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Celebrating Black History Month in New Tecumseth: Meet Nana

February 17, 2022   ·   0 Comments

Alliston resident Nana Y. Boateng, owner of Alliston Flooring Inc., is a well-known member of the business community in New Tecumseth.

Participating through trade associations and events of significance within New Tecumseth over many years, The Times asked to get to know him better in honour of Black History Month.

Of his name, Nana explains that Boateng relates to the Akan tribes from Ghana, West Africa, and specifically the Ashantis. In modern language, the name Boateng implies a pioneering spirit.

On his time in New Tecumseth, Nana has been living in Alliston for 7-years.

“Truly, it was the search of affordable housing that led my wife and I here. It’s interesting what the quest for affordability can do to your destiny,” said Nana.

Getting personal, we asked Nana what his experience has been like, living and working in the community.

“Personally, we were able to fit very well into the community. At the time, there wasn’t the diversity that we saw shortly after we moved here, but I believe having family around helped with the transition,” said Nana. “The greatest personal challenge I’ll say is having to travel to the Greater Toronto Area for traditional groceries. We aimed to solve that problem a few years back by opening up an African Grocery store, however there wasn’t sufficient demand to keep that part of the venture going.

“I always look at the positive sides to any event and though we faced other challenges business wise in the start0up stages of Alliston Flooring – relating to intimidation, maybe that was just what we needed to keep moving forward. It’s important to note that we’ve received support from the business organizations here in the New Tecumseth area such as the Nottawasaga Community Development Futures as well as the Chambers of Commerce represented in the area.”

Of his pride in his origin of culture, Nana says he takes pride in working hard and prioritizing family. 

“Growing up as a child in Ghana, West Africa, I saw both parents work hard as entrepreneurs in their own disciplines. I believe this was a direct reflection of how they were also brought up being natives of the Ashanti Tribe. If you’ve ever heard about Yaa Asantewaa in Black History, that’s the tribe [my mother] was from. Traditions specific to this culture definitely taught me to be diligent in all my endeavours. Respect for your neighbours and the community at large is essential within the culture and it is that attitude that I carry with me on a daily basis in my business and personal life. Usually if something needs to be done, it gets done, no matter the time and effort that goes into it.

“My upbringing and origins trained me not to necessarily only look out for the results. Because the end results might not be what you’re seeking however the time and effort you put in diligently often gets rewarded with a great experience that can be applied towards another cause or challenge some other day. It teaches one to look beyond today. More like a delayed gratification type of thing. This basic training coupled with the predominant Christian teachings I received from my parents has helped shape where I am now.”

Keeping these traditions alive through his children, Nana admits it can be challenging in today’s times.

“A lot of children – tweens and teenagers alike today – often want their needs met right away. They forget that work has to go into it. There’s always the digging, planting, watering before the harvesting part of any farming operation. Kids today delight in the harvesting part more than anything. That said, however, my wife and I are grateful to God that we’ve been able to make time throughout the years to instill a bit of what growing up in Ghana is like,” said Nana. “That yes you can drive-thru a fast food restaurant here to grab a quick bite but that doesn’t have to be the norm every time. So, we cook at home.

“My wife ensures we spend time together as a family on the dining time as much as possible. That means the kids get to see us grocery shopping and cooking healthy, cultural meals. This way they are left with that image in their minds as they grow up on how important it is to have family around the table for dinner. Having built Alliston Flooring with my wife, I mean, it gets difficult with running a business and ensuring that you’re paying careful attention to instilling core values into your children. But we are intentional about it. You’ve got to be intentional about these things. We spend time coaching and re-directing when we notice shortfalls in essential basic training. It’s a matter of commitment I’ll say and staying on it. Lots of reminders and correction for sure if you want to keep the tradition and its benefits going.”

The Times asked Nana what people in New Tec need to know about being culturally sensitive – what are we doing right, how can we do better.

“The summer festivals in New Tec pre-COVID-19 (Potato Festival and Rurban Food Truck Festival) definitely helped promote cultural sensitivity. The community gets at least a taste of different food which is a big part of culture. People come out to interact and that’s always one step to bridging the gap culturally. Beyond that though, the Town can help sponsor a specific annual festival like what other big cities and towns like Toronto and Mississauga usually see throughout the summer. The Town of New Tecumseth is obviously becoming more diverse and some type of festival geared towards the many cultures we have represented will be a great step in the right direction. When it comes to cultural sensitivity, it really all boils down to respecting one another, asking questions and doing our own research on why people, for instance, put on certain attire and talk the way they do rather than being demeaning and forming one’s own opinions about a particular culture.”

During Black History Month, and always, Nana reflects on Black leaders from history, and his mentors.

“I generally reflect on the entire principle behind Black History Month and not any one specific leader. They all had their contributions to the emancipations we as people of black descent enjoy today. Even to the present day, there are leaders that emerge that help curtail inequalities still in existence in the twenty first century,” said Nana. “I’m particularly intrigued during times like this to read about Black women who have made a difference in our societies such as Maggie Lena Walker who was the first woman to establish and serve as a president of a United States bank. People like Mary Elza, who is recognized as the first Black nurse in the U.S. and Carrie Best, who founded the first Black-owned newspaper in Nova Scotia, Canada.”

Looking ahead forces Nana to look at what he’s already accomplished, and he says that moving to the New Tecumseth seven years ago was definitely an adventure. 

“My wife and I had purchased our first home and didn’t really know what to expect. But it’s been a good ride. We managed to start our first business in the fall of 2015 and have added a couple of related businesses since then. Our goal is to expand Alliston Flooring as well as hire more staff and contribute to the community as much as we can with benefactions.”

Nana reminds our readers that is important to celebrate Black History Month because “it is a means to acknowledge the hard work our ancestors contributed to building nations”. 

“Additionally, I believe it shines light on the generational trauma that has been passed on over the years and how important it is to remain sensitive to them for generations to come. It’s imperative to keep highlighting achievements of Black people and not downgrade them,” said Nana. “The federal government since the advent of high-profile news stories concerning Black people in 2020 have set up funding initiatives to support Black owned businesses. I believe more can be done in that direction by the provinces and municipalities as well.”

To learn more about Nana Boateng or Alliston Flooring Inc. call 705-250-0765, visit them online at www.allistonflooring.ca and on Facebook.

By Wendy Gabrek

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