Celebrating Blacks in the Canadian Financial Industry
The Black Diamond Ball
February 29th I will be attending the 5th annual Black Diamond Ball founded by Shawn Cuffie and in partnership with TD Bank Group as part of the financial institution’s Black History Month series of cultural events. This event aims to bring together influencers, celebrities, business leaders and politicians to celebrate the accomplishments of Black Canadians.
The evening also serves as a fundraiser, having previously financially supported The Boys and Girls Club of East Scarborough and The Pinball Clemons Foundation to name a few. This year, the event is supporting OCAD University’s Black Youth Design Initiative. More on the Black Diamond Ball can be found in this article brilliantly written by Bee Quammie and definitely worth a read.
Side story: What feels like a lifetime ago, Bee Quammie was a keynote speaker at my first (and only) event for Black bloggers and social media influencers. More on that side hustle which needs to be resurrected another time, lol. Ok, back to this article.
Although this is the 5th installment of the event it will be my very first time attending. I have to say that I appreciate that this has become a staple event that many in the Black-Canadian community have come to look forward to every year, as this is a sold-out type of event. (There’s still some tickets available though, so run and get them while you can here). I’m also impressed that TD Bank has made this their Black History Month event. Applause!
Black on Bay Street
Back in the day, like waaaaay baaack in the day, I used to work for TD Canada Trust as a teller. Or the more professional term I guess is Customer Service Representative, lol. Low-key, y’all still tellers, lol. No shade though! Honestly, working as a teller was my introduction to the financial industry while I was completing my Bachelors Degree in Financial Services Management. I definitely learned a lot from working for TD. From there I went on to Manulife and began my career in Group Retirement Services, and I’m now with Canada Life doing the same.
I always knew I wanted to work in the financial industry from when I was about 15, and I wrote my thesis on “Women Breaking the Glass Ceiling in the Financial Industry”. Side note: Today that thesis would have been “Black Women Breaking the Corporate Glass Ceiling in the Financial Industry” cause #ForTheCulture. The dream of climbing the corporate ladder is probably one of the main reasons I moved from Sweden to Canada. I was gonna be a CEO, periodt! Although I’m not quite there yet, (not there at all actually, lol) I do thoroughly enjoy what I do.
Speaking of Black CEOs and working in the financial industry, 2 years ago I had the pleasure of attending “Black on Bay Street” which was an equality talks discussion and lunch put on by the Economics Club of Canada. I was able to attend thanks to the ever so lovely Emily Mills as I was there as her guest. (The event was sold out). For those who don’t know Ms. Mills, she was the 2018 Mercedes-Benz Emerging Leaders Award winner as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women. She also created HERstory in Black, featuring 150 inspiring Black-Canadian women which aired on CBC as a 1-hour special documentary. I digress, lol. I just wanted y’all to know I was the guest of THE Emily Mills. (Through an open giveaway, but her guest all the same, lol).
The Black on Bay Street conversation stemmed from a 2017 Essay with the same name written by Hadiya Roderique and published in the Globe and Mail which you can read here. The article gained a lot of attention and thus the conversation was and continues to be had about our inclusion in this industry. My office may not be on Bay Street, but it’s 5 blocks West and 2 blocks South away, so basically close enough, lol. Point being, I am Black on “Bay Street”.
Not only was the discussion good, but it was also enlightening and rewarding. To be in a space with my Caucasian professional peers and seeing them engage in a discussion about us, a discussion about our plight, our challenges, and our obstacles to be affirmed in the financial industry was nothing short of intriguing. I’m not going to go into the ins and outs and the details of this matter because Hadiya did an excellent job of that in her article. I definitely recommend you go read it.
What I do want to point out however is that nobody but you can tell you where you belong. As a foreigner in this country, I will say that my professional career has been pretty smooth. Besides immigration coming for my money on multiple occasions in order for me to obtain and maintain the necessary legal paperwork needed to actually work here, getting the job and excelling in my career has never been a personal struggle for me. I know that’s not the case for everyone, so I hope this post encourages you, even if ever so slightly.
Side note: The Economic Club of Canada is holding their second Black on Bay Street event this Wednesday, February 26th, appropriately titled Black on Bay II. Get your ticket sis!
Future of Work Series: A Conversation with Barrack Obama
The Economic Club of Canada has put on some other great events including one that hosted THE Barrack Obama this past January which I also had the pleasure to attend. A young girl, recent high school graduate, who sat at my table had an aura and a presence that I will never forget. It was one of gratitude and of belonging. Not arrogant, but simply relishing in her God-given right to occupy any space that she finds herself in. To sit at the same tables, and to be part of a conversation that is ultimately is talking about her.
As a contrast, I felt very much privileged. I’m sure this girl felt this too, however, I had a feeling of not wanting to “take up space”. You know, how old school black parenting says that kids should be seen and not heard? That’s almost the feeling I had. I didn’t trespass or anything, lol, as I again was the fortunate recipient of a giveaway to a sold out event. But I still felt like I shouldn’t really be in the room. They could’ve told me to sit in the corner and I would have. Cause to me I was still in the same room as Obama, lol. However it is not ok to feel like that. THAT conditioning y’all needs to stop. I recognize that it’s a personal and mental battle more than anything else cause no one actually made me feel uncomfortable or uninvited.
So my second point to you today is that nobody can tell you where you can or cannot sit. Carry the same energy as Rosa Parks and be like “Nah fam! That’s not gonna fly”. And worse case scenario, if “their table” isn’t pulling out a chair for you. Create your own damn table and pull up your own chair. Create the space(s) you want to see and allow your people to enjoy that positive energy and environment. Like the Marquee letters pictured above say - #CreateFate. Go and create yours sis.
Celebrating Blacks & Standing Out
That’s what I love about events that specifically celebrate “the culture”, celebrates US, like the Black Diamond Ball. We can show up as loud as we wanna be, “extra” as we wanna be, “Electric-Slide-dancing-selves” as we wanna be, and ain’t nobody gonna look at you twice. Ok, people might look, but they’re more likely to root on you for being “extra” and go “Yaaaaaas Girl!” rather than judge you for it. Yes we’re educated, yes we’re entrepreneurs, we’re professional and courteous; but just as important, we’re FUN. If you’re not invited to “the cookout”, you will have a case of FOMO because everybody knows it’s going to be lit.
As someone who grew up in Sweden and couldn’t help but stand out…cause melanin. The sheer lengths and efforts I went to blend in were real. For example, if you hear me talk Swedish, you’re not going to hear one accent. I mean nann accent! (As my Southern friends would say). I did NOT want to stand out. Granted that can be attributed to growing up there from the age of 1, however I’ve always been a “wall flower”. (Appropriately named after a flower too, lol).
It’s been a journey for me to embrace ME, and I mean all of me. Like the quote says, “why struggle to fit in when you were born to stand out.” Yeah, I chose the struggle. Every time and big time. Which is sad. Today I may not go out of my way to be different and stand out, but I’m conscious of being ME. And however you chose to view that, to view me, I’ve learned says more about YOU than it does about me. So we’re good.
Black Employee Resource Groups
I want to acknowledge and recognize financial institutions like TD that celebrate its Black employees and Black History Month. Like for real for real. It doesn’t go unnoticed. And a special shout-out to those institutions that have gone the extra mile to offer a Black employee resource group.
Coming together and being culturally unified and celebrated is something a non-minority individual will never truly understand (in my opinion). But one doesn’t have to fully understand something to fully support it. Simply recognize its importance and positive impact. There are countless of articles on the benefits of employee resource groups or ERGs. Employee satisfaction and retention being one. It’s a no brainer if you ask me, but as I mentioned earlier, I’m not a CEO (yet), lol.
Take Away & Black Girl Magic
Nevertheless, here’s the mood, the energy, and the vibes we’re keeping for 2020 and beyond, and what I hope you take away from this blog post:
Nobody can tell you where you belong
Nobody can tell you where you can or cannot sit
You were born to stand out
If you’re not celebrated by others, find your tribe and celebrate each other
Create your own fate
Whether you’re on Bay Street, Eglinton West or in Malvern, be proud of the skin you’re in (#brownskingirl), of the space you have a God-given right to occupy, and for all the spice and pixie dust that is Black Girl Magic. Cause before anyone had an opinion about you, God had a purpose for you. So pursue it fiercely, live out loud girl. Go on and live your very best life!
(And if you’ll be boogying on the dance floor on February 29th at the Black Diamond Ball, don’t be a stranger, come say what’s up!)
Much Love!