'The support is great': Black Canadian Women in Action host panel in Regina

Black entrepreneurs comes together in YQR WATCH: Black Canadian Women in Action hosted its first panel in Regina on Saturday. Luke Simard reports.

For the first time, Black Canadian Women in Action held a panel discussion in the Queen City, discussing the issues faced by young and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Adebanke Disu-Adebara, the owner of Laghos African Kichentte in Regina, was one of five successful black entrepreneurs who participated in the panel discussion on Saturday afternoon.

“It's just for us to come together, let people know through the difficulties and everything we go through, we are still standing. We all can do it. You just have to put your mind to it,” Disu-Adebara explained.

Brunch was also served at the event orchestrated by Jules Epalley, who is a business specialist in the Queen City.

This is the first time the event is being held in Regina and the organization is hoping that the event promotes an inclusive environment.

“There are so many cultures and so many countries in Africa and here in Canada its multiculturalism,” Epalley explained. “So we try to be open to other communities and learn from them.”

Disu-Adebara is thankful an event like the panel discussion shows just how much support black entrepreneurs receive.

“It just showcase that we're not just doing it, we have people who support our dreams, and we have people who support our passion,” she said.

Disu-Adebara has noticed support for black businesses has increased throughout the years.

“We've seen a lot of other ethnic groups come into the kitchen [Laghos] and say can I try this or I have a friend who is Nigerian, or I'll just recommend your restaurant to another friend of mine,” she explained.

“So it's been growing and the support is great.”

Epally hopes to have more events celebrating the successes in the black business community in the near future, including a mixer in April.