What to know
- CBC’s The Fifth Estate will air a new episode examining a troubling pattern of missing Black boys in Ontario, first highlighted by local media and activists in 2024.
- A community screening and panel in Ajax brought together journalists, advocates, and residents, who say the documentary is long overdue and crucial for public awareness.
- Community members and youth hope the renewed attention will lead to accountability, systemic change, and meaningful solutions to protect Black children.
A documentary that explores an alarming wave of missing Black boys in the province is set to air this week, and residents are hoping it will raise awareness about the concerning trend.
The new episode of CBC’s The Fifth Estate is set to air on Friday, Jan. 23 and will revisit discussions about a concerning pattern of disappearances after several Black boys were reported missing without a trace back in fall of 2024.
Concerns about this trend were first ignited after local activists and media, including Now Toronto and The Brandon Gonez Show, covered the alarming story at the time.
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On Wednesday, a community screening of the documentary and panel discussions took place in Ajax, presented by CBC and Gonez Media Inc. (GMI). The event, hosted by media personality and The Brandon Gonez Show host, Brandon Gonez, united journalists, advocates, local leaders, and community members to spark more discussions on the topic ahead of the episode’s launch.
Panel discussions were recorded and are expected to air on YouTube later this month.
COMMUNITY MEMBERS REACT TO DISCUSSIONS
Now Toronto spoke with community members who were at the panel to understand their thoughts about the reignited discussions and the documentary coming out this weekend.
Tammy Taylor Dean said she was at the panel to get an update on the situation and understand how the community can stay involved.
To her, having legacy media and local outlets covering the story represents an important way of raising awareness.
“It’s about time because we weren’t hearing anything before. I was hearing the back stories, maybe on social media, but we weren’t hearing it in the public. So, now it’s about time that they’ve taken a look at this and made a serious focus on what’s going on,” she said.
As a mother herself, Dean says reports of the missing youth personally concern her.
“I have a son, he’s 16, and I’m concerned about what’s going on in Durham, and I just wanted more information,” she said.
“I just tell [my son] to be aware. Always be aware of your surroundings, make sure that you know where you’re going and look around to see if there’s anything happening. So, I just always tell him to just keep his eyes open.”
Tracy Wright also agrees that having a documentary to spotlight the issue can be an important way to raise awareness and a step towards a real solution.
“It’s good for people to be aware of the situation that’s going on. Unfortunately, it’s not ended, but hopefully they can start, somehow, to get to an end to it, once people see this documentary be aired,” she said.
The resident said she has started a local support group for parents whose children have disappeared.
“It’s for the parents, caregivers, loved ones who have children [who] have gone missing or have come back, and it’s to deal with it. So, it’s like a group where they can speak to each other and…feed off each other,” she said.
As a Black youth himself, Jayce Gillespie says the issue also hits close to home, and hopes the documentary can ignite awareness and real action.
“Nobody wants their child to be missing. Obviously it’s a very important issue that can’t just be handled on its own, and that we need to actually put in the work towards it as well. As long as we all stick together, we work together, this can be fixed. I think that’s what I want to take away.”
The Fifth Estate’s Season 51, Episode 9: “Missing Black Boys” is set to premiere this Friday on YouTube.
GMI is the parent company of Now Toronto.
