Melanistic Magazine - Vol. 10

What began as a search for sunscreen led to a small group of 15 friends building a support system that grew to an international group of 4,000 Black mothers offering one another support and advice on Facebook. Founder, Tanya Hayles, quickly realized that she had an opportunity to provide culturally relevant resources to a group who had struggled to find them. She refers to the Canadian Government’s online budgeting tool only allotting $20 per month for hair care. “I realized that no one I knew, no one that looked like me could spend only $20 per month on their hair.” Tanya wanted to support women by creating a resource that would help address the trauma of poverty and help build generational wealth through financial literacy.

Tanya Hayles, Founder BMC FinLit

The FinLit Summit was born in August 2017, and was based on information that group members wanted to see and learn themselves. Through sponsorship from TD Bank Group, Tanya was able to provide culturally relevant resources and support for attendees. The BMC FinLit Summit focuses on topics like investing, wills, trusts, and building generational wealth, without leaving out cultural savings tools like ‘SuSu’ or ‘Partner’. The event was built with accessibility in mind, charging between $5 - $10for the day which includes food, child care, literacy booklets and handouts. Since its inception, the BMC FinLit Summit has become one of Black Moms Connection’s signature events, helping to make generational changes one mom at a time. The program has evolved into the premier financial summit by, and for Black communities.

Check BlackMomsConnection.com for more information about upcoming dates for the BMC FinLit Summit.