Leong Centre Rounds: In the Aftermath

DATE: April 27, 2026
TIME: 12:00 – 1:00pm (ET) 
METHOD: Virtual 
REGISTRATION: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/m1HW3RNmnx

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SPEAKERS: 

Tanya L. Sharpe, MSW, Ph.D., is a Professor and Endowed Chair at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. She is the founder and director of The Centre for Research & Innovation for Black Survivors of Homicide Victims (The CRIB), advancing culturally responsive supports for Black survivors of homicide victims. Her research examines how socio-cultural factors shape grief, inform interventions, best practices, and tools of measurement. Before joining U of T, Dr. Sharpe was a faculty member at the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Social Work for 11 years. Dr. Sharpe has received numerous awards recognizing her contributions to the field of homicide research, policy, and practice.

Deshawn Hibbert is a community leader, youth advocate, and program developer committed to supporting individuals and communities impacted by violence. He serves as the Neighbourhood Ambassador Coordinator with The Centre for Research & Innovation for Black Survivors of Homicide Victims (The CRIB) and works as a Case Manager supporting youth in conflict with the law.

He is the founder of Wealthy Not Rich, a clothing brand designed to help youth understand the difference between riches and long-term wealth, and Not Every Mistake, an initiative that empowers young people from marginalized communities through lived experience. He is also the co-founder of Forever Building, a trauma-informed basketball-based violence intervention program serving the Jane and Wilson to Jane and Sheppard communities.

Raised in Toronto, Deshawn uses his voice as a storyteller and his lived experience to inspire change, give back, and create opportunities for the next generation. As a father, he remains deeply committed to community impact and youth development.

TITLE: In the Aftermath: Centering Young ACB Survivors in Homicide Bereavement Research and Practice

DESCRIPTION: Despite the disproportionate impact of homicide on ACB communities in Toronto, evidence-based, culturally responsive supports for young survivors remain virtually absent. This presentation shares findings from In the Aftermath, a CRIB study using qualitative methods and digital storytelling to understand how youth ages 12-16 experience grief, loss, and unmet need following the murder of a family member or friend and what practitioners and systems must do differently.

OBJECTIVES: 

• Identify the distinct clinical dimensions of homicide bereavement among young ACB survivors, including how racial trauma, stigma, and systemic exclusion complicate grief and challenge conventional bereavement frameworks in clinical practice.
• Discuss methodological contributions of community-engaged research (Neighbourhood Ambassadors) as a methodology that centers lived experience, builds trust with ACB communities, and strengthens the validity and cultural integrity of homicide bereavement research.
• Translate findings into actionable clinical and research directions by identifying critical gaps in bereavement support systems and the core elements required for culturally responsive, developmentally appropriate interventions for ACB youth survivors of homicide.