MISSION
Uniting people of African descent. Building the capacity of ethno-cultural organizations to support and promote community engagement and participation.

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INNOVATION
Whether celebrating cultures or contributing to the health and wellbeing of our people, ACAO has been a frontrunner rallying support for a healthy community.

ACAO Youth Leadership Award ceremony

GROWTH
We are humbled to say ACAO now boasts of 53 country associations and growing. Our strength is in our membership. We have empowered leaders who are selfless and committed in their pursuit.

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What we do

Engaging, Empowering & Equipping

We are all about the welfare of African Canadians and the Black community. Our mission is uniting people of African descent and promoting the welfare of our community whilst encouraging greater participation in civic matters. As an umbrella organization for the 53 African country associations and ethnocultural groups, ACAO equips and builds capacities of member organizations to ensure effective and efficient service delivery to the community.

Since inception, ACAO has partnered with many organizations and individuals to make services more accessible and available to our community that has experienced less than optimal service. We use festivals and events to promote African cultures and empower the community to be able to participate fully in the social and economic discourses that affect us.

People wearing African heritage cultural attire

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African Canadian Association is an umbrella organization for all the African descent ethno-cultural organizations in the Ottawa-Gatineau area.

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Head Office

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

ISSUES & OPPORTUNITIES

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Economic Integration

Black Canadians make up one million Canadians. This number is supposed to double in 2036.Today, Black communities in Canada face a unique challenge that affects their integration into Canada. The abundant poverty of the community is due to the…
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Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently gave a short but significant speech on Parliament Hill announcing that the Government of Canada is officially recognizing the International Decade for People of African Descent. The decade,…
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Media

We work to be in control of our own history because most of the time what the media write about our experiences is often not true. So we have to promote our own story. We are not afraid to integrate discussions that concern us. We have the unique…
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Education

We face many obstacles in the Canadian education system not because we are not intelligent. In fact, Statistics Canada data shows that at least 34% of racialized Canadians have at least one university degree, compared to 20% of non-racialized…
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Our health

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Economic integration

Black Canadians make up one million Canadians. This number is supposed to double in 2036.Today, Black communities in Canada face a unique challenge that affects their integration into Canada. The abundant poverty of the community is due to the…
Read more

Criminal Justice

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently gave a short but significant speech on Parliament Hill announcing that the Government of Canada is officially recognizing the International Decade for People of African Descent. The decade, from 2015 to…
Read more
Economic Empowerment ACAO

Anti Racism

Anti-Black racism is a cancer in our society. Racism and particularly ant-black racism is endemic in the modern Canadian society and must be fought and conquered and destroyed. "As Mandela said “No one is born hating another person because…
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