ABOUT US
Who We Are
The Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub is a national network of six regional research hubs with the mandate of co-creating and co-generating community-focused research to ensure Black businesses are able reach their full potential. The knowledge and national data generated from the Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub seeks to address the current dearth, fragmented and anecdotal state of information on Black entrepreneurship. Our aim is to deliver on important knowledge, insights and outcomes that resonate with the local regional needs of Black entrepreneurs, community members and organizations across Canada.
The Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub is proud to be one of the three essential components of the Government of Canada’s Black Entrepreneurship Program. Launched to provide vital support to Black business owners and entrepreneurs in the wake of the COVID -19 pandemic, this program is dedicated to laying the foundation for sustained economic growth of Black entrepreneurs in the months and years to come.
Vision
BEKH envisions a Canada where access to economic opportunities and ownership of wealth is representative of the nation’s demographics; a Canada in which Black communities have agency to lead coordinated research efforts and generate knowledge to inform equity and inclusion in entrepreneurship ecosystems.
Mission
BEKH is the national central hub for research, data and insights on Black entrepreneurship ecosystems in Canada. Our mission is to facilitate and orchestrate structured community-led research collaborations anchored in regional hubs comprised of community and academic researchers, community organizations, post-secondary universities, and colleges.
What We Do
At Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, we are dedicated to conducting rigorous research into the complexities of Black entrepreneurship in Canada. We explore the unique challenges and opportunities Black entrepreneurs face with a focus on producing practical insights that can be used to generate effective solutions. Our main activities include the following:
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The Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub brings together an extensive network of community groups, entrepreneurs, universities, and research scholars to co-lead research across sectors.
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The Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub gathers, analyzes, and distributes up-to-date data on Black Entrepreneurship in Canada.
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The Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub is creating a national network and geographic map of the Canadian Black entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Community-Based Research and Knowledge Mobilization
Mobilizing Research
BEKH will develop bilingual, interdisciplinary, intersectional research assets and outputs both
regionally and nationally
Develop and disseminate bilingual research knowledge mobilization materials (e.g., reviewed journal articles, book chapters policy briefs, white papers, reports, summaries, recommendations, best practices, social media and website posts etc.);
Implement regional community engagement and knowledge mobilization events and activities;
Our Core Activities
Collecting, analyzing and disseminating information, and/or advancing research on Black Entrepreneurship
Supporting and sharing best practices and knowledge among Black entrepreneurs and businesses supporting organizations
Collaborate with community organizations to identify, design and conduct research on the Black entrepreneurial ecosystem in Canada
Our Values
research - leads to community-based capacity strengthening
national research - informed by local/regional communities’ criteria and priorities for research
holistic research methods - embrace diverse and intersectional ways of knowing and being
co-create entrepreneurship research - with and for the Black community
stewardship and accountability to the Black community - builds trust and ensures equal and beneficial multimodal ways to access and contribute to data
facilitating Black community advocacy - using evidence-based research
BEKH sustainability - view to generating increased funding to enable the BEKH to continue in the long-term
