London filmmaker journeys coast to coast to gather stories of Black caregivers for new series

A  filmmaker in London, Ont., has just launched a new mini-documentary series sharing stories of the joys and challenges Black caregivers face across the nation — starting with his own. 

Being a caregiver can be a lonely and isolating experience, said Moses Latigo Odida, who's raising his four-year-old daughter diagnosed with Down Syndrome with his wife in the city, and those challenges are only compounded by mental health and racism.

It takes a village to raise a child, he said, and in an effort to find that village of people who understood these obstacles, he set out on a trek that took him from coast to coast to document stories of people like him: Black caregivers. 

His series is called Down: Canada's Black Caregivers and features 8 episodes all part of a larger storytelling project called Stories for Caregivers. 

"I want to capture these black stories within our community so that for some of us, they would serve as an entry point into having some very hard but necessary conversations, like disability within our Black community," said Latigo Odida, who was born in Uganda.

Since moving to London about 20 years ago, he's faced racism from being called the 'n' word, to having his high marks attributed to his race by classmates. And facing racism doesn't "take a break" when someone is a caregiver, he said. He's also had childcare centres turn his daughter down because of her disability. 

As he documents his journey meeting caregivers and telling their stories, he is also learning from their stories, he said, making stops in Nova Scotia, Victoria, B.C. and across Ontario from Barrie to Toronto to New Castle.

"I met with Black caregivers and their loved ones, who despite all these other challenges, continue to contribute very wholesome, very beautifully into their local communities and beyond," he said. 

"Every story was unique."

LISTEN: Londoner makes documentary of Black caregivers nationwide 

The name for the project, Down, is a homophone for Black caregivers feeling emotionally 'down' because of their challenges, while also being 'down' for the responsibility of caring for their loved ones, he said. In his case, it also represents the journey of caring for his daughter, born with Down Syndrome. 

The series explores barriers to managing mental health, stigmas and negative assumptions around disabilities and race — and looks at the "often times neglected parts of the experience of a caregiver," he said.  

"I have a great conviction that the best way we're going to improve the general experiences of Black caregivers is by sharing their stories."

He taps into an African principle called 'ubuntu' which means "I am because we are," he said. "[It] means any prospects for my well-being are going to be grounded in my involvement and participation and contribution to community.

For him, the film project has accomplished what he'd hoped for. 

"In a very fundamental way, I feel less alone," Latigo Odida said. "I found a village of people like me."

He hopes by sharing these human stories, it will invite people to "apply their empathetic selves" and contribute to building a society that is loving and gentle — where it's known that dehumanizing stereotypes and barriers arent right, he said. 

All eight episodes of Down: Canada's Black Caregivers are available to watch on the Stories for Caregivers website.