Join Us in Celebrating Black History Month 2022

This February, join Driven in the celebration of Black History Month. 

Each year endorses a specific theme. The theme of Black History Month 2022 is “February and forever: Celebrating Black History today and every day.” According to the government of Canada.

“Black History Month is about honouring the enormous contributions that Black people have made, and continue to make, in all sectors of society. It is about celebrating resilience, innovation, and determination to work towards a more inclusive and diverse Canada - a Canada in which everyone has every opportunity to flourish.”

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According to a survey commissioned by the African Canadian Senate Group and Senator Colin Deacon in collaboration with twelve prominent, Black-led business organizations across Canada, 76% of all Black entrepreneurs surveyed said that their race makes it harder to succeed. Additionally, the majority of respondents stated that getting access to funding was a major challenge. 75% say if they needed $10,000 for business support, it would be difficult for them to do so.

This clearly displays the need for more support from both the government and the private sector to mobilize this community. Black-owned businesses need more advocacy which could include city, provincial or national awards or grants to help, more community support, and better access to funding.

Black people have helped to shape Canada’s heritage and lay the foundation of the diverse and inclusive country that we have become. This Black History Month, let's make a concerted effort to help support Canadian Black-owned small businesses. Black-owned businesses need increased visibility, which is something we can all help with.

This month, in addition to just buying the products you need from Black-owned businesses, take the time to shout out your favourites, and share their stories on your social platforms. Effective marketing campaigns are costly, by using your influence you can increase the awareness to buy from hardworking Black-owned small businesses at no cost to you. This could mean sharing their content on your social media pages, featuring them in blog posts, or guest featuring them on your podcast; anything that gives them a bigger spotlight.

At Driven we pride ourselves on providing equal opportunity for every Canadian entrepreneur. Regardless of whether you are an immigrant, black, a person of colour, a member of the LGBTQ+ community or an indigenous Canadian, we are committed to providing you with the advice, knowledge, and capital solutions to maintain and grow your business.

To learn more about how you can support Black-owed small businesses we encourage you to read the following article https://www.score.org/blog/13-ways-support-black-owned-businesses-organizations 

Sources:

Farmiloe, B. (2021, July 30). 13 ways to support black-owned businesses & organizations. SCORE. Retrieved January 2022, from https://www.score.org/blog/13-ways-support-black-owned-businesses-organizations 

Government of Canada. (2022, January 21). Black History Month. Canada.ca. Retrieved January 2022, from https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/black-history-month.html 

Pan-canadian survey finds black entrepreneurs face significant barriers to success. Abacus Data. (2021, May 26). Retrieved January 2022, from https://abacusdata.ca/black-entrepreneurs-canada-inclusive-entrepreneurship/