After posting a black square on my networks, I came across Nicolas Duvernois' column, Systemic Racism: Entrepreneurs Must Speak Out . The catchy title sparked a little glimmer of hope in me. I thought: wow, he's surely going to talk about the inequalities suffered by Black people. I didn't see anything on the subject. His title encourages entrepreneurs to speak out. He cites Nike's position in the Kaepernick affair. Which raises this question for me: do we have examples in Quebec of companies that have shown their solidarity with Black communities and taken a stand against racism? The only one that comes to mind is the New Look eyewear store , which fired a racist employee in March 2018.

Make a difference

#BlackLivesMatter was born out of a sense of frustration with police brutality and systemic racism against Black people. So let me, business and corporate leaders, offer you ways to make a real difference in the life of a Black person.

First, look around you and tell me if among your creative minds, there are one or more people of African descent? If so, do you know their names? What positions do they hold? What about their salaries? Is there a gap with other employees? I ask because Statistics Canada recently released several data demonstrating the salary disparity between Blacks and Whites.

Some employers pride themselves on showing off diversity in their teams, but the higher up the corporate ladder you go, the fewer you find. When was the last time you promoted a black person to a decision-making position?

If you become aware that there are no Black people in your company or in decision-making positions… ask yourself why and take action towards change.

7 concrete actions to support black communities

Here are seven concrete actions for entrepreneurs and corporate leaders to demonstrate their support for Black people during this turbulent time of #BlackLivesMatter.

1. Circulate a letter internally to your employees and remind them of your policies on racism and discrimination . You can't imagine how much comfort this will have on them, especially those who are racialized.

2. Involve your Afro-descendant employees in meetings, invite them to 5@7, entrust them with projects that will allow them to stand out. Publicly congratulate them on their accomplishments.

3. Financially support organizations and/or projects that affect black communities . Create partnerships. Become allies.

4. Diversify your suppliers . Why not offer a business opportunity to an Afro-entrepreneur?

5. Publicly show your solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement

by issuing a press release or visual on your social networks. As Hydro-Québec, Air Canada and Tristan did on their social networks or Trois fois par jour which committed until June 5 to double the profits of its online store to donate to organizations supporting the black community. It's for a "good cause". There is a nuance between showing your colours during Black History Month and supporting the cause of black people. I agree with the thinking of Julia Vumilia Vira, head of digital campaigns at C2 Montréal:

6. Select an Afro-descendant employee to represent the company when invited to participate in a panel, conference or exhibition.

7. Offer young black people the opportunity to intern at your company or mentor a black person.

Black stars

Finally, in your free time with your children, share with them the success stories of Dr. Yvette Bonny , the first Black woman to perform a bone marrow transplant on a child in Quebec in 1980, or more recently, Dominique Anglade , the first Black woman and first-generation immigrant to lead a party in Quebec. In the business world, I think of this Black woman, Indira Moudi , of Viandes Lafrance, who took over the reins of a slaughterhouse founded in 1929; of Frantz Saintellemy , President and Chief Operating Officer at LeddarTech, founder of Groupe 3737 and a philanthropist very involved with Black communities; of Macky Tall , Head of Liquid Markets and also President and CEO of CDPQ Infra, a subsidiary of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec; to Cadleen Désir , Chair of the Board of Directors of the Groupement des chefs d’entreprise and to Déborah Cherenfant , Chair of the Jeune Chambre de commerce de Montréal (JCCM). So many Afro-Quebecers who make Quebec shine.

If your children see you and know that you work with black colleagues, you will have a better chance of making them aware of the representation of racialized people in their environment. When, later, they receive a CV, when they have a black manager or when they witness a discriminatory word or gesture, they will no longer have any hesitation or refusal based on unconscious bias. On the contrary, spontaneously, they will be more inclined to take a stand for the equality of all.