Angela Carter
Angela J. Carter has spent more than four decades listening deeply and intentionally to the voices of communities too often unheard. A community-rooted systems change and social justice strategist, Angela’s work is grounded in relationships. Long before funding announcements and policy tables, there were kitchen table conversations, community forums and stories shared in trust. Those voices, particularly from Black, African and Caribbean communities, revealed patterns of exclusion, gaps in care and the silent toll of systemic racism. Angela carried those stories into boardrooms, institutions and government offices, insisting that systems must respond not only with services, but with dignity and accountability.
A former Executive Director of Roots Community Services (RootsCS), she sits at a myriad of decision-making tables: health system planning bodies, governance boards, research collaborations and policy committees. Many of the communities she represents are not invited into those rooms, or lack the access and institutional familiarity to navigate them. Angela understands both worlds. In every role, Angela operates as a bridge, translating community insight into institutional action and institutional complexity into accessible pathways for communities.
She is known for speaking with clarity and moral conviction. Where silence would be easier, she raises difficult truths. Where fear might temper others, she grounds herself in principle. Guided by faith and a deep sense of responsibility, Angela does not shy away from naming systemic harm, yet she does so with strategic discipline, understanding that how something is said can determine whether it leads to resistance or reform. Her leadership balances courage with care, urgency with relationship.
That advocacy helped catalyze regional action and ultimately contributed to securing $25 million in funding to develop an integrated Black Health & Social Services Hub in Peel Region, a model built on the principle that care must be accessible, culturally-responsive and shaped by the people it serves.
While her work is deeply rooted in Black, African and Caribbean communities, she stands in solidarity with Indigenous peoples and other marginalized groups who continue to experience systemic harm. Her leadership reflects a belief that equity is not an abstract principle, but a daily practice that requires courage, collaboration and sustained effort.
She is currently the Advisor, Strategic Initiatives, at RootsCS while also serving as a Research Associate with the Institute for Better Health at Trillium Health Partners. She is also Principal Consultant of AC Communications & Consulting through which she provides capacity building support to grassroots organizations and speaks on topics such as health equity, anti-Black racism and social justice.
Angela sits on the Toronto Metropolitan University School of Medicine Council, the Black Communities Committee (BCC) and the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Communities Committee (EDICC). She co-chairs the Anti-Black Racism & Systemic Discrimination Collective in Peel and the BAC Community Health and Wellness Committee. She chairs the Board of Directors of the Central Park Baptist Church and is vice-chair of FOCUS Accreditation. Angela also contributes to policy dialogue as a member of the Metamorphosis Network Leadership Table and the Brampton Board of Trade’s Policy and Government Relations Committee, as well as serving as a Volunteer Ambassador with Catalyste+.
A lifelong learner and seasoned communicator, Angela holds a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies from York University and a Master of Professional Communication specializing in International and Intercultural Communication from Royal Roads University. She is the recipient of numerous recognitions for leadership and service, including provincial and municipal awards for advancing equity and community wellbeing.
Angela’s commitment to racial and social justice and systems change remains steadfast. At her core, Angela believes that change begins with listening, grows through collective action, and endures when institutions are willing to relinquish some of their power and be accountable to the people they serve. Her life’s work reflects a simple but powerful conviction: communities do not need to be rescued, they need to be respected, heard and partnered with in shaping their own futures.