Why BAME entrepreneurs need a wider platform - Cultural Arts Heritage Circle

Dionne Edwards established the Cultural Arts Heritage Circle in Leeds last year after realising that far too many young Black, Asian, minority and Ethnic (BAME) people were not being given opportunities.

Ms Edwards, who has a background in the legal sector, told The Yorkshire Post that a lot of young black people face issues accessing jobs and those that do secure employment still face discrimination.

“I took a look around the wider community and felt that there was a gap in the market to support young BAME entrepreneurs,” Ms Edwards said.

Ms Edwards added that she set up the Cultural Arts Heritage Circle as many young black people were being unfairly ostracised over knife and gun crime.

She said that other organisations were offering “knee-jerk” responses to issues that these young people faced.

“I went out and did consultations with many of them and I found out that a lot of them were displaying creative endeavours,” Ms Edwards said. “They were showing entrepreneurship of some kind and they wanted to get their products out there.” Cultural Arts Heritage Circle looks to provide a platform for young up and coming entrepreneurs and emerging businesses.

“We find a creative and commercial space and we give them the opportunity to showcase their talent, which otherwise would have gone unnoticed,” Ms Edwards said.

It will be hosting a Caribbean and African food exhibition at Leeds Kirkgate Market on August 29.

The event is a way for eateries that may be well known in their local communities in Leeds to get in front of a wide audience.

Ms Edwards believes that there are many Afro-Caribbean food businesses in and around Leeds that are going unnoticed.

She said: “For our second event we really focused on young people’s craft work. We wanted to do food to give, both established and emerging businesses, an opportunity to showcase their creative endeavours.”

Ms Edwards added that it was about sharing different cultures with people as well.

“It’s about bringing people together under one roof that normally wouldn’t come together,” she said.

Ms Edwards, who is from Chapeltown in Leeds, also said it was important to ensure young BAME people were not denied opportunities, whether that’s being entrepreneurs, working in other businesses or succeeding in the arts, to avoid having a “loss generation”.

“You can’t keep knocking on the door for there to be no opportunities,” Ms Edwards added.

‘It’s time for our ideas to be shown’

Dionne Edwards is being helped to run the Cultural Arts Heritage Circle by Claudia Nelson-James, who herself is an aspiring fashion designer.

Ms Nelson-James hopes to establish her own clothing brand called Claudore.

However, she says that it can be “quite hard when you’re a person of colour to be able to stand out”.

The 23-year-old, who is from Chapel Allerton, added: “I feel like our ideas always seem to get diminished. You never really see our ideas evolve and become something. It’s time for our ideas to be shown to the world.”