Entrepreneurship as an Act of Social Activism | 2020 Virtual Diversity Symposium

This presentation is part of the 20th Annual (virtual) Diversity Symposium, held October 19-23, 2020 by the Office of the Vice President for Diversity at Colorado State University.

Presented by Arthur Sintas and Patrice Palmer

Session Description: In this interactive session, we will provide participants with a deeper understanding on how becoming an entrepreneur can be a powerful way to build wealth and enact social change within marginalized communities. We will first unpack what it means to be an entrepreneur and give participants a basic understanding of how businesses work, and how profits are made. Next, we will provide historical context of how entrepreneurship has worked in marginalized communities and show how business can create safe spaces for vulnerable communities. Finally, we’ll show how collective buying power can be leveraged to support minority owned businesses and demonstrate new business models that create social and environmental change as well as provides a new stream of wealth for individuals and their communities. Any session participants interested in exploring this topic further will be invited to work with the Institute for Entrepreneurship within the College of Business to begin their entrepreneurial journey.