Ajax launches Black-Owned Business Directory
Published March 29, 2022 at 10:28 am
As part of the Town of Ajax’s efforts to address systemic anti-Black racism, it’s Anti-racism task force has put together a black owned business directory designed to highlight local businesses.
Ajax began putting together it’s Anti-Black Racism task force in the summer of 2020, as the Black Live Matter movement rocked the world following Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s murder of George Floyd.
The AABR aims to increase racial equity across Durham’s most diverse municipality. The 2016 census found that more than half of the town’s nearly 120,000 strong population belonged to a racial minority group. The largest demographic was people of South Asian descent at nearly 25,000, followed by Black people at nearly 20,000.
According to a report to town Council on February 28, the Ajax Anti-Black Racism Task Force (AABR) had several projects in the works. They are working to embrace the United Nations Month of People of African Descent, putting together paid internships for people from the Black community and has hosted a Diversity Xchange speaker series online.
The latest project launched by AABR is a long in the works Black-Owned Business Directory (BOBD) listing 70 businesses in town from the arts & culture, business services, community services, education, heath and wellness, personal care, print and media, restaurants, retail and trades industries.
“The directory includes more than traditional shops, it showcases web and home-based companies working extremely hard to be seen and heard,” said the town, “The collection is a one-stop resource for Ajax residents and the greater Durham community to discover and support Black owned businesses. ”
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Acceptance on the BOBD was a two pronged approach with the both the town reaching out to businesses, “and then having the community turn around and say ‘Hey. I’m still here’,” said AABR Vice-Chair Dane Lawrence, following the loss of many business during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ajax has three major goals for the BOBD; to provide a space to showcase Black culture and entrepreneurs, promote entrepreneurial equity to help strengthen the local economy, and to increase Black visibility and representation within the community.
“We hope that through it, the wonderful businesses within Ajax’s Black community will gain greater exposure to be discovered by potential customers, with increased accessibility for online service and product location,” said Mariska Thomas, AABR Task Force Chair, “New or existing Black-owned businesses are always welcome to be featured — the more, the merrier.”
Getting on the directory is free for businesses in town, entrepreneurs need only reach out to [email protected]. The complete list can be read on Ajax’s website.
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