Building Equity, One Program at a Time

By Mona-Lisa Prosper

To be truly inclusive, you must be intentional about it. Diversity is a fact, but inclusion is a choice! Marginalized communities are said to be those excluded from mainstream social, economic, educational, and/or cultural life and that exclusion has been entrenched in our society for quite some time. I am a Black woman, proud daughter of Haitian immigrant parents, born and raised in Montréal and because I was taught to love and celebrate my roots, I always made it a point to stay active in uplifting my community.

Evolving in what I qualify as being an “Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Bubble”, I often forget that an entire world exists outside of that bubble, and in that world, the case study for inclusion still needs to be made. In that world, many are still adamant about the fact that specific programming for BIPOC communities is reverse racism, many still qualify themselves as being “colour-blind” and think that in 2022, “things have changed”. Interestingly enough, these same individuals would struggle, if not fail, to come up with a list of just five BIPOC entrepreneurs or professionals and they would likely blame it on the false and frustrating assumption that opportunities are equally accessible to all but are just not seized by BIPOC individuals.

As Peter Drucker said, “What gets measured gets managed”, and the past year has served us with statistics that can no longer allow for disparities to be ignored. We finally have data about Black entrepreneurship in Canada. Seeing these numbers was somewhat validating and made me feel heard! A study by the African Canadian Senate Group & Senator Colin Deacon found that 76 percent of Black entrepreneurs surveyed said their race makes it harder to succeed as an entrepreneur. Similarly, another study by the Black Business and Professional Association in Canada found that 78.5 percent of Black women entrepreneurs agreed or strongly agreed that access to financing was an issue, and a staggering number of 81.4 percent used only personal financing to launch their business.

We finally have proof about what I, and many others before me, have been screaming at the top of our lungs for years. Like most people in the Black communities, I was not surprised by any of it, and as the director of Futurpreneur’s Black Entrepreneur Startup Program, I felt like I was handed a very powerful tool to help continue building awareness for the program. Futurpreneur has always helped a very diverse set of young entrepreneurs launch successful businesses.

Back in 2015, way before joining the organization, I remember being impressed that a Black woman operating a natural hair salon had been funded by them. The natural hair movement in Black communities is a very important and powerful movement about breaking down the internalized desire to conform to the conventional western beauty standards, reclaiming our identity and embracing our natural afro-textured hair. At that time, not many people outside of our communities were familiar with the movement nor understood its depth.

For such a business model to receive funding meant that the organization not only understood the importance of the movement, but also saw financial value in it. This goes to show that Futurpreneur could easily have settled for the numerous BIPOC entrepreneurs funded to show its contribution to a diverse, inclusive, and representative Canadian Startup ecosystem but thankfully, the organization chose to go deeper.

It starts with understanding why Black or other marginalized communities targeted have been underrepresented, what specific barriers they face and taking the time to see what that looks like within the organization’s process. Designing a program without taking these steps fails to recognize the real issues. More often than not, these segments of the population are not intentionally excluded, but the exclusion is created by the systems in place, and that is what needs to be deconstructed. To be truly inclusive, you must be intentional, and I like to question that intention whenever I come across an announcement of a new diversity program. In addition to recognizing the barriers and addressing them, it is also essential to understand why the organization decided to develop such an offer and how they aim to truly make a difference.

What does diversity look like in that organization’s workforce? Who is designing and delivering the program? Are BIPOC voices involved in the process and properly represented? Leaders with lived experience must be an integral part of the process and occupy positions of impact. Specific programming for Black entrepreneurs, and for marginalized communities in general, is an absolute must, and these programs must be well thought-out and executed. It is how we will get to truly level the playing field one day and build equitable entrepreneurship opportunities in Canada.

I will conclude by saying that even if I consider specific programming essential, I firmly believe that we can all play a role in building a more inclusive society. It is the sum of all the efforts, big and small, that will create the impact we need. Whether you are a student, a young professional, the leader of an organization or just an engaged member of the community, you are all part of the solution. Recognize and understand your biases, educate yourself, stay open-minded, never stop questioning and act! What step will you take towards building a more inclusive society?

Mona-Lisa Prosper is the Director, Black Entrepreneurs at Futurpreneur. Futurpreneur has been fueling the entrepreneurial passions of Canada’s young enterprise for two decades. We are the only national, non-profit organization that provides financing, mentoring and support tools to aspiring business owners aged 18-39. Our internationally recognized mentoring program hand matches young entrepreneurs with a business expert from a network of more than 2,400 volunteer mentors.