Examination of Black Entrepreneurs in Toronto, Canada: Critical Analysis of the Role of Financial Literacy
Year: 2020
Type: dissertation
Abstract: American entrepreneur Jim Rohn stated that “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune” . This research on lived experiences of Black businesses in Toronto has relied on self-education. Bogan and Darity (2008) argue that policymakers and scholars alike consider self-employment as an alternative to unemployment and a route out of poverty. This dissertation examines the historical and contemporary experiences faced by Black businesses in Canada, and in particular the Greater Toronto Area. In addition, this research examines the role of financial literacy education amongst the Black community. This dissertation argues that to understand the challenges within the Black business community, consideration of the complexities of Black identity, in antiquity and modernity, have shaped and influenced the Black narrative in not only stories of heroics and affirmation but betrayal, pain, and contestation, which has had a severe impact on economic prosperity within the Black community as a collective. Using theoretical frameworks that employ an analysis of anti-Black racism, anti-colonialism, and Indigenous knowledges as analytic tools, combined with literary exploration, this dissertation examines the impact of historic and systemic trauma on Black business owners with profound economic implications to their communities that continue to reproduce coloniality, discrimination, and racism. The findings of this research will add to the discourse on systemic, historical, and contemporary barriers that have hindered the growth of Black businesses in Canada. Unearthing the historical and contemporary barriers that have hindered the growth of more Black businesses in Toronto is needed to create an economic blueprint for future Black entrepreneurs to overcome economic, social, political, and psychological adversity. The findings enable scholars, policy-makers, and practitioners to better appreciate the possibilities and difficulties which characterize and frame attempts by Black entrepreneurs in Toronto that advance and/or hinder the sociopolitical and economic environment of Black bodies in Canadian communities.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Sein Sheila Kipusi
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: University of Toronto
OpenAlex ID: W3044264005