Six thousand people fill the Metro Convention Centre to greet the 44th President of the United States.

BY SELINA McCALLUM

“You need to be who you are; you can’t have a mask that slips off. You need to be consistent with your values.” ~ President Barack Obama (44th President of the United States)

President Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, was in Toronto on Thursday, January 23^rd to speak in The Global Institute of Conscious Economics event series, Future of Work & The New Economy.

The Global Institute for Conscious Economics is a platform that promotes the connection between consciousness and better business outcomes. There was an estimated six thousand people that filled every corner of the Metro Convention Centre’s combined halls. In the space was a true reflection of the goal that Conscious Economics desires for the future; bringing unlikely groups around the same table. Every table that was sponsored by a business or financial institution had five youths seated at the table. Some of these youths were from marginalized communities or Neighborhood Improvement Areas.

What was remarkable about this event was that members of the business community sponsored tickets for youth under the age of 25 years old. With most tickets selling for as high as $275, the youth were given tickets for free. I happened to be sitting at The Canadian Black Chambers of Commerce sponsored table during the event. Yes, I was one of the lucky young people to snag myself a seat.

This event brought people together who want to see a change in the way the economy is run, and the outcome it brings. The Global Institute of Conscious Economics offers a modern perspective of the new economy.  They promote a model of: people, planet, and profit working in harmony. Rhiannon Rosalind, is the CEO and sole shareholder of The Economic Club of Canada. She is also the co-founder and CEO of the Global Institute for Conscious Economics.

She has hosted some of the most influential people in the world. Names like: Michelle Obama, Amal Clooney, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, and former President of France, Francois Holland have all graced her stage. Rosalind is also the youngest woman in Canadian history to be inducted into the Most Powerful Women in Business Hall of Fame.

She interviewed President Obama, the first African American president in America, for an hour. Her first question to him was his approach for becoming very well known and liked.

 “I calculated at some point during my presidency that I was probably the most photographed and recorded human in history, which is kind of a disturbing thing to think about. If people are photographing you that much, then you can’t really fake it. You need to be who you are, you can’t have a mask that slips off,” said President Obama. “You need to be consistent with your values.”

President Obama also talked to the young people about future skills, the importance of human connection, battling climate change and mental health tied to social media. When asked what his favourite thing about Canada is, he said, “You’re just so reasonable. Canadians are super reasonable.”

It was great to see some local talent up there on the stage. Sophie Trudeau gave a speech, and talented performers from Toronto, Jessie Reyez and Quincy Morales, performed.

“We bought as many tables as we could because we wanted our members to be in the same room as the first black president. It’s nice knowing that we are also connecting youth to entrepreneurs.” ~ Andria Barrett (President Canadian Black Chamber of Commerce)

The Canadian Black Chamber of Commerce remains committed to connecting and bridging the economic gap and increasing trade within the black business diaspora and between mainstream local and international markets. They enhance black businesses and communities by promoting, developing and sustaining economic growth and prosperity within all local and the global markets.

Barrett is determined to ensure that black business professionals also have a seat at the table. “We believe in economic empowerment and economic power. We feel that our community is underrepresented as business owners and entrepreneurs, and we are underrepresented in chambers of commerce or boards of trades,” said Barrett.

The CBCC is a national non-profit, bilingual, non-partisan organization. Their mission is “To become the Hub of the Canadian Black Business Ecosystem by creating value and collaborating opportunities between all the players in this emerging ecosystem.”

They plan to do this by offering programs and services for youth such as: mentorship, entrepreneurship services, and a chamber business club. “We focus on the youth. We have young, professional and junior chambers. We want to encourage young members in our community to start to think about entrepreneurship,” said Barrett.

The President of the Canadian Black Chambers of Commerce hopes that in the near future, black businesses will not have to have the word “black” in front of it. “I want us to have a bigger voice when it comes to business in Canada. At one point it won’t be black businesses in Canada. Business in Canada will mean you walk into a room and you will see equal representation, diversity and inclusion,” said Barrett.

The head office of CBCC is located here in Toronto, but they hope to have many chapters in every province across Canada. Barrett says that they would like to be the main resource and hub for entrepreneurs seeking help on starting their business. “There’s a lot of information out there, we just don’t know what we don’t know,”