Melding art and marketing skills to amplify unheard voices

CBC Quebec is highlighting people from the province's Black communities who are giving back, inspiring others and helping to shape our future. These are the Black Changemakers.

When Steve Cheldy Assoé first got to university, he enrolled in finance — not because he liked it, but because he felt it was necessary.

"I hated finance," he said emphatically, smiling from ear to ear.

He eventually switched to marketing at Concordia University. It's a field he says has allowed him to mix business concepts with his artistic side.

Assoé is a cinematographer, hosts a podcast and is a graphic designer, always juggling school with various projects.

His work as a graphic designer has landed him gigs with the United Nations for projects related to World Environment Day and World Oceans Day.

Regardless of what he is working on or which hat he is wearing, Assoé says he tries to use his skills to help amplify voices he feels may be unheard.

He is the creative director for Medical Herstory, a nonprofit group that promotes gender health equity by sharing women's stories on a wide range of challenges they've faced while receiving care.

He's the first to admit he's no expert on the issue, but his skills allow him to express himself on the topic without putting himself at the forefront.

"There are many other people, women especially, that should be talking and being the leading voices," he said. "But I find roles that I can help with very well."

Assoé volunteers as a mentor to younger students, sharing his knowledge in graphic designing, digital arts, entrepreneurship and technology.

Sharing knowledge about NFTs

Assoé is now working toward a master's degree in marketing.

His thesis topic has allowed him to delve into a new passion: NFTs, or non-fungible tokens. He is focusing on their role at intersection of art and technology.

Assoé said his journey has made him see the benefits of higher education, and he wants to spread the word.

"You can take any topic you're actually passionate about — it can be comics, anime, cars," he said.

"You can do research on that and really become a specialist in that field."

As he navigates the technology — which is controversial because it requires large amounts of energy and due to cases of art being used without a creator's permission — Assoé says he's noticed that several cultural groups are underrepresented. He's looking to change that.

"Now that I'm seeing that, and I myself am learning more and becoming more of a specialist in that field, I want to use my knowledge to be able to share it and spread it to way more people that are underrepresented, especially Black people," he said.

"I want to spread that so that they're not scared to enter these spaces, too, right? I think it's really important that a lot of us creatives get into that space. We have so many smart people."

He's already bought and sold NFTs. Now the goal is to finish school and start working in that world as a professional, developing the expertise and making the contacts "to be able to utilize that, to bring even more valuable information to minorities."

The Black Changemakers is a special series recognizing individuals who, regardless of background or industry, are driven to create a positive impact in their community. From tackling problems to showing small gestures of kindness on a daily basis, these changemakers are making a difference and inspiring others. Meet all the changemakers here.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti—Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.