$200K in new funding will help support Black entrepreneurs, businesses in Manitoba

A new pilot program is getting funding to help support Black entrepreneurs and business owners in Manitoba, by identifying the opportunities and barriers they face.

The one-time funding for the pilot project — $110,000 from the province and $90,000 from the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce — marks the first time Manitoba's government has designed a program to deliver supports directly to Black business owners, Business and Job Creation Minister Jamie Moses said at a Thursday announcement.

"This is the sort of thing as to why it's so important that we have representation, so we can move the needle and ensure that more people are included in every facet of our society," Moses said at a Black History Month event at the legislature.

The project will be directed by a steering committee made up of representatives from the Black and business communities, and will aim to help address the underrepresentation of Black entrepreneurs and business owners, he said.  Only 2.3 per cent of business owners in Manitoba are Black, Moses said.

Moses was among the first group of Black MLAs elected to the Manitoba Legislature in 2019, along with Audrey Gordon, a health minister in the former Progressive Conservative government, and Uzoma Asagwara, the NDP government's current health minister, who reflected on the importance of representation in government at the event. 

"Keep telling our stories, keep lifting as we climb, and keep fighting for the world that we all deserve," Asagwara said at the event. "If we commit to doing that together, we are absolutely going to get there."

The health minister reflected on Black History Month as a time to celebrate the achievements of Black communities, but also confront the challenges that stand in the way of equity, justice and meaningful change.

"Black joy is resistance. It is power, and it is a reminder that our existence is not solely defined by struggle, but also by love and by laughter and by triumph," they said. 

Drumming and dance performances were part of Thursday's event. Artwork by Black artists was also on display at the Legislature Building, where it will be exhibited until Feb. 14.

Among those at the legislature Thursday were high school students, including Princess Akenzua from Nelson McIntyre Collegiate in Winnipeg.

"Today we got to not just celebrate Black excellence, but to recognize the work that still lies ahead," Akenzua told attendees at the event. 

"I am not here to ask for a seat at the table. I am here to remind you that we built the table that we have always belonged to." 

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.