By Larry D. Ivory, President of the National Black Chamber of Commerce Across the United States, there are 2.6 million Black-owned businesses that account for over $138 billion in revenue each year. This innovative and entrepreneurial passion is what has fostered long-term economic prosperity and sustainability in communities from coast to coast. These businesses should…
By: Wil Lewis, Chief, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at Experian and John Hope Bryant, CEO of Operation HOPE When it comes to achieving financial goals, there shouldn’t be any unknowns. However, the world of credit can be a tricky one to navigate if you don’t have a lot of experience with credit. At Experian,…
Nationwide (BlackNews.com) — Meet Kam Ballard, founder of b.c.e Shoes, an online company that customizes shoes for the sororities and fraternities in the Divine 9. She says that she started the company to offset college costs for her children. She comments, “I started this company as a way to pay for my children’s college education….
LYONS, NEBRASKA – Rural small businesses and other entities with loans through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) could receive six months of loan forgiveness under legislation being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives. On Monday, the House Agriculture Committee included provisions of the Rural Equal Aid (REA) Act in its proposed Build Back…
Second round of Comcast RISE Investment Fund will award $10,000 grants to 600 additional small businesses in Houston, Miami, Oakland, Seattle, the Twin Cities, and Washington, D.C bringing the total of grants to $11 million. NEW YORK – Sept. 14, 2021 – Comcast announced today a second round of cities to receive grants from the…
Inclusion Forward – Experian Empowering Opportunities™ helps clients advance diversity goals by creating greater and more affordable credit access COSTA MESA, CA (August 10, 2021) – Leading information services company Experian today announced the launch of Inclusion Forward – Experian Empowering Opportunities™, a first-of-its-kind initiative to help clients identify and directly support underserved and vulnerable…
Aldon Thomas Stiles | California Black Media On Aug. 3 in Perris, California – a Riverside County city located about 70 miles east of Los Angeles — Lincoln Cooper and Fortunate Hove Cooper handed out free backpacks full of school supplies and hand sanitizers to struggling families during a triple-digit heat wave. They were joined…
Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Just in case Black businesses in the state are not aware, the California legislature recently passed the $100 billion California Comeback Plan. It is the biggest economic recovery package in California history. And in it, there are billions of dollars in cash relief for small businesses. State Treasurer…
By S. E. Williams | Black Voice News The Black Economic Development Fund (BEDF), managed by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a nonprofit community development financial institution, has reached its $250 million goal for capital to invest in Black-led banks, anchor institutions, businesses, and real estate developers and is now preparing to roll out…
By Congressman Kweisi Mfume The American Jobs Plan can rebuild our nation’s physical infrastructure while creating opportunities for small and minority owned businesses to employ more people As each day passes, we feel closer to the moment when we can finally say this pandemic is behind us. While we are not there yet, the sacrifice…
Danbury, Conn., June 21, 2021 — Promontory MortgagePath LLC, a leading provider of comprehensive digital mortgage fulfillment services, announced Industrial Bank and Optus Bank as the first participants in its initiative to support community development financial institutions (CDFIs) and minority depository institutions (MDIs). The initiative is focused on expanding mortgage credit access in underserved communities….
LYONS, NEBRASKA – The Center for Rural Affairs applauds the launch of a new grant program aimed at building capacity and increasing economic opportunity for small and mid-sized meat and poultry processors. On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will provide $55.2 million in competitive grant funding through the new Meat and…
By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor After the historic COVD-19 pandemic has killed over 575,000 in the U.S. and damaged the economy widely, President Biden is putting increased focus on policy to assist parents. According to Oxfam, over 50 million people in the U.S. live in poverty. The federal minimum wage, has remained at…
S. E. Williams | Black Voice News Wells Fargo & Company has finalized investments in two African American Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs)–the Harbor Bank of Maryland and Industrial Bank of Washington, D.C. By making these last two equity capital investments, the company has now invested 13 such institutions fulfilling its March 10, 2020, announcement to…
TheWorthyEntrepreneur News Parlin, NJ – May 24, 2021 – A new survey examines the presence of racial trauma in the lives of Black entrepreneurs. The 24-question survey gathers information regarding Black entrepreneurs’ experiences with racism, ranging from viewing the traumatic videos of George Floyd’s murder and Sandra Bland’s harassment by a police officer, to experiencing…
Bo Tefu | California Black Media California lawmakers have approved Assembly Bill (AB) 80 legislation spearheaded by Assemblymember Autumn Burke (D-Inglewood). The legislation will give a $6.2 billion tax cut to small businesses across the state that received loans under the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). California lawmakers approved the bill, they say, to…
The value retailer will soon have a new look and new experience beginning with more than 40 of its locations COMMERCE, Calif. – As part of its customer-focused growth initiative, 99 Cents Only Stores today announced it will relaunch the company’s brand, beginning with a new 99 customer experience in many of the iconic Los…
Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Lendistry, a Black-led-and-operated Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), will be accepting applications April 28 through May 4 for a fifth round of funding in the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program. Late last year, the state selected the Los Angeles-based company to administer $2.075 billion in grants…
Nationwide — Meet James A. Samuel, Jr., a Black veteran who has launched a new app called ANJEL Tech that turns any smartphone into the world’s most powerful bodycam during confrontations with the police. James said that he became tired of raising kids in a world that forces them to understand they’re unsafe in their…
The racial homeownership gap is as large today as it was during the days of segregation, with the white homeownership rate roughly 30 points higher than Black households. New Urban Institute analysis shows that the gap may continue to grow absent intentional action. This has lasting implications: when one generation misses the wealth-building opportunities of…
The biggest names in finance invest in Greenwood including 6 of the top 7 banks and others – Truist, Bank of America, PNC, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Mastercard, Visa, and SoftBank ATLANTA, March 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Greenwood, the digital banking platform for Black and Latino individuals and business owners, today announced it has closed…
Brian Copeland is a starting NFL Linebacker and a Financial Wellness Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, a Real Estate Developer, a Venture Investor, and a worldwide motivational speaker. Nationwide — The West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce (WDM Chamber) is set to host the first…
Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media (UPDATED) Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that he had appointed Tara Lynn Gray, 57, of Fresno, as Director of the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA). In that role, Gray, who is African American, replaces Isabella Casillas Guzman, who President Biden appointed the 27th Administrator of…
This story was originally published by KRON of San Francisco. by: KRON4 Staff Posted: Feb 23, 2021 / 09:19 PM PST / Updated: Feb 23, 2021 / 10:02 PM SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – Fry’s Electronics is going out of business. KRON4 has confirmed that the iconic Bay Area retailer is permanently closing the doors of all stores nationwide. The…
Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Last week, Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) introduced the Economic Equity First Act of 2021, also known as Assembly Bill 915. The legislation is proposing measures to ensure fair opportunities for minority-owned small businesses in state contracting and procurement. Under AB 915, all state agencies, departments, boards, and…
