A Paper on Minority Settlement Strategies : Focus on English Speaking Black Community of Montreal Presented at The Cultural Communities Conference of the The Union Cultural Communities Committee Montreal, Qc. December 4 2010

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A Paper on Minority Settlement Strategies Focus
on English Speaking Black Community of Montreal
Presented atThe Cultural Communities
Conferenceof the The Union Cultural
Communities CommitteeMontreal, Qc. December 4
2010

• Dr. Clarence S. Bayne
• Director of the Institute for Community
  Entrepreneurship and Development, JMSB,
  Concordia
• President of the Black Studies Center and the
  QBBE.

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ICED

• The Institute for Community Entrepreneurship
  and Development
• (ICED)had its beginnings as the Minority
  Institute in 1993
• It was created by JMSB (Concordia) in response
  to a call from the University to its Faculties to
  Balance the Equation with respect to minority
  communities and the distribution of knowledge
  products in those communities
• Two pilot studies on minority community
  development were
• conducted in the English and French
  speaking Black communities.
• These were funded by a private foundation,
  the Provincial
• Government, and teaching resources provided
  by JMSB.
• Later the results were adapted to create a
  customized community entrepreneurship and
  entrepreneurship program for the James Bay Cree
  Regional Authority. The Cree-Concordia
  Entrepreneurial Spirit Program.
• IC ED has adopted a social entrepreneurship
  approach to assist community development and
  works from within the framework of
• a cultural self-adaptive theory where
  sharing is facilitated by an information and
  communication technology.

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General Purpose of ICED

• "Helping visible and immigrant minorities to
  persist in acquiring skills as successful social
  and business entrepreneurs and supporting
  their initiatives to advance themselves,
  strengthen and build sustainable healthy
  communities".

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Certificate in Office Management of
Community-Based Organizations Level
II(Administrative Assistants)
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Graduates Economic Development Officers
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The Cree-Concordia Training Program Graduates
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Lessons From the Black Community and Cree
Projects

• The problems of survival and development of these
  two kinships groups cannot be solved by simply
  applying competitive market oriented success
  strategies borrowed from mainstream society
• The market exchange system is only one aspect of
  the social framework within which different
  kinship groups develop and plan their survival
  strategies.
• The population space (landscape) is peopled by
  diverse racial and cultural groups.
• Different groups occupy different
  positions in the landscape face different
  topographies, have different access to
  information, and have different information
  processing capacities different factor
  endowments in the form of learned skills and
  histories,
• To understand why some groups survive and strive
  while others do not do as well, we need to adopt
  a holistic approach to development.
• We need to study the patterns in the demographic
  changes of multiple kinship groups in the
  context of the entire social system and its
  adaptive processes and mechanisms.
• We need to see how information is shared between
  all kinship groups, how learning takes place and
  the degree of access each group has to resources
  and the means and capacity for living life
  beyond the level of mere subsistence.
• What are the types of relationships and
  institutional arrangements that define the
  system? What forms of operation, learning
  strategies and capabilities, and social
  relationships best improve the resiliency of
  the system, and provide a fair and socially
  acceptable quality of life for all kinship
  groups?

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Canada As a Fitness Landscape

• Canada is a biosphere consisting of subspaces
  supporting life and ensuring the perpetuation of
  life
• The focus is on human life and human activity in
  this space
• The central focus of life is self-preservation
  and self-perpetuation and improvement. The primal
  action of man in an environment is a social
  entrepreneurial action, a survival response
  captured by his continuous search for food,
  safety and security, and a purpose.
• The human specie through a process of knowledge
  creation and accumulation has developed many
  strategic approaches to accomplish this central
  purpose
• Development of self adaptive learning
  capabilities based on success failure experiences
• Through kinship linkages and sharing, Western
  societies have created cultures (production and
  spiritual) capable of surviving disastrous
  events.
• Self-adaptive learning model with a cultural
  change algorithms will help to explain the
  settlement and development strategies of
  minorities
• Proposition there is a need in Canada to widen
  the kinship boundaries along certain dimensions
  in order to facilitate greater sharing and to
  achieve a sustainable and socially equitable
  society.

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Introducing the Self Adaptive Cultural Change
Model An Abstraction

• The fitness landscape concept is about the
  perpetuation and reproduction of life in an
  environment. The physical environment has
  properties and laws that govern its existence.
  The life species have properties that govern
  their existence and chances for perpetuating
  life.
• There is conflicting dependencies between the
  shorter human consumption and production cycles
  and the longer natural cycles of the life
  supporting eco-systems that make up the
  biosphere.
• The self adaptive cultural change model will
  assume two types of spaces the belief space and
  the population space.
• The belief space is a depository of knowledge
• Situational knowledge
• Normative knowledge
• The population space is where the species work,
  play, celebrate, worship and interact with each
  other in a physical life-supporting environment
• there is an environmental and a social context to
  this space.
• Activities in the population and the belief
  spaces are linked through acceptance (pragmatic,
  legal, moral and cognitive/transcendental
  legitimization ) and influencing (best practices,
  technology, learned skills, and ingenuity
  capacity) channels.

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Agent-Based Modeling of Cultural Change

• The next two slide present diagrams taken from an
  article Agent-based Modeling of Cultural Change
  in Swarm Using Cultural Algorithms.
• Authors Ziad Kobi, Robert G. Reynolds, and Tim
  Kholer.
• The diagrams illustrate graphically the
  population and the belief spaces the flow of
  knowledge to the belief space from the population
  space and the legitimization and feedback of
  updated accumulated knowledge to influence
  decision-making and action in the local
  population space.

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Fitness Landscape

• The concept of the Fitness landscape as used in
  ICED facilitates an analysis of the struggle of
  the species to overcome physical and social
  barriers to their survival and the improvement of
  life
• It introduces the concept of social
  entrepreneurship which is very different from the
  concept of business entrepreneurship (profit
  accumulation and wealth maximization).

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The Fitness Landscape

•  

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Belief Space Use of case-based knowledge as situational knowledge to assess and influence change in the plans/strategies for survival of individual households and organizations Belief Space Global learning and accumulation of success experiences as normative knowledge and generalized population preferences
Determine level of satisfaction of social and
economic needs Determination of socially
desirable distribution of wealth among
households and kinship groups Determine the
level of fitness enjoyed by households and
kinship groups compared to some socially
cohesive ideal Create communication, production,
and improved problem solving and survival
strategies Update knowledge in belief space
Acceptance function
Influence function
Households
External factor input and labour flows
Public Agencies
Factors of production
Goods and services Market
Firms and organizations
Population space a social interactive and
exchange space
A Multi-agent Cultural Change model as a
Competitive Market Democracy with an Open Social
System
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The Fitness Landscape

• The wellbeing/welfare function (see notes on
  previous slide) can be further explored in terms
  of a fitness landscape model
• We will describe Quebec as a landscape or as a
  region within a larger biosphere system from
  which it derives a certain capacity to support
  life.
• The possibilities for human existence and the
  perpetuation of life and the quality of life are
  challenging and threatened by the uncertainty of
  negative influencing events. Thus a mapping of
  total possible outcomes resulting from all human
  decisions aimed at attaining the best life
  possible would define a fitness landscape that is
  multi-dimensional and very difficult to chart
• The landscape may have many configurations
  relatively smooth undulating features, deep
  canyons, mountains rising to great peeks and
  plunging to valleys and rough terrain. Different
  kinship groups are located at different fitness
  peaks.
• These contours take the form of economic boom
  and bust, famine, pandemics, floods, storms,
  earthquakes, wars, degradation of life
  supporting eco-systems, and the possible
  disastrous consequences of human activity on
  the biosphere
• Thus the fitness landscape is an environment
  that offers a range of possible relationships
  between different kinship groups, organisms,
  societies in its space. The landscape
  (Environment) itself may change depending on the
  nature of these relationships (the structure of
  the interdependencies)

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Group Objective is Survival

• The task of any group is to search for, find and
  move to higher fitness peaks on the landscape.
• Movement is not a simple task. One needs
  resources security and support systems, access
  to information and knowledge goods, equal
  opportunity, ingenuity and the determination to
  succeed.
• There are many possible fitness peaks, some of
  which may already be occupied and reserved
  exclusively for particular (established) kinship
  groups. This creates vertical mosaics (John
  Porter, 1965) that inhibit movement and
  improvement in the fitness of newer and less
  established groups.
• Moreover, it is not known with certainty whether
  other peaks exist that offer greater fitness. It
  is this uncertainty and the urgency of the
  situation (the need for opportunity to benefit or
  do good) that motivates the business and social
  entrepreneur to intensify their search.
• The intensity and oligopolistic competitive
  nature of the search (Baumol, 2005) adds to the
  complexity and uncertainty in the population
  space (Homer-Dixon, 2000).
• This may create an ingenuity gap (Homer-Dixon,
  2000) inadequate supply of new knowledge to
  construct effective decision search rules (W. H.
  Tauber, 1969) to reach higher fitness peaks or
  avoid the disastrous consequences of stagnating
  on one ( fossil fuel dependent economy)
  

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Black Immigrants and the Canadian Fitness
Landscape

• In 1960 the number of Blacks living in Montreal
  were 6000, almost all English speaking
• By census 2001 the number of Blacks numbered 147
  000, approximately 50 000 English speaking from
  the Caribbean countries and 70 000 Haitians and
  other French speaking Blacks
• Black immigrants faced a hostile fitness
  landscape. Other minority immigrants face similar
  environments
• In social terms exclusions from the host society,
  benevolent neglect (Robin Winks, 1971).
• The colour line/racial profiling are barriers
  to better jobs, housing, access to quality use of
  public spaces, and quality education for young
  Blacks and other visible minorities.
• Ineffective public sector development and
  integration plan. Low expectations on the part of
  the host populations

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The Bottom of the Totem Pole

• If Canadian society were like a totem with all
  things British at the top and all other Europeans
  graded and fitted into the middle, then Blacks,
  the First Nations, Asians were at the bottom in
  the valleys and foothills of the fitness
  landscape.
• The Vertical Mosaic existed as an experiment in
  Nation building
• Blacks not only entered Canada in large numbers
  at the bottom of the Totem, but in Quebec the
  largest numbers came at a time when Quebec was
  being redefined by the French as being a society
  that was all French.
• Bill 101 was enacted to make French the official
  language in Quebec in all aspects of life. For
  some English speaking Blacks from the Caribbean
  this was equivalent to asking them to live
  through colonialism twice in a lifetime.

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Key Issues addressed by the New Organizations

• Persistent work over thirty to forty years
  challenging and engaging the government and
  private sector to commit to the reduction of
  discrimination in the labour force
• Addressing structural economic weaknesses in the
  Black Communities Working in collaboration
  with provincial Government to create a long term
  strategy to help Blacks start and sustain
  successful businesses a problematic
  relationship.
• Working with school Boards and parents to reduce
  the drop out rates among Black Youth. Serious
  obstacles when working with French School Boards.
  
• Creating a net work of support for Black families
  and Black Organizations
• The promotion of Black Culture and the arts
  through theatre, dance, and festivals
  (problematic relationships).
• Facilitating the full participation of Blacks in
  Quebec society.

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Partial Comparative Indicators of Fitness

• Participation in the Labour force and comparative
  employment and unemployment rates are good
  indicators of the location of a group in the
  fitness landscape
• Historically Blacks have been admitted to Canada
  and valued for their labour service content. This
  has effectively been shown by Robins Winks in
  the Blacks in Canada, and James W. St. G Walker
  (1980) A History of Blacks in Canada.
  Commoditization of Blacks and immigrant
  minorities need revision.
• Improvements in scientific knowledge, and the
  social sciences have lead to dramatic changes in
  Canadian normative knowledge (values and sense of
  right and wrong)
• In Canada updated concepts of democracy (The
  Constitution Act, including Charter of Human
  Rights and Freedoms, 1980) and race relations
  make all kinship groups equal under the law and
  legitimizes their rights to their particular
  cultures and heritage equal access to health and
  education services and equal access to
  employment
• However, Statistics Canada data continue to show
  a disturbing picture of inequalities in the
  comparative level of fitness of immigrant and
  visible minority kinship groups.
• Normative knowledge accumulates but it does not
  influence change in the population space at an
  equivalent rate. Racial profiling and
  discrimination in the job market persist.

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A Summary Look at the Fitness Story

• Studies by Statistics Canada, McGill Consortium,
  The Quebec Government, and ICED point to a grim
  situation
• The data on employment over the last quarter
  century show that whether a Black Person was born
  in Canada or outside of Canada lived in St John,
  Halifax, Moncton, Montreal,. Toronto, Vancouver,
  or elsewhere an equivalent education profile to
  Whites or not ( had a certificate, a diploma, a
  trade, or none of the above).
• Whether the person is young or old, male or
  female that he or she would be more likely than a
  white person to have lived an entire life
  exposed to low level jobs and incomes, to be
  unemployed he or she would be less likely to own
  a home to have started a business
• In the period 2001 2006 unemployment among
  Blacks in Montreal was 21.3 percent compared with
  12.2 percent in Toronto
• In the same period unemployment rates for Whites(
  not visible Minorities) was 17.2 percent
  (Montreal) and 10.1 percent in Toronto.
• Blacks in the age group 45-64 experienced
  unemployment rates between 24-39 percent in
  Montreal (Nationally 14-18 percent). This
  compared to 12-16 percent for Whites in Montreal(
  8-10 per cent Nationally)
• Even during periods of boom the disparity between
  Blacks and Whites, visible minorities and not
  visible minorities, remained dramatically
  different and disfavourable towards Blacks and
  other visible minorities

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The Response of the Black Kinship Groups to
Exclusion

• The rise of social entrepreneurship as part of
  the search decision rules for improving fitness
  the removal of barriers
• Black social entrepreneurs in the English
  speaking sectors attacked the colour line and
  used the media and public forums to remove
  anti-social influencing exemplars from the social
  and belief spaces
• Black leaders created social and cultural
  organizations, mutual societies, religious
  institutions, educational institutions to assist
  the community in the struggle for survival and to
  improve the quality of life.
• Black Leadership negotiated with Quebec
  Provincial and Governments to be included in the
  Quebec social economy.
• Mathieu Da Costa Foundation was an outcome of
  those negotiations, as well as the creation of a
  table de concertation during the Bourassa
  administration.
• Vigorous participation in the debates that lead
  to Aces Egalite laws
• Replacement of Mathieu Da Costa by the Black
  Entrepreneurs Fund and new initiatives to
  integrate Black communities into the Quebec
  Social Economy.

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The social economy may consist of organizational
arrangements that are non- profit oriented, civic
society organizations, social economy
businesses community based organizations
involved in community development and
combinations of all these. That is to say all
these forms or combinations (networks and
partnerships) may be used purely for the
preservation and the perpetuation of life for the
kinship group or the largest number of different
kinship groups. Black Community social
entrepreneurship organizations are concentrated
in the public non-profit and community
development groupings.
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The Emergence of Social Entrepreneurship

• The next slide illustrates the emergence of a
  leadership and organizations that define the
  social entrepreneurships action in of the English
  Speaking Black Communities of Quebec and the
  Black Communities across Canada.
• This is only a sample of the action. It is not
  intended to be a complete picture of Black social
  entrepreneurship as we define the term in this
  paper.

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Date of Registration Organization Type Objective
1969 1985 The National Black Coalition of Canada National Alliance of Black social, political and community based Organizations A federation of Black organizations across Canada dedicated to the creation of a united voice for Blacks in Canada seeking to create a more inclusive Canada a more socially cohesive Canada a fuller social, political and economic integration of Blacks and Black cultures into the National fabric of Canada .
1971 Black Studies Center Community Development Community development social studies Specialist in social entrepreneurship and self employment facilities for business incubation.
197? The Black Coalition of Quebec (has its origins from the national Black Coalition of Canada) Community development and anti-discrimination activism Mission is the search for identity unity and liberation of Blacks in Quebec. Engaged in the struggle for human rights and freedoms struggle to ensure that justices prevails everywhere and every time.
1971 Quebec Board of Black Educators Education Remedial and SEL elementary and high school Research and development Educational reform
1971 The Black Theatre Workshop Arts and Culture The development of the Black performance arts the creation of a Black Canadian literature the promotion of Black theatre in the schools and throughout Quebec and Canada.
1973 -1993 The Black Community Council of Quebec ( and its outreach regional programs ) Community Development Pan-African alliance of Black organizations aimed at creating an economically autonomous Black community speaking with a single political voice within the Canadian framework of Canada as a Federated Multicultural society.
Late 80s to present Black Community Associations of Lasalle, Laval, CDN, NDG, Verdun, the West Island A network of front line community family service agencies Outreach organizations of the original BCCQ with similar aims and objectives Autonomous with respect to their regional mandates
The Garvey Institute Education Black publication Black School provision of Scholarships to Blacks community education and development, social and political criticism and activism.
1991 (February) Black History Month A City Montreal Citywide Celebration A City wide celebration of Black culture, art , and contributions by Black Community and Montrealers in collaboration with the City of Montreal.
Carifiesta, Rythme du Monde, Vue Dafrique Festivals and Cultural Displays
1994 The Quebec Black Medical Association Research and Health care Education Helping motivated and socially involved youth to gain access to various careers in the field of health care. Dissemination of health care information in the community. Maintenance of fund for research and education in healthcare.
1995 Black Community Resource centre Community Development A holistic approach to social and emotional training of youth, supporting organizations and engaging in community building community networks.
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Key Issues addressed by the New Organizations

• Persistent work over thirty to forty years
  challenging and engaging the government and
  private sector to commit to the reduction of
  discrimination in the labour force
• Addressing structural economic weaknesses in the
  Black Communities that is working in
  collaboration with provincial Government to
  create a long term strategy to help Blacks start
  and sustain successful businesses.
• Working with school Boards and parents to reduce
  the drop out rates among Black youth
• Creating a net work of support for Black families
  and Black organizations
• The promotion of Black Culture and the arts
  through theatre, dance, and festivals.
• Facilitating the full participation of Blacks in
  Quebec society

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Location of ICED in the Cultural Change Model

• ICED is a facilitator of learning both in the
  belief system and at the level of the local
  kinship groups in the population space
• It facilitates communication and collaboration
  within and between minority kinship groups and
  between minority and mainstream kinship groups.
• It conducts research, creates and disseminates
  knowledge
• Acts to update cultural knowledge in the belief
  space
• Promotes and encourages the entrepreneurial
  spirit as a strategy for development

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A Communication and Planning Chart
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QBBE-ICED BUSINESS SUMMER SCHOOL 2010
Faculty and studentsSample of presentations
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Business Type

• Brizzy Bryce Promotions is a sole proprietorship
  which is responsible for contracting, the
  promotional packages, and sales within the venue
  of choice

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Elements Deco Vision mission statement

• Elements Deco an incorporation registered under
  the incorporation act of Québec.
• Our mission apply our design expertise to
  companies and particulars alike.
• Implementing a space that reflects their values.
• We offer a range of products and services that
  include painting, flooring, window treatment,
  custom furniture and custom artwork.

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Products services cont

• Additional elements Windows, upholstering,
  flooring, accessories, custom artwork or
  furniture is charged accordingly.
• Custom artwork complementary to an overall
  design or theme
• Personalized artwork

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Bellas Day Spa2010

• By Isabelle Reignier

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Mission StatemenT

• Bellas Day Spas mission is to run a profitable
  business by providing aesthetician services in a
  clean, caring, upscale, and professional
  environment. We intend to tailor the client's
  experience based on initial interview
  information, as well as feedback during the
  treatments, to ensure the client's comfort and
  satisfaction. We are thoughtful of the overall
  experience at our day spa - using only the finest
  oils and beauty products. Special lighting,
  music, decor, and textiles are used throughout
  the spa to complete the comfortable, rich
  environment and enhance the client's overall spa
  experience.

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VISIT ICED PORTAL

• A complete one hour presentation of the Summer
  business program can be viewed at
• http//www.icedportal.com/