Because Black mentorship matters

Although highly educated, with 63% of Black men and 72% of Black women holding post-secondary degrees, Black men and women have at least double the unemployment rate, when compared to the rest of the population, according to Statistics Canada’s Ethnicity, Language and Immigration Thematic Series (2019).

On average, Black men and women are paid significantly less than their similarly educated counterparts in other racial groups. According to Statistics Canada’s Ethnicity, Language and Immigration Thematic Series (2019), that difference amounts to at least $10,000 for Black men and at least $5,000 for Black women.

Our poverty rates are outrageous. Black people are almost twice as likely to live in low income situations when compared to other groups, according to Statistics Canada’s Ethnicity, Language and Immigration Thematic Series (2019).

Black people only represent 0.8% of the private sector board members and 2% of overall board members, while accounting for 5.6% of the population, according to the Diverse Representation in Leadership: A Review of Eight Canadian Cities (2020) conducted by the Ryerson University’s Diversity Institute.