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Let’s Move Forward

July 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Legal team

One summer day, my brother-in-law, Vince, said:  “That’s why I would never hire a black lawyer. I know that you like to support black people, Angela. See what happened, though? I’m telling you: Sometimes it’s better to deal with other people”. The thing is, my brother in law is a proud black man. Moreover, he is a proponent of the positive progression and cooperation amongst our community. He is by no means a “self-hating negro”. To be fair, he may have been responding somewhat viscerally to my earlier description of an interaction with a former mentor who had been less than honest with me. Long story short: I went to the mentor for guidance and he misled me and then attempted to block my progress — the proverbial crab in the barrel manoeuvre. (I will not go into details to protect identities.) Still, Vince’s comment bothered me because I had heard it before from other black friends, acquaintances and family. It was true that a person that I once lavished with respect and admiration proved to be unworthy of both. Yes, that individual was black. Yes, it is human nature to recollect negative experiences with greater intensity than positive ones. Yet, I know so very many intelligent, accomplished, hard-working, diligent black professionals that comments to the contrary irk me. So, my immediate response to Vince was to list several black lawyers who I knew were superior and recognized as such by peers and public alike. It softened his tone, but he was … [Read more...]

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Hope is in the air for Haïti

July 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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Last month I went to Haïti to lend whatever help I could as the country continues to rebuild after the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010. BIM asked me to contribute a piece summarizing my experience there but be quite honest, I couldn’t give anyone a quick retelling of my trip without leaving out hugely significant parts of it. Haïti, more than any other place I’ve visited, can’t be fully understood by anyone who hasn’t experienced it. That’s just one of the reasons I feel so blessed to have been able to go myself, and in the spirit of “paying it forward” I’ll do my best to share with you some of what I saw, felt, and did while I was away. I traveled with a Toronto-based charity called Third World Awareness (http://www.twawareness.org). Having interviewed one of TWA’s founders a couple of years ago and attended some of their meetings, I did have some idea of what was in store. Still, I was very nervous in the weeks leading up to my departure for this, my first humanitarian trip. Fortunately, it didn’t take long to get used to unexpected power outages at any hour of the day or night, non-flushing toilets, and never quite knowing what time it was (I‘d left my phone at home and wasn’t wearing a watch). I got used to being stared at; I got used to having to ask people to repeat themselves a lot because my French isn’t great and my knowledge of Haïtian Kreyòl is very limited; and I got used to the hot Caribbean sun. (Okay, that wasn’t … [Read more...]

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Micro-Credit Program to Jump Start the Black Creek Business Community

April 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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The micro-credit loan-support program, launched one year ago and bestows the residents of Toronto’s Black Creek community with the opportunity to build up their neighbourhood, one business at a time. In recognition of the neighbourhood’s vast potential and cultural richness, and the Black Creek Micro-Credit Program seeks to support small-business incubation and growth by reducing their barriers to financial credit. It is a builder of bridges, operating between the entrepreneurial desires of community members and the opportunities for local business development. Specifically, the Black Creek Micro-Credit Program aims to provide loans of up to $5,000 to entrepreneurs with solid business plans in the at-risk, Jane-Finch community who do not qualify for conventional bank loans. Established in 2007 as a part of the Black Creek Community Capacity Project, the Black Creek Micro-Credit Program partnered with Access Community Capital Fund and Alterna Savings to support individuals in the community who need assistance with business funding and skill development. A micro-credit program is different from ordinary bank loans. Members of the community provide the investment backing for local community members who have sound business ideas but are unable to receive credit from mainstream banks. The Black Creek Micro-Credit Program will contribute to the community by creating employment and opportunities for professional experience. According to Dr. Barry Reider, chair of the … [Read more...]

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International Women’s Day: Celebrating African Canadian Women

March 8, 2011 By 4 Comments
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When I reflect on what International Women’s Day represents for many, it can be expressed in this single verse. “We know that we are walking in footprints made deep by the confident strides of women who parted the air before them like the forces of nature that you are.” This powerful proclamation is taken from the beautifully penned poem, titled, “We Speak Your Names” by re-known, best selling African American  author and poetess, Pearl Cleage.  She recited and presented the entire poem for the first time for the world to hear at Oprah Winfrey’s Auspicious Legends Ball in 2006. As Canadians and the world rise to celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of Women and voice the concerns surrounding the disparities that still remain for many across the globe, March 8th, 2011 marks the centenary anniversary of International Women’s Day. The Editor’s at Black Ink Magazine found this to be an opportune time to showcase the outstanding accomplishments of African Canadian Women over past 100 years. In the story of women’s rights, African Canadian Women possess several pages of living histories and accomplishments worthy of recognition. These luminaries are women who have transformed our lives, experiences and empowered us through their grace, dignified perseverance, vision, drive, personal aspirations, cracking the ‘glass ceiling’, social consciousness and liberation by confronting the struggles for equality and pursing personal and … [Read more...]

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The Real McCoy: Michael Duck – a “Sure Shot” to make Black History

February 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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When one hears the story about Michael Duck, founder and president of A.C. Dispensing Equipment Inc. and inventor of the SureShot® Dispenser, a few inspirational phrases come to mind like Never give up. . . . Stay connected to yourself and . . . Maintain a sense of wonder! In the Beginning . . . Duck was born in 1957 in Neptune, New Jersey, the middle child of a family of five children. As a student, he “hated” school. His family was not well off, and he remembers wanting to be a garbage collector, because the “garbage man” would be able to pick up all the cool stuff left on the curb and then sell it. In addition to this, he demonstrated business savvy, Duck possessed an innate talent for doing things mechanical. He loved to build and fix. In 1973, the Duck family relocated to Nova Scotia. He quit school in grade 10 and worked as a stevedore along the Halifax waterfront, earning a great income; but the onset of automation technology resulted in him losing his job. An attitude of constructively defiant self-determination outweighed any feeling of frustration during this period.  In fact, it enabled him to be humble enough to ask for help. Duck and his wife got married in 1976, at the age of 18, and turned to his father for help in finding employment. This act of humility created the opportunity for him to work at Baxter Dairies as a general helper. The opportunity also came with a decrease in pay to $3.50 per hour, along with some racism from his … [Read more...]

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Women’s Enterprise Canada: WE CAN Do the Impossible

January 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Lisa_Small

There’s a powerful proverb that says, “If you direct your children in the right path, when they are older, they will not depart from it.” For Lisa Small, Entrepreneur, Talk Show Host, Founder and Executive with Women’s Enterprise Canada, she credits her parent’s strong work ethic, unwavering commitment to family and their entrepreneurial zeitgeist, as the blue print and foundation on which she forged into her professional life. “I am not used to talking about myself, “says the mother of three modestly, “ I have been working since the age of nine with my mother who introduced me to Avon, while my dad joined the forces of Mary Kay when they came to Canada in 1970. Blue and pink were the colours of my early experience to the business world.” Says Small reminiscently. Lisa Small has flourished to be a tour-de-force professional and community spokesperson as a talk show host for one of Toronto’s most established community radio stations, a business women and an advocate for empowering women to achieve financial independence through entrepreneurship and community building. Lisa’s professional history is a credit to her savvy people skills and drive for excellence – having managed over 14 retail companies, 3 major Airlines and starting her own enterprise, e-Pictures Productions (e-PicPro) a graphics animation firm.  Credit it to an “Ah Ha” moment or a fundamental awakening to realize her dream of entrepreneurship, it was during her journey to … [Read more...]

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National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA): Creating Intellectual Wealth for Black Canadians

January 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Damon_Knights

Leading in the creation of economic and intellectual wealth for black Canadians MBA. It is a coveted moniker for any professional. To managers, entrepreneurs and CEOs alike, the Master of Business Administration degree signifies professional excellence and leadership acuity. The National Black MBA Association exists specifically to unite and support those who hold MBAs and those who aspire to. NBMBAA’s Toronto chapter, founded three years ago by Damon Knights (who is already looking to launch new chapters in Montreal, Calgary and Edmonton), is a powerful network which encourages black business professionals, entrepreneurs, and MBA professionals and students to educate, mentor and empower one another and the broader community. Knights is a Senior Manager at a financial services company; he completed his International MBA (IMBA), specializing in Finance, through the York University Schulich School of Business. Black Ink Magazine: What led to you getting an MBA? Damon Knights: I left my hometown, Montreal, to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Ottawa, where I had the opportunity to study for a year in Italy, and completed a work term in Paris for six months. I decided to get an MBA while in Paris, after a few Schulich alumni convinced me that I would be an excellent candidate for the Schulich International MBA (IMBA) program. Upon my return to Canada, I moved to Toronto, and shortly after, I was registered in the IMBA program! BIM: How has having … [Read more...]

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The Urban Financial Services Coalition: Changing the Face of Finance in Canada

January 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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According to Invest in Toronto, this city is Canada’s financial capital and North America’s third-largest financial services hub. Many Canadians aspire to a career in finance here; but non-white professionals have found an industry “glass ceiling” prevalent in the bank towers dominating the city skyline. The Urban Financial Services Coalition (UFSC), headquartered in Washington, District of Columbia, aims to assist in the professional development of minority financial services professionals. The former President of its Toronto chapter is Marlon Reid, MFin. A TD Securities Vice President, Mr. Reid also sits on the Visible Minority Committee of TD Bank Financial Group’s Diversity Leadership Council and co-chairs the Black Community Subcommittee. Black Ink Magazine: Why did you choose a career in finance? Marlon Reid: I didn’t choose the financial services industry, the industry chose me. I completed an undergraduate business degree [planning to attend] law school and practice criminal law. After my first year at law school, I discovered that I had no real passion or stomach for criminal law, but I excelled in my business law courses. [Ironically] . . . law school helped me rediscover the world of finance by seeing it through another lens. BIM: What are UFSC’s mission and values? MR: UFSC’s mission is to change the face of the financial services industry by being the link between business and the community. We are dedicated to the professional … [Read more...]

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Black Daddies Club (BDC) – A Movement Built On Love

June 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Brandon Hay

“We need fathers to realize that responsibility does not end at conception. We need them to realize that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child - It’s the courage to raise one.” President Barack Obama – Father’s Day Speech - June 2008 on his campaign trail. For Brandon Hay, the founder and Executive Director of the Toronto-based men’s support community, the Black Daddies Club (BDC), a typical day goes a little something like this… “I get up in the morning sometime around 5 a.m. to drive my wife to work, get home and check my email for 15 minutes. Get my kids in the bath, prepare breakfast and lunch ,get them dressed, drive them to school and daycare get home around 9 a.m., return emails and phone calls, at 11am I then pick up my middle son from school and bring him to daycare.” “ I head out to do any BDC related business such as meetings, speaking engagements, drafting press releases, phone calls, etc. until 3 or 4pm (depending what part of the city I have to go), I then pick up my wife, then my kids from daycare or school. I take my kids to the library then play in the park (if its summer), do homework with my oldest sons, Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays my eldest son plays football with the Scarborough Thunders from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. I make dinner, get them ready for bed and do the whole thing all over again the next day.” To the unassuming spectator, it would be hard to fathom this devoted family man was once a young … [Read more...]

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Paying It Forward – Empowering Community

May 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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Nova Scotia’s Black Business Initiative (BBI) aims to improve the economic and business opportunities available to the African-Nova Scotian community. Here, BIM talks with the BBI’s Chief Strategist and CEO Rustum Southwell about the organization’s purposes and strategies. Southwell migrated to Canada from St. Kitts in 1972 and settled in Halifax. A devoted contributor to African-Nova Scotian community initiatives, his current board posts include the Halifax International Airport Authority Community Consultative Committee, United Way of Halifax, and the Board of Waterfront Development Corporation Ltd., to which he was recently appointed. In 2010, Southwell received the Black Business and Professional Association’s inaugural Distinguished Men of Honour award for his indelible contributions and leadership among black entrepreneurship and for raising the community’s economic empowerment. Since Southwell’s appointment as a founding Executive Director to the BBI in 1996, the BBI has assisted to create over 300 black businesses and nearly 700 jobs in Nova Scotia. BIM: What is the purpose of the BBI? RS: The BBI is a province-wide business development initiative committed to fostering the growth of businesses owned by members of Nova Scotia’s black community. We are committed to growing the black presence in a diverse range of business sectors including high-tech, manufacturing, tourism, and the cultural sector. BIM: How did the BBI come to … [Read more...]

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