How a former stand-up comedian is helping Black women entrepreneurs in Quebec succeed [Video]

The idea for Audace au Féminin, Dorothy Rhau’s non-profit organization focused on the empowerment of Black Quebecois women, was first sparked in 2016. Rhau went to her local drugstore in Montreal to pick up some foundation, but the person behind the makeup counter told her there was nothing that would work for her skin tone.

“I was so surprised, because the drugstore was located in an area where a lot of Black people lived,” she says.

A stand-up comedian at the time, she began thinking about how rarely she saw anyone who looked like her on TV; and even more importantly, how often the issues that affected Black women were ignored on the news or in other media.

Uplifting Black women entrepreneurs

Rhau decided to plan an event that would allow her to connect Black women’s businesses with Black consumers (think: Brown Diva Dolls, a line of diverse toys, and Humanet, which offers anti-bias training for businesses), as well …