Organizing Tenants to Fight Anti-Black Racism

The Oakwood Vaughan Tenant Union proudly celebrates Black History month. We think it’s important for us as a tenants union to celebrate this month, but also our black neighbours in our community for their work as tenants. With February being Black History Month, it seems appropriate to discuss how important tenant justice is to the health and wellbeing of black folk in our community. 

Studies by the City of Toronto have shown over and over again what we in the Oakwood Vaughan community already know - that this is an underserved community. We have fewer services than other Toronto communities, and we need them more. We have proportionately more tenants in our community, and fiercer gentrification than just about anywhere else in Toronto. Information from Census Canada shows that the Oakwood Vaughan community has seen an increase in population between 2006 and 2016. Yet over that same timeframe the Black population has decreased. 

The gentrification happening in the Oakwood Vaughan community has been pushing out lower income, mostly black tenants for years. More recently the incoming Eglinton LRT has increased the gentrification happening in our community, making the issue more important than ever to counteract. Thankfully, organized tenants are an effective way to resist the gentrification in our communities. In the Oakwood Vaughan community just in the past year there have been multiple notable tenant organizing efforts. The folks at 1A Bansley have successfully resisted renoviction by organizing, protesting, and letting the landlord know they weren’t going to be displaced easily. At 440 Winona there have been several efforts by the landlord to evict tenants, reduce services, and increase costs to tenants. In both cases tenants have organized and resisted the landlords squeeze. In both cases it’s materially benefited the tenants in the buildings, and in the community.

Resisting gentrification is an effective way to combat the systemic racism affecting black communities, and we can do that as a community, as neighbours, as tenants. This Black History Month we hope you’ll think of the ways black communities have been subject to unfair housing policy and take action with us at OVTU so we can continue the fight!