Rosie Awori – Local Journalism Initiative
For Dr. Lisa Dennis, improving Black health means looking far beyond what happens inside a doctor’s office.
It means understanding the impact of racism and trauma on the body, knowing when to ask for screening, being equipped to advocate for yourself during a medical appointment, getting enough sleep, building financial security, maintaining cultural connections and creating healthier habits long before illness takes hold.
That broad view of wellness is at the heart of the Black Lives Living Well Initiative, a national non-profit organization founded by Dennis that will host its third annual Black Health and Wellness Fair in Montreal on October 3.
The all-day event will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at St. Raymond Centre, 5600 Upper Lachine Road in NDG, bringing together health and wellness exhibitors, speakers, vendors, food and a blood drive.
Dennis, whose professional background is in rehabilitation medicine, said the initiative grew out of her doctoral work on skills-based anti-racism training and a concern about health disparities affecting Black communities.
Her central message is straightforward: Black people deserve the information and resources necessary to take a more proactive role in their health.
“We deserve to live long, healthy, meaningful lives,” Dennis said to the CONTACT.
She argues that racism, chronic stress, traumatic experiences and barriers within the health-care system can all influence health outcomes over time. For Black patients, she said, understanding those risks can make earlier conversations with health professionals particularly important.
Dennis also wants Black communities to feel better equipped to ask questions when they enter a clinic or hospital.
“Sometimes doctors, especially non-Black doctors, are trained to only put us in a box,” she said, explaining that patients should feel empowered to discuss treatment options, ask why a particular medication is being recommended and raise questions about whether earlier testing or screening may be appropriate for their individual circumstances.
That focus on self-advocacy helped inspire one of the organization’s first major projects: Black Lives Living Well: Know Your Numbers, a health booklet designed specifically with Black Canadians in mind.
The organization hopes eventually to place a printed copy in the hands of Black Canadians across the country. For now, a digital version is available through the Black Lives Living Well website via their newsletter.
The booklet includes information about health, trauma and screening, along with what Dennis describes as a “doctor-to-doctor” section designed both to give Black patients language to use when speaking with their physicians and to provide health-care professionals with resources related to cultural humility and culturally responsive care.
“It’s about giving Black people the information they need so they can request that from their doctor,” Dennis explained.
Black Lives Living Well has held webinars on issues including breast cancer, Black skin health, sunscreen use, sickle cell disease and stem cell research. Sleep is another area Dennis wants the community to pay greater attention to, particularly because restorative sleep plays an important role in overall physical and mental health.
The October health fair is intended to take much of that information out of the webinar format and bring people together face-to-face.
Dennis wants people to come not only to hear from health professionals, but also to spend time in community, meet organizations and businesses working in wellness, ask questions and discover ways to become involved.
“Let’s just learn. Just be in community with one another,” she said.
Although this year’s fair is being held in Montreal, Dennis emphasized that Black Lives Living Well is a national organization. The organization is seeking greater representation from different provinces through its board, advisory roles and wellness committees, and Dennis said there are numerous opportunities for volunteers and community members to participate.
Among its most ambitious projects is the developing Black Wellness Warrior Program, which Dennis describes as something akin to a culturally centred scouting and wellness program for Black children, while also creating opportunities for adults to become community wellness advocates.
Children beginning around age five will be able to work through different levels and earn patches connected to various areas of wellness. The self-paced program will involve parents as well, allowing health, culture and identity to become a family learning experience.
Black Lives Living Well approaches wellness through multiple dimensions rather than concentrating only on physical or mental health. Its work encompasses areas including financial, spiritual, environmental, occupational, social and cultural wellness.
That holistic philosophy also extends to financial independence for the organization itself. Rather than relying exclusively on grants, Black Lives Living Well has created an online merchandise store offering T-shirts, hoodies, tote bags and mugs, with proceeds helping support its work.
Dennis acknowledges that racism within society and health care will not disappear overnight. Part of the organization’s mission therefore operates on two tracks: challenging systems that disadvantage Black people while simultaneously giving communities tools to protect their health now.
“We still fight against racism, but at the same time, racism is not going away right away,” she said. “So, what do we do in the meantime? That’s about living well. We’ve got to live well despite all that.”
At the same time, she said, responsibility cannot be placed solely on Black patients.
“We also have to train medical staff to treat us with the dignity and respect we deserve,” she said.
As the Black Health and Wellness Fair enters its third year, Dennis hopes attendance will continue to grow, not only from Montreal, but potentially from Ottawa and other nearby communities.
The organization is still accepting a limited number of vendors, but its biggest appeal now is to the community itself: come out, ask questions, learn and participate.
The third annual Black Health and Wellness Fair takes place October 3, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at St. Raymond Centre, 5600 Upper Lachine Road in NDG. For information visit blackliveslivingwell.com.
