Burlington proclaims August 2025 as Black Business Awareness Month

Burlington residents, activists and community members joined Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and Ward 6 councillor Angelo Bentivegna at City Hall yesterday morning (Aug. 14) to proclaim August 2025 to Black Business Awareness Month (BBAM).

The proclamation declared that, due to systemic barriers making it more difficult for Black entrepreneurs to start their own businesses and succeed, August 2025 would be a month to celebrate the various cultures present in the city and to support local Black-owned businesses.

“Black businesses don’t just sell products,” Kezia Royer-Burkett, who spoke at the event, said. “They sell pride, culture and belonging. Living in Burlington for the last 12 years, I’ve seen Black-owned businesses come and go, clothing stores, boutiques, hairstylists, grocery stores, these businesses bring richness, creativity and diversity to our city and they’re not always visible. That’s why this proclamation matters.”

Meed Ward stressed the importance of equitable awareness and resources for Black-owned businesses that can often be overlooked in Burlington.

“Black entrepreneurs play an essential role in strengthening the economic, cultural and social fabric here in the city,” Meed Ward said. “We are committed to enhancing the visibility and the growth of Black-owned businesses by ensuring equitable access to the resources, opportunities and networks that foster a success, and today’s event is one of the ways we can promote that.”

BBAM is about more than just supporting Black-owned businesses, and is meant to bring attention not just to the businesses themselves but to the ongoing barriers that make it difficult for them to last.

“Supporting Black-owned businesses is not about excluding others,” Royer-Burkett said. “All businesses in Burlington are important, but this proclamation shines a light on those who have too-often been looked over. My hope is that this is a step toward a future where Black-owned businesses don’t just survive, but thrive.”

Chizoba Obidigbo-Egbo, a board member of Halton Black Voices, also spoke at the event this morning to encourage residents to not just support local Black businesses in August, but to extend that support year-round to allow them to grow.

“Let August not be the only time that you interact with Black-owned businesses,” Obidigbo-Egbo said. “Seek them out, find them, share them with your friends. When opportunities arise, share them with us because we will be grateful. Together, we would move from awareness to action and from barriers to bridges.”