Debwetamowin: Dismantling Implicit Bias and Racism in Manitoba's Response to HIV-STBBI

Debwetamowin (truth) is a community-led research project that examines how colonialism and anti-Indigenous and anti-Black racism embedded within institutional systems shape HIV and sexually transmitted and blood-borne infection (STBBI) outcomes in Manitoba.

The project name draws on the Debwetamowin component of Roger Roulette’s Anishinaabe Life Model, which understands truth as a necessary condition for preventing illness and restoring balance. The project centers Anishinaabe philosophical teachings to expose and transform colonial systems that produce harm, while remaining vigilant against pan-Indigenous distortions of authentic Indigenous knowledge.

The study is led by Elder Albert McLeod, whose ceremonial guidance ground the project in Indigenous governance and accountability. The project is directed by Dr. Rusty Souleymanov, Principal Investigator. The research team also includes Tara Christianson, Patricia Ukoli, and Melissa Morris, whose expertise in community-engaged research, and structural inequities strengthens all aspects of the work. The project is also guided by a community guiding circle consisting of 9 Indigenous and African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) members.

Manitoba currently has the highest rate of HIV in Canada, with diagnosis rates nearly four times the national average. Indigenous Peoples are disproportionately affected. These patterns reflect more than individual-level risk; they reflect systemic inequality.

Debwetamowin asks a fundamental question: How do colonial and racist policies within child welfare, healthcare, housing, justice, social assistance, and immigration systems shape vulnerability to HIV and other STBBIs for Indigenous, as well as Black, African, and Caribbean communities in Manitoba?

Rather than focusing narrowly on individual behaviors, the project examines how institutional logics, including colonial governance, racial surveillance, differential policy application, and conditional deservingness operate across interconnected systems.

Grounded in a community-based participatory research approach built on longstanding relationships, the project is supported by the Community Guiding Circle that includes people living with HIV and frontline service providers. Through in-depth semi-structured interviews, participants share stories and lived experiences across healthcare, child welfare, housing, justice, social assistance, and immigration systems.

Debwetamowin is not only about documenting harm. It is about truth-telling and structural transformation. The findings from this project will be used collaboratively develop interventions that transform policies and procedures so that Indigenous, as well as ACB communities are met with dignity, cultural safety, and equity when accessing services related to HIV and STBBIs. Debwetamowin seeks to dismantle colonial and racist structures that continue to shape health outcomes in Manitoba and to build systems rooted in justice, accountability, and relational care.

Questions? Contact Village Lab manager, Melissa Morris, at villagelab@umanitoba.ca.