk has grown from an idea into a health and social development company, a consulting practice, a team, and a growing network of like-minded people working across communities, sectors, and borders. We have moved from conversation to strategy, from advocacy to implementation, from lived experience to subject matter expertise, while continuing to learn, evolve, and stay grounded in purpose. This journey has carried anxiety, sleepless nights, stress, tears, joy, gratitude, and more lessons than I can count. It has also brought partnerships, trust, meaningful work, international opportunities, and the surreal feeling of watching something I once imagined become real. I am deeply grateful to every client, collaborator, colleague, community partner, team member, and supporter who has trusted DiversityTalk, invited us into important rooms, and helped shape this journey. To be celebrating six years while in one of my favourite places in the world, London, feels especially full circle as DiversityTalk steps into new spaces, new markets, new partnerships, and new possibilities. We are 6 🥹 Here’s to the work, the growth, the conversations, and everything still to come🥂 With gratitude, Ika Washington Founder & CEO, DiversityTalk #blackownedbusinesses #consultants #blackwomenmatter #diversityandinclusion taken in United Kingdom by @diversitytalk
15
4 months ago
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Representation in higher education shouldn’t be measured only by who enters the system. It’s also measured by who advances, who is retained, who is credentialed, and who reaches decision-making power. The data in Canada - Black representation narrows sharply at the doctoral, faculty, and senior leadership levels. At the same time, gendered patterns in attainment point to the need for more precise equity strategies, including stronger attention to Black men across the post-secondary pipeline. Equity requires structural analysis, targeted intervention, and accountability across every stage of academic progression. Excited to soon be part of that 3.5% of Black doctorate holders 🔥 Sources: IBET PhD Project; University of Calgary; Statistics Canada; Toronto Metropolitan University. #HigherEducation #BlackAcademia #EquityInEducation #PolicyMatters taken in Toronto, Ontario by @diversitytalk
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5 months ago
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Preparedness is often framed as an emergency management issue, but it is also a public health issue. The ability to withstand a crisis is shaped by everyday conditions: housing stability, food access, income security, social connection, language access, disability inclusion, medication continuity, and trust in institutions. When those conditions are weak, emergencies deepen existing inequities. Strong preparedness planning asks harder questions before a crisis happens: Who is most exposed? Who has the least margin for disruption? Who is missing from the planning table? What systems need to be strengthened now? Prepared communities protect everyone. #PublicHealth #EmergencyPreparedness #HealthEquity #CommunityResilience taken in Europe by @diversitytalk
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5 months ago
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Recent data points to Europe being shaped by distinct and uneven health burdens between 2024 and 2026. Eastern and Central Europe continue to experience a concentrated cardiovascular burden, with countries such as Bulgaria, Romania, and Latvia reporting mortality rates from circulatory diseases that far exceed the EU average. In many of these contexts, over half of all deaths are linked to cardiovascular conditions. Western and Northern Europe present a different profile. Despite stronger health system access, countries including the United Kingdom, Netherlands, and Sweden are facing sustained mental health pressures, with high levels of chronic depression and suicide emerging as a leading cause of death among young people aged 15 to 29. Southern Europe is increasingly defined by climate and lifestyle-related risks. Extreme heat events across Spain, Italy, and Greece have contributed to tens of thousands of heat-attributable deaths, while countries such as Malta and Greece are reporting adolescent obesity rates exceeding one in four. Along the Baltic and Northern coasts, environmental change is reshaping infectious disease patterns. Rising sea temperatures have increased the prevalence of Vibrio infections, particularly affecting coastal regions in Sweden and Finland, alongside broader shifts in vector suitability, including a near threefold increase in conditions conducive to dengue transmission across parts of Southern Europe since 2015. Public health in Europe is not defined by a single set of challenges, but by regionally specific risks that require tailored policy responses, targeted investment, and adaptive health system planning. Where do you see the greatest gaps between public health evidence and system-level response? 👉🏾 Follow @DiversityTalk for policy-informed insights on global health systems, equity, and strategy. #PublicHealth #HealthPolicy #HealthEquity #GlobalHealth taken in Europe by @diversitytalk
0
5 months ago
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Implementation is one of the most cited concepts in policy, public health, and organizational strategy, yet it is rarely understood with precision. At its core, implementation refers to the process of translating policy, strategy, or evidence into coordinated action within real-world systems. It involves aligning people, resources, timelines, governance structures, and accountability mechanisms to produce intended outcomes. In practice, this is where most initiatives begin to shift. Evidence-based strategies encounter institutional constraints. Programs designed at a high level are reshaped by workforce capacity, funding limitations, competing priorities, and fragmented service delivery environments. What is written in a plan is rarely what unfolds in reality. Effective implementation requires more than execution. It demands clarity of roles, sustained resourcing, adaptive leadership, and mechanisms for monitoring and course correction. Without these, even the most well-designed strategies fail to achieve impact or produce uneven outcomes across populations. Across health and social systems, implementation gaps often explain why inequities persist despite strong policy commitments and well-articulated frameworks. So the question is not whether a strategy exists. It is whether it has been implemented in a way that produces measurable, equitable outcomes. Where do you see implementation breaking down in your work or sector? 👉🏾 Follow @DiversityTalk for systems-level insights on policy, health, and organizational transformation. #Implementation #PublicHealth #HealthPolicy #HealthSystems taken in London, United Kingdom by @diversitytalk
0
5 months ago
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"Surrounded & united the city from the east to the west end, A night filled with laughter, with family and friends,  Love is what brought us,  But it’s not where it ends,  Sweet like Brown sugar,  Potent like our melanin.  Cheers 🥂🤎 With Purpose,  AO - @mraugustineo 📸@yamzcity.tv #PoeticTherapy #HipHopHealing #BrownSugarBlackLove #BlackMentalHealth  Brown Sugar a curated seated dining experience centred on Black love, community, and mental health. An evening that welcolmed everyone into thoughtful conversations about how we learn to love and how those lessons stay with us. Led by talk from @alittletimeforus (Relationship Therapist) together, we reflected on the relationships that have shaped our emotional worlds, including self, family, friendship, work and romance. The discussion was guided yet open, grounded in lived experience, cultural context, and collective reflection. We enjoyed a BRAVE(R) space for honesty, listening, and connection, held with care and intention. This gathering was presented by @hiphop.healing in collaboration with community partners. We are grateful to @diversitytalk, @sundesocial, and @thefirstdategame for their partnership and support in bringing this evening to life. by @diversitytalk
7
6 months ago
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