✨ LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! 🎬
All-In Cincinnati Presents: Empower & Eats TV Show Premiere
Women’s HERstory in the Making!

Be part of a monumental evening as this exclusive event is a celebration of economic mobility, policy change, and the cultural richness that drives our community forward.
All-In Cincinnati premieres Empower & Eats, our exciting new TV show showcasing the voices of Hamilton County entrepreneurs, policymakers, and changemakers.
Get ready to experience:

• Exclusive Screening of Empower & Eats
• Fireside Chat with Featured Entrepreneurs & Policymakers
• Networking & Community Conversations
• Light Bites & Refreshments

REGISTER HERE: www.bit.ly/empowerandeats

📍 Soul Secrets 1434 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH 45202
🗓 March 21, 2025  |  ⏰ 7pm – 9pm

Let’s celebrate Legacy, Leadership, & Liberation during Women’s HERstory Month—honoring the people who are transforming our city!

SPACE IS LIMITED—SECURE YOUR SPOT TODAY!     

🌱 Growing People, Growing Community
Recognizing Our Collective Strength and Amplifying Voices for a Stronger Tomorrow

Real change happens when we uplift the leaders, organizations, and businesses shaping our community. This month, we’re celebrating five dynamic community leaders and six businesses driving impact across industries in Hamilton County.

🔹 Anzora Adkins – A steadfast advocate for neighborhood transformation, Anzora ensures that youth and families in Evanston have the tools and opportunities to thrive.
🔹 Freda Epum – An acclaimed author and artist, Freda weaves powerful narratives on race, illness, and belonging, as seen in her debut memoir, The Gloomy Girl Variety Show.
🔹 Te’Airea Powell – President of the East Westwood Community Council, Te’Airea drives neighborhood growth while balancing roles as a business owner, consultant, and mom.
🔹 Rajani Menon – A dynamic civic engagement leader, Rajani advances inclusive leadership and community-driven solutions at The Women’s Fund of Greater Cincinnati Foundation.
🔹 Venita Turner – A heart transplant survivor turned advocate, Venita founded The Beat Goes On to provide housing support for transplant patients traveling to Cincinnati for life-saving care.

FEATURED BUSINESSES:

🔹 Christina Davis, CEO & Owner, Davis Cookie Collection – Creating sweet memories with handcrafted cookies and inspired recipes.
🔹 Crystal Kendrick, CEO & Owner, The Voice of Your Customer & The Voice of Black Cincinnati – Driving visibility and impact for Black businesses and community initiatives.
🔹 Jennifer Ingram, CEO & Owner, Calibrated Lens – Expanding history’s reach with the Numismatics Noir Coin Card Deck, a curated collection of rare U.S. currency featuring untold Black stories.
🔹 Kisha Johnson, CEO & Owner, The Johnson’s Daycare Center – Nurturing the next generation, providing safe, loving, and empowering care for children and families.
🔹 Shauntel Dobbins, Founder & CEO, FinanciallyU – Providing financial literacy education to equip individuals and families with wealth-building tools.
🔹 Tammie Scott, CEO & Owner, Nostalgia Wine & Jazz Lounge – Bringing nostalgia and joy to Cincinnati with a sophisticated space for music, culture, and connection.

Join us in celebrating these leaders and businesses! Their work strengthens our community and builds a legacy of opportunity for generations to come.

The post All-In Cincinnati presents Empower & Eats to celebrate women’s HERstory appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

By Nate Paszczykowski, Fifth Third Bank

Fifth Third and community leaders celebrated the groundbreaking for a new full-service banking center in Cincinnati’s Avondale neighborhood, which has been without a standalone bank branch for nearly five years. 

The new branch is expected to open to the public in late summer or early fall and is among 15 banking centers Fifth Third plans to open in low- and moderate-income (LMI) or high minority (HMT) population census tracts this year. The branch will enable Fifth Third to increase financial access for the community while contributing to the revitalization of Avondale. 

Fifth Third prioritizes financial access and neighborhood revitalization through its Neighborhood Program, a community development initiative which creates and implements innovative place-based strategies to effect positive change in historically disinvested neighborhoods across the bank’s 11-state footprint. As Fifth Third strategically expands and opens new financial centers across the U.S., 30% of new branches in development will be in LMI and/or HMT areas. In addition to new centers, Fifth Third offers its Financial Empowerment Mobile, known as the eBus, and Banking to Go kiosks to address gaps in financial services in underserved communities. 

“At Fifth Third, we believe that strong banks need strong communities, and strong communities need strong banks,” said Kala Gibson, chief corporate responsibility officer for Fifth Third. “We are proud to contribute to the revitalization of Avondale by expanding financial access through this new branch, in addition to many other community investments in recent years.” 

Located in the Avondale Town Center, the new branch will be a model for innovation and sustainability, occupying 2,024 square feet in a storefront along Reading Road. The existing full service drive-up ATM in the town center parking lot will remain. Inside, the center’s open design will make it easy for customers to get quick digital service or discuss more complex banking products, like college savings plans, mortgages, or retirement solutions. The branch is expected to open in late summer or early fall 2025, with Walnut Hills-based Triversity Construction serving as the general contractor. Soul Palette, a local Cincinnati artist, will design and install a mural that celebrates Avondale’s history. 

Avondale, Cincinnati’s largest African American community, has experienced decades of disinvestment leading to population decline, aging housing stock and increased poverty. 

“The Avondale Development Corporation is excited to welcome Fifth Third to our Avondale community,” said Russell Hairston, executive director of the Avondale Development Corporation. “This is more than just a bank opening; it represents a commitment to Avondale’s future. This marks a significant step toward economic empowerment and neighborhood revitalization. By providing accessible financial services, small business support, and homeownership opportunities, Fifth Third is helping to create a more financially inclusive Avondale. We look forward to partnering with them on financial literacy programs, workforce development initiatives, and community investment strategies that will uplift residents and drive sustainable growth, which aligns with ADC’s mission to foster sustainable community development.” 

In partnership with the Avondale Development Corporation and other community partners, Fifth Third has made $33.6 million in direct investments into Avondale and helped catalyze $17.9 million from other entitles for a total financial impact of $51.5 million. 

Key initiatives include: 

• Blair Lofts: The Fifth Third Community Development Corporation invested $15.5 million into Blair Lofts in 2021. The 64-unit affordable housing development located on Reading Road features one-, two-, or three-bedroom apartments, on-site management and amenities that include laundry, resident storage spaces, a community kitchen and a fitness center. Fifth Third also funded wrap-around services such as a move-in care package for residents, financial education workshops, funding so that 55 children could attend a summer camp, furnishing for the community room, and five desktop computers and furnishings for a computer lab. 
• Digital Accessibility: Fifth Third has been working to help close the digital divide and bring Avondale residents into the technology mainstream. Key partners in the effort include the Avondale Development Corporation, Uptown Consortium Inc., and the University of Cincinnati. Following a community-wide assessment of the neighborhood and its needs, in fall 2024 the partners began replacing non-functional and outdated equipment at eight housing complexes and adding service in two locations that were not previously served, thanks to funding from the United Way of Greater Cincinnati. In early 2025, 319 apartments are expected to have free internet connectivity, including 779 residents and 374 school-age students. Six free outdoor hotspots are also being installed along Reading Road. The final phase includes a neighborhood-wide Wi-Fi project that will provide free and/or discounted servicing throughout all of Avondale. 

The post Fifth Third bank breaks ground on new branch in Avondale appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

By Theresa Katalinas 
Katalinascomm
unications@gmail.com

Zakayla Riley had her heart set on a career in social work when the COVID-19 pandemic realigned her ambitions.

“When all the groomers were shut down, I had to groom my own dog. I don’t like stinky dogs,” said Riley, a 2021 graduate of Northern Kentucky University, of Benji and Shadow, her mini and giant Schnauzers. “It came really naturally to me. I developed a stronger bond with my dogs.”

She toyed with the idea of becoming a professional dog groomer, first attending a pet grooming school through a Cincinnati-area pet store.

“I realized early on that the corporate grooming environment was very fast-paced and sometimes stressful for both the animals and the employees,” she said. “I decided to step it up but slow it down by opening my own grooming salon.”

In late 2021, she launched Pawpin’ Pawz Luxury Mobile Grooming, initially converting space in her customers’ homes into a grooming salon. In 2022 she bought a self-sufficient salon on wheels in a 6×10 trailer pulled by a Chevy Silverado. She provides curbside service to clients in Cincinnati and surrounding areas, grooming dogs in her vehicle while it’s parked in front of their homes.

Early on, she participated in the Mortar Entrepreneurship Academy and began working with SCORE Greater Cincinnati mentor Quinn Wang, who provided insight on business startup and pricing. SCORE is a national nonprofit organization that supports small businesses through free mentoring.

“He was very, very helpful in whatever it was that I needed,” Riley said. “I loved having Quinn in my back pocket. He’s still there four years later. I can pick up the phone and call him.”

Riley also took part in SCORE’s webinars and classes as well, because, as she noted, “more brains are better than one.”

Wang, who retired from SCORE two years, ago, still stays connected with his mentee.

“We have maintained contacts and met from time to time to discuss issues and challenges Zakayla may run into, or her future plans for her businesses,” Wang said. “I am always impressed with Zakayla’s drive and energy throughout the years.”

Her drive, coupled with a goal of “broadcasting” her business to a larger audience, led Riley to participate in SCORE’s 60^th Anniversary Pitch Competition. She was one of 45 finalists.

More than 2,200 small businesses applied to compete in five pitch events. Contestants were pared down to 60 contenders. Participants were matched with SCORE mentors to refine their pitches, strengthen their presentations and hone their business plans.

“I’m not afraid of a little competition,” she said. “Fundraising is a top priority right now.”

Looking ahead, Riley plans to add another groomer and a second mobile grooming vehicle to her current solo operation.

“The demand is there,” Riley said. “I get a ton of inquiries and because of our current capacity, we have a growing wait list.”

On average, she sees 130 dogs every two months. Riley envisions continued growth on the horizon.

“My 10-year goal is to have at least four vans on the road,” she said. “In the long term, I want to open an indoor dog park.”

To learn more about SCORE, request a mentor, or volunteer to be one, visit score.org. Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 17 million entrepreneurs start, grow or successfully exit a business. SCORE’s 10,000 volunteers provide free, expert mentoring, resources and education in all 50 U.S. states and territories. Visit score.org.

The post Mobile pet groomer eyes expansion following SCORE Pitch Contest appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

By Taalib Saber, attorney and owner of The Saber Firm

As Black History Month reminds us of our legacy of resilience and economic power, recent federal rollbacks of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs have sent shockwaves through corporate America. While these policy changes may feel like a setback, they present a unique opportunity for Black entrepreneurs to double down on self-sufficiency and community-driven business growth.

A Wake-Up Call for Black Business Owners

DEI initiatives have helped Black professionals access corporate contracts and funding opportunities, but many provided symbolic representation without tangible economic transformation. With these policies being dismantled, it’s time for Black business owners to rely less on institutional diversity programs and more on collaborative, community-driven economic strategies.

This isn’t a time for despair. It’s a time to reimagine economic power. When systems exclude us, we innovate. When doors close, we build new ones. From the Freedmen’s Bureau to Black Wall Street, our ancestors created success despite systemic opposition.

Turning Setbacks into Power Plays

Rather than seeing DEI rollbacks as obstacles, Black entrepreneurs should view them as catalysts for collective wealth-building. Today’s success stories prove this approach works.

Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty revolutionized the cosmetics industry by creating products for all skin tones when mainstream brands wouldn’t. By focusing first on underserved Black and brown consumers, Fenty Beauty generated $100 million in sales in its first 40 days and has grown into a billion-dollar enterprise that forced the entire beauty industry to become more inclusive.

Calendly, founded by Nigerian-American Tope Awotona, became a billion-dollar scheduling platform by solving a universal problem. Despite initial struggles to secure venture funding, Awotona bootstrapped his company until its value was undeniable, ultimately raising $350 million and reaching a $3 billion valuation.

The Fifteen Percent Pledge, founded by Aurora James, demonstrates the power of intentional economic redirection. By persuading major retailers like Sephora and Macy’s to dedicate 15% of shelf space to Black-owned brands, the initiative has shifted over $10 billion to Black businesses since 2020.

How Black Businesses Can Thrive

Leverage Group Economics: Focus on Business-to-Business (B2B) relationships within the community through strategic partnerships and shared marketing efforts. Black entrepreneurs can drive revenue by prioritizing Black-owned vendors and service providers.

Explore Alternative Capital: While government-backed DEI funding may disappear, access capital through angel investors, venture capitalists focused on minority-owned businesses, and crowdfunding. Organizations like the Black Angel Tech Fund and 1863 Ventures are specifically supporting Black entrepreneurs.

• Master Digital Marketing: Without DEI mandates, securing contracts will be more competitive. A strong digital presence, SEO-optimized websites, social media dominance, and powerful branding are non-negotiable.
• Own Your Intellectual Property: In entertainment, sports, and entrepreneurship, prioritize ownership through trademarks, copyrights, and business structures that prevent exploitation while ensuring generational wealth.
• Build Industry-Specific Networks: Creating Black-led professional networks in industries like law, entertainment, and finance will ensure access to opportunities that corporate America may no longer prioritize.

Contemporary Success Through Community Power

Blavity Inc., founded by Morgan DeBaun, has built a digital media empire reaching over 30 million millennials monthly. By focusing on serving Black audiences and creators first, Blavity has expanded to include multiple brands and hosts AfroTech, the largest Black tech conference in America.

Greenwood Bank, co-founded by Ryan Glover, rapper Killer Mike, and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, raised $40 million in funding before even opening its doors. Named after the prosperous “Black Wall Street” district, this digital banking platform specifically serves Black and Latino communities by reinvesting in minority businesses.

Pattern Beauty by Tracee Ellis Ross demonstrates the power of serving community needs first. By creating hair products specifically designed for Black women, the brand became profitable within days of launching and secured distribution at major retailers nationwide.

The Black Wealth Renaissance

Black history has always been marked by resilience. When access is denied, we create our own tables. By focusing on economic empowerment, ownership, and strategic partnerships within our community, we can build an ecosystem that thrives beyond political shifts.

This isn’t about segregation. It’s about elevation. It’s about ensuring Black businesses aren’t dependent on temporary policies but rooted in sustainable strategies that allow prosperity regardless of who’s in office.

We have always been our best investment. When we bet on ourselves, we win. When we invest in each other, we grow. When we circulate our dollars within our communities, we build lasting wealth.

Action Steps for Black Entrepreneurs

Identify and partner with Black-owned suppliers and vendors. Ensure your business is properly structured to protect assets. Develop a strong online brand presence. Explore funding options that prioritize Black entrepreneurs. Join or form industry-specific Black business networks. Support Black-owned financial institutions. Advocate for policies that benefit Black entrepreneurs.

The future is ours. Our history proves that we thrive when we work together. The attack on DEI is not the end of opportunity. It’s the beginning of a new Black economic renaissance. If we seize this moment, we won’t just survive. We will thrive!

The post Black entrepreneurs empowered to thrive despite DEI policy rollbacks appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

Contributed by All-In Cincinnati

Black History In The Making

Honoring an Impact Hero: Denisha PorterBlack history isn’t just about the past—it’s about the leaders shaping the future right now. That’s why we’re celebrating Flywheel Social Enterprise Hub’s inaugural Impact Hero—our Executive Director, Denisha Porter!

Denisha’s leadership in health, housing, education, economic mobility, and justice continues to drive transformation in our community. She was recently recognized as one of The Top 50 Women Leaders of Ohio for 2024 (for the second year in a row!).

Denisha’s work is more than impact—its legacy in motion. We honor her commitment to building a Hamilton County where everyone belongs, collaborates, and thrives.

🌍 All Means All: A Framework by PolicyLink
Keep the Momentum Going & Watch the CNDORH Recap!

At All-In Cincinnati, we know that when we uplift overlooked communities, the entire community thrives. This isn’t new work for us—it’s who we are. Since 2019, we’ve mirrored PolicyLink’s vision, knowing that true progress happens when systems work for everyone.

That’s why we’re spotlighting the All Means All framework—a bold strategy from PolicyLink, designed to create communities where everyone has access to opportunity, resources, and justice. This framework reinforces what we’ve long believed: when we center those most impacted, we build a stronger Hamilton County for all.

The Cincinnati 5th Annual National Day of Racial Healing was a powerful reminder of the work we continue to do—work that is more critical now than ever. Relive the impact. Watch the recap now! From powerful speakers to deeply moving Activation Rooms, we witnessed the community come together to heal, engage, and move forward.  ✨ Let’s carry this energy forward—all year long.

Watch Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcPJ5-v5XCI

#CNDORH | #RacialHealing | #HowWeHeal | #AllMeansAll | #AllInCincinnat

The post Denisha Porter named Impact Hero for her leadership in justice appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

Contributed by Amy Fitzgibbons, Vice President of Marketing & Communications, Cincinnati Regional Chamber

At its Annual Dinner last Thursday, the Cincinnati Regional Chamber held its “passing of the gavel” ceremony to welcome its new Board Chair. Per Chamber governance policy, at the end of 2024, former CVG CEO Candace McGraw, now Immediate Past Chair of the Chamber board, completed her two-year tenure as Chair. James Watkins, CEO of Triversity Construction, assumed the role of Chair after serving for the last two years as Vice Chair of the Board. 

“Over the past decade, Jim has made Cincinnati his home. He has lent his passion, expertise and leadership to numerous initiatives in our region, including affordable housing policy, the caps on Fort Washington Way, and economic development—all in support of our vision of building a growing, thriving region where everyone belongs,” said Brendon Cull, President & CEO of the Cincinnati Regional Chamber. “I’m grateful for his service to our organization and looking forward to his contributions as Board Chair.” 

James Watkins serves as Triversity’s President and Chief Executive Officer with more than 30 years’ experience leading all business phases of construction management, general contracting, and its craft force division. Serving as its President for 11 years, Watkins guided Triversity toward all-time high growth and built its new headquarters, a $4 million development, in Walnut Hills.  

Watkins is responsible for leading the company’s day-to-day business operations and executing the company’s annual business plan giving him oversight of profit and loss company wide.  In addition to the Chamber Board, Watkins serves as a board member for ACI (Allied Construction Industries), Spirit of Construction, Truist Community Advisory Board and Cincinnati Housing Advisory Board. Watkins played a major role in several corporate construction management training programs and was an active member of the ACE Mentor program. He has been named “Who’s Who in Detroit” and is a past NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects) board member. He is also a graduate of the Cincinnati Chamber’s Leadership Cincinnati, class 37 and an active Vistage member. 

The following individuals also joined as Board Members at the end of 2024: 

• Katrina English, SVP & Chief Administrative Officer, UC Health 
• Holly H. Mazzocca, CFP®, President, Wealth Advisor, Principal, Bartlett 
• Lisa Vannis, Audit & Assurance Partner, Deloitte 
• Andrew E. Worrell, General Counsel and Secretary, Fischer Homes 

To learn more about the Chamber’s Board of Directors, please visit: https://cincinnatichamber.com/board-of-directors/ 

About the Cincinnati Regional Chamber  

The Cincinnati Regional Chamber is the premier business and civic organization dedicated to growing the vibrancy and economic prosperity of the Cincinnati region. To achieve its vision that Cincinnati is a growing, thriving region where everyone belongs, the Chamber seeks to grow our economy, grow our population, and grow our cultural vibrancy – with the foundation of a strong business community – to foster a welcoming environment for all. The Chamber’s membership offerings, signature leadership programs, government and regional advocacy efforts, community events such as BLINK and Oktoberfest as well as key partnerships with organizations like Cincinnati Experience, Cincinnati Compass, Cincinnati Minority Business Accelerator, and the Workforce Innovation Center lead the way in making that vision a reality. For more information, visit www.cincinnatichamber.com. 

The post Cincinnati Regional Chamber welcomes new Board Chair, James Watkins appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

By Nick Kossovan

“The devil is in the details” is an idiom highlighting how small details can significantly affect the outcome of something and that attention to detail is the difference between something good and something great. This phrase captures the essence of job search success.

A misplaced decimal point on a financial spreadsheet will result in inaccurate reporting. It only takes a minor design flaw to cause a costly recall or safety issues. In personal interactions, eye contact and smiling shape perception. Colour scheme drastically influences the mood of a room or whether you make a fashion statement.

Job seekers who meticulously craft their resume, LinkedIn profile, applications, and interview presence will have an edge over those they’re competing against. If your resume and LinkedIn profile are full of typos or your voicemail isn’t set up, you aren’t doing yourself any favours. Misaddressing your interviewer or failing to turn on your camera during a Zoom interview can cost you the job opportunity.

When competing against other job seekers just as qualified as you are, some more so, as you are in the current job market, not paying attention to details or your actions will hurt your job search.

The most common details overlooked by job seekers:

Title your resume file “First Name_Last Name_Resume_Year”

Example: [Nick_Kossovan_Resume_2025]

This format ensures that your resume is easily recognizable by recruiters and easily searchable in the recruiter’s or employer’s database, which, I’d ballpark, contains something like 1,689,355 resumes.

Save your resume as a PDF file.

Saving your resume as a PDF preserves its formatting across all devices, ensuring it appears as you intended, with no changes to margins or layout.

Include a link to your LinkedIn profile.

Along with your resume prominently displaying your phone number and email address, include a link to your LinkedIn profile.(https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickkossovan/) Make it easy for hiring managers to contact you and to view your LinkedIn profile. The easier you make it for a hiring manager, the more likely they’ll consider your candidacy.

Proofread relentlessly!

Ensure your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile are free of typos and grammatical errors. These documents and your online footprint create your first impression; errors can diminish your credibility and chances of being selected for an interview.

Adjust the privacy settings on your social media.

Employers will Google you to determine if you’re interview-worthy. If you’re hired, your new colleagues will also Google you and look you up on Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, etc. To avoid having your social media activity being misconstrued, except for LinkedIn, your privacy settings so only your followers can see your activity.

Always dress to impress.

You never know who you might encounter when you’re out and about, and you only get one chance to make a good first impression. Whether you like it or not, we live in a world where we judge a book by its cover—we assess visual cues—we always have and always will.

I’ve missed out on many possible opportunities because I left my house not looking my best. One time, I was waiting in line at a coffee shop dressed “comfortably” when a friend sitting in a booth called out to introduce me to the COO of a national transportation company he was meeting with. Although the COO was friendly, the introduction didn’t lead anywhere; I believe it was due to my lack of credible appearance. Dressing well not only boosts your confidence but also earns you respect.

Always carry a pen, a small notebook, and copies of your resume.

As I mentioned, you never know who you might meet or whether you’ll want to share your contact information or take notes. Having a pen and paper on hand demonstrates that you’re prepared (read: on top of your game) and professional. A further step to “being prepared” is always having a few copies of your resume.

A few years ago, during an intermission at a community theatre production, I struck up a conversation with a man who, it turned out, was looking for a workforce manager position. Although I didn’t have an opening, I knew someone who did. He went to his car, retrieved a copy of his resume, and handed it to me, which I passed along to the person I knew who was searching for a workforce manager. Yes, he got the job.

Carefully consider the questions you ask.

Voltaire said, “Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.” Your questions during an interview reveal a great deal about you. Steer clear of asking irrelevant or self-serving questions, such as, “How many sick days do you offer?” or, “When will my benefits start?” Instead, inquire about the specific responsibilities, challenges, and goals of the role. Ask questions that demonstrate genuine interest in how you can contribute to the team’s success.

Lastly, never ask for an expectation! Questions such as “I understand this position requires me to work in the office every day. Is it possible to work from home on Thursdays and Fridays?” will eliminate you from consideration.

Succeeding in today’s highly competitive job market requires paying close attention to details and your actions.

Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned corporate veteran, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. Send Nick your job search questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.

Feature Image: Photo by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash

The post Quick fixes that will significantly improve your job search appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

Target Corporation’s stock plummeted by approximately $27.27 per share by the end of February, erasing about $12.4 billion in market value. The drop came on February 28, the designated economic blackout day, and coincided with mounting backlash over the retailer’s decision to abandon its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments.

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) has taken action through its Public Education and Selective Buying Campaign. NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. said, “Black consumers helped build Target into a retail giant, and now they are making their voices heard. If corporations believe they can roll back diversity commitments without consequence, they are mistaken.”

Reverend Jamal Bryant, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Georgia, has led calls for a “40-Day Target Fast,” urging Black consumers to withhold their spending at the retailer. “Black people spend $12 million a day at Target,” Bryant said. “If we withhold our dollars, we can make a statement that cannot be ignored.”

The NAACP also issued a Black Consumer Advisory in response to Target’s DEI rollback, warning Black consumers about corporate retreat from diversity initiatives. The advisory urges them to support businesses that remain committed to investing in Black communities.

Target is also facing legal battles. Shareholders have filed lawsuits challenging the company’s DEI policies, arguing that the commitments hurt financial performance. Meanwhile, conservative groups have sued over Target’s diversity efforts, claiming they discriminated against white employees and other groups.

“Consumers have the power to demand change, and Target is learning that lesson the hard way,” Chavis said.

The post Target’s stock plummets $12.4 billion as DEI backlash intensifies appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

Article Highlights:

• Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma, thrived with over 100 Black-owned businesses in the early 1900s.
• The Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921 destroyed Greenwood, killing up to 300 people and erasing wealth.
• Modern Black business districts face challenges but strive to rebuild wealth through entrepreneurship and support networks.

By Jazmin Goodwin

“Beautiful, bustling, and Black”—that was how author, attorney, and activist Hannibal B. Johnson described Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Greenwood District in his book “Black Wall Street: From Riot to Renaissance in Tulsa’s Historic Greenwood District.”

In the early 1900s, the Greenwood District flourished with over 100 Black-owned businesses, from restaurants and grocery stores to hotels and hospitals. Brick office buildings lined the streets with Black doctors, lawyers, and dentists ready to serve their communities. Visitors to the area included agricultural scientist George Washington Carver, famed contralto Marian Anderson, and blues singer and pianist Dinah Washington. The district’s success represented more than just commerce; it embodied Black Americans’ resilience and ingenuity in creating economic opportunities despite the crushing restrictions of Jim Crow laws.

Greenwood’s prosperity came to a violent end in 1921 when a white mob destroyed the district in what is now known as the Tulsa Race Massacre. In just two days, their ensuing violence left 35 city blocks decimated, over 800 people injured, potentially 100 to 300 people killed (though exact figures can never be determined), and generations of accumulated wealth erased.

Unfortunately, the tragedy at Greenwood wasn’t an isolated event. The years leading up to 1921 were marked by race-related violence. As Johnson noted in his book, the United States saw 61 recorded lynchings of Black Americans in 1920; the year prior, more than 25 major race riots erupted throughout the nation in what was dubbed the Red Summer.

The devastation and its lasting impact

Today, the country continues to grapple with the aftermath of such vehement destruction. Evanston, Illinois, and Asheville, North Carolina, are among the few cities carrying out reparations projects despite opposition from the 6% and 13% of respondents who argued such programs would be too expensive or too difficult to administer, respectively, according to a poll of 1,000 people by the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Boston TV station WCVB.

Though Greenwood residents reconstructed with astonishing speed after the massacre, their efforts were continually stymied—not just by violence but by policies that deprived these areas of further opportunities. “The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre temporarily stilled the economic engines that revved on Black Wall Street. That said, the community quickly rebounded and rebuilt, peaking economically in the 1940s,” Johnson told Stacker in an email. “In the 1960s and subsequent decades, structural factors like integration and urban renewal precipitated a second decline.”

The 2024 ruling denying reparations to the last survivors of the massacre serves as a sobering reminder that the consequences of this destruction continue to reverberate through time, contributing to today’s racial wealth gap.

The legacy of Black business districts across America

Though perhaps the most widely known, Tulsa’s story was not unique.

“Wherever you had large Black populations concentrated because of segregation, you had these enterprising African Americans who sprouted up to provide every need possible,” Dr. Shennette Garrett-Scott, author of “Banking on Freedom: Black Women in U.S. Finance Before the New Deal” and associate professor of history and Africana studies at Tulane University, told Stacker.

Across America, Black entrepreneurs established thriving business districts that faced similar threats from racial violence and discriminatory policies.

From Richmond’s Jackson Ward—known as “the cradle of Black capitalism”—to Detroit’s Paradise Valley, Chicago’s Bronzeville, and Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn, across America, Black entrepreneurs established communities with flourishing enterprises that stood as beacons of economic promise and prosperity.

Stacker used Census data and other sources to explore the untold history of lesser-known Black Wall Streets across the U.S. and how present-day Black business districts strive to rebuild wealth and opportunity in the current economic landscape.

You may also like: AI art is facing a copyright problem. Here’s what it means for creators.

The winding path to economic freedom

The roots of Black entrepreneurship run deep in American soil. The entrepreneurial spirit of Black Americans can be traced as early as the 17th century, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Even while enslaved, Black Americans would barter and trade their surplus production with other people who were enslaved—though most profits went to their enslavers. Some with managerial duties even sold their skills and services to others. Once freed, Black Americans continued this tradition of engaging in businesses that used the skills valued by white enslavers, including catering and personal services such as tailoring and hair care.

In the decades following the Civil War, Black Americans faced a paradox: newly freed but systematically excluded from mainstream economic opportunities.

“These were enterprising, ambitious people who were trying to get their part, their piece of the American dream, who were just as enthralled with American free enterprise as their white counterparts,” Garrett-Scott said. “Through their enterprise, they were able to carve out a space within the limitations—the limited options that they were given.”

Overcoming systemic barriers

This exclusion, though devastating, sparked a wave of Black entrepreneurship across the country. According to the Negro Year Book of 1914-1915, Black business ownership grew from virtually zero in 1863 to over 40,000 enterprises by 1913, while Black homeownership rose from near zero to over 500,000 properties in the same period. This growth occurred despite the implementation of restrictive “Black codes” that required white sponsors for Black business licenses and Jim Crow laws that systematically segregated commerce.

These communities developed sophisticated financial networks, with Black-owned banks providing crucial capital to entrepreneurs routinely denied loans by white-owned institutions. “What made these Black business districts thrive wasn’t just Black people supporting Black businesses; it was also Black-owned financial networks, Black banks, and Black insurance companies that provided the capital when white institutions refused,” said Garrett-Scott.

One of the most significant developments was the creation of Black financial institutions. Exemplifying this trend was the Grand Fountain United Order of True Reformers, founded by Rev. William Washington Browne in 1881 in Richmond, Virginia’s Jackson Ward. Beyond providing insurance and banking services, the True Reformers operated department stores, published a newspaper, maintained a home for older people, and invested in real estate across 10 Virginia cities, Washington state, Baltimore, and other locations.

Backlash and lasting impact

However, alongside these success stories came the backlash. Beyond Tulsa, Black Americans who engaged in economic activity fell victim to racial violence and intentional economic disruption. The East St. Louis Massacre of 1917, caused by white workers targeting their Black peers hired by the Aluminum Ore Company or the Elaine Massacre of Black sharecroppers seeking to unionize in 1919, marked systematic attempts to suppress Black economic independence.

“Violence plays a role in both creating Black Wall Streets and their decline,” Garrett-Scott emphasized. “There are different, varying levels and kinds of violence.” Beyond direct racial violence, Black businesses faced what Garrett-Scott calls “bureaucratic violence”—systematic exclusion from professional organizations, denial of licenses and permits, and restricted access to capital.

Discriminatory policies compounded the damage. Redlining prevented Black businesses from accessing loans and insurance, while urban renewal projects of the 1950s and 1960s often targeted Black business districts for demolition, displacing established enterprises and fragmenting communities.

“Urban renewal—ostensibly intended to eliminate urban blight—devastated Black Wall Street by displacing individuals and enterprises and gobbling up land,” said Johnson. “Wealth disparities are in large part attributable to the ability to transfer property intergenerationally. Urban renewal adversely affected that dynamic for Black folks.”

The ongoing wealth gap

The dismantling of these Black business districts has had lasting effects on economic progress for Black Americans spanning generations. According to the American Civil Liberties Union’s 2023 Visualizing the Racial Wealth Gap report, the gap in wealth between Black and white families has only grown since the 1970s. In 2018, the median white family of three earned $33,000 more than a Black family of the same size. Black homeownership rates have also stagnated, lagging behind Hispanic homeownership rates and never reaching the 50% mark in the last 10 years.

“We haven’t matched the level of economic destruction that came through those forms of violence and policy violence with the requisite level of economic investment into those communities. Each new generation can fall farther and far farther behind,” Anthony Barr, director of research and impact at the National Bankers Association, told Stacker. Barr’s research specializes in the racial wealth gap, financial wellness, and digitization.

Where Black Americans found success across the US

Different cities developed distinct patterns of Black business growth. Due to segregation, Richmond’s Jackson Ward transformed from a mixed neighborhood that hosted German, Italian, and Jewish immigrants to a Black business hub.

During this time, “the Deuce,” known as 2nd Street, became a cultural and economic powerhouse and the home of Hippodrome Theater, attracting performers like Nat King Cole and Cab Calloway. The district was also home to St. Luke Penny Savings Bank, founded in 1903 by the first Black American woman to charter a bank in the U.S., Maggie Lena Walker, and the Southern Aid and Insurance Company, the country’s first Black life insurance company.

Durham, North Carolina, presented a unique case. Unlike older Southern cities, Durham’s rapid growth as a tobacco town created unexpected opportunities. “My hunch is that the growth was so rapid that anybody could come here to get a job,” Perry Pike of the Historic Preservation Society of Durham told the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. “They couldn’t afford to discriminate in the way that other southern cities did.” Durham was also believed to be more progressive than other communities.

“White allyship helped facilitate Black business success in Durham, both in terms of relative racial progressivism and capital investment,” said Johnson.

Education and economic growth

This relative openness enabled the rise of North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company—the nation’s largest Black-owned insurer at the time—and Mechanics and Farmers Bank. Andre Vann, a North Carolina Central University historian, also noted Durham fostered unusually progressive Black-white business relationships, with white capitalists often working through Black-owned banks to invest in Black communities.

Washington D.C.’s evolution tells yet another story. The city’s Shaw neighborhood, particularly along U Street, emerged as a crucial hub after Black businessmen were forced out of downtown. By 1910, Shaw hosted over 200 Black-owned businesses, with the True Reformers’ five-story building on 12th and U streets symbolizing the community’s ambitions. The neighborhood’s growth was closely tied to Howard University, reinforcing the power of education in economic mobility. The area’s growth paralleled the expansion of Howard University, creating a symbiotic relationship between education and enterprise that became a model for other cities.

Barr notes modern Black business hubs can learn from these historical examples. “It’s not just about creating new wealth; it’s about supporting jobs, which is about supporting families,” he said. “It’s about increasing tax revenue, which is about being able to have more money available for public services and quality schools and infrastructure maintenance.”

Stacker

Collective economics: Building Black business districts today

Today’s landscape shows both progress and persistent challenges. Census data reveals that while Black Americans represented about 12% of the population, they owned just 2.4% of American small businesses in 2020. However, data suggests that Black-owned businesses thrive in Southern states. Hinesville, Georgia, leads with 18.2% of companies being Black-owned despite its population only being slightly above 35,000. On the other hand, Atlanta, a larger city with more than 500,000 residents, maintains a strong presence, with 13,766 Black-owned businesses representing 11.3% of all enterprises.

Cities like Memphis, Tennessee, also have a notable presence of Black businesses. The city, which hosts more than 600,000 residents, has a Black population comprising 48.8% of residents, and Black-owned companies comprise 9.3% of all enterprises.

The resurgence of modern Black business districts in these cities is driven by strong entrepreneurial ecosystems supporting emerging and established businesses. From local policies to entrepreneur networks, dedicated efforts are shaping sustainable ecosystems that empower Black entrepreneurs and fuel long-term success.

Building sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems

Today, this philosophy is embodied in the work of Atlanta’s Dr. Lakeysha Hallmon, founder of The Village Market and author of “No One Is Self-Made: Build Your Village to Flourish in Business and Life.” Hallmon launched The Village Market as a deliberate economic engine for Black-owned businesses. Since 2016, the model has served more than 1,440 businesses in 38 states and four countries, including the Bahamas. It has resulted in $8.8 million in direct sales to Black-owned enterprises and $800,000 in grants.

“The key for all of us is intentionality—whether through funding, mentorship, visibility, or policy changes, we must build ecosystems that not only provide opportunities but also advocate for long-term structural change in how Black businesses are supported and sustained. By working together, we can shift the narrative from survival to sustained success,” Hallmon told Stacker in an email.

Mandy Bowman, founder and CEO of Official Black Wall Street, represents another example of the power of buying and supporting Black entrepreneurs. Bowman created Official Black Wall Street to connect Black businesses with consumers nationwide. Inspired by the history of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Bowman launched her platform to ensure Black businesses received sustained visibility and consumer support.

The power of social and economic networks

Ryan Wilson is the founder and CEO of The Gathering Spot, a private membership network designed to foster collaboration among Black professionals, entrepreneurs, and creatives. He underscores the importance of community spaces providing social and financial capital to help businesses thrive. “We have to have places where you’re able to connect with the entire ecosystem. So, yes, business owners, but also the accountants, the lawyers, the people that can support your products,” Wilson told Stacker.

Wilson emphasizes that business is ultimately built on relationships, and access to the right networks is often as crucial as access to funding. “At the end of the day, social capital is going to be required in order to facilitate financial capital and then ultimately close the wealth gap. People have to know one another before they do business with one another,” Wilson said.

“Buying Black” has long been a powerful concept and driver of social capital in the fight for economic independence and wealth-building within Black communities. Johnson describes this tradition as “supporting Black-owned enterprises, entrepreneurs, and professionals; investing in our own community; and ownership—equity.” Historically, Black business districts like Greenwood in Tulsa, Sweet Auburn in Atlanta, and Jackson Ward in Richmond were thriving because of “collective economics,” or “economic cooperation” to support Black-owned businesses, ensuring that wealth circulated within Black communities.

And just as in centuries past with Black business districts, educational institutions like historically Black colleges and universities continue to be an economic mobilizer for Black entrepreneurship.

In Atlanta, the Center for Black Entrepreneurship aims to help bridge the wealth gap for Black communities through its programming and funding opportunities that serve Atlanta University Center students—which include Spelman College, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Clark Atlanta University—and Black business owners. The center, bolstered by $10 million in funding from Bank of America, also provides a research program to find solutions for the unique challenges Black entrepreneurs face.

Challenges in accessing capital

Access to capital remains a significant barrier for Black entrepreneurs. According to the Federal Reserve’s 2022 Small Business Credit Survey, Black-owned firms are twice as likely to be denied business loans as white-owned firms. The Census Bureau’s 2022 Annual Business Survey also found that Black-owned firms were less likely to receive the full financing they sought than white-owned firms. Specifically, fewer than 2 in 5 (38.4%) Black-owned firms received all the funding they applied for, while 3 in 5 (62.3%) white-owned firms experienced the same outcome.

The venture capital landscape reflects similar disparities. In 2023, Black-founded startups in the U.S. received approximately $661 million in venture capital funding, representing just 0.48% of the total $136 billion allocated that year and 1.4% of total U.S. venture funding, TechCrunch reported. This marks a substantial decline from 2021, when Black founders secured nearly $5 billion, according to Crunchbase. The downturn of financing is more pronounced in certain regions. For instance, in Atlanta, Crunchbase reported investments in Black-owned startups dropped from $467 million in 2021 to just $23 million in 2023. However, some VC firms, such as the Atlanta-based Collab Capital, provide access to capital and strategic guidance to Black entrepreneurs and founders.

Broader economic disparities compound the financial challenges faced by Black entrepreneurs. A 2023 Pew Research Center survey found that 3 in 5 (64%) Black adults rate their personal financial situation as only fair or poor, and more than half experience at least one economic worry daily or almost daily. Despite these obstacles, entrepreneurship remains a key aspiration within Black communities; the same survey revealed that 22% of Black adults consider owning a business essential to their personal definition of financial success.

The Black Wall Street mindset and the future

These disparities underscore Black entrepreneurs’ systemic and historical barriers to securing necessary funding for their businesses and achieving financial success.

While the challenges remain significant, today’s Black entrepreneurs are building on their predecessors’ legacy of resilience and innovation, working to close the racial wealth gap one business at a time.

“Black Wall Street clubs have sprung up all across the country,” Johnson said. “They reflect what I call ‘the Black Wall Street mindset,’ the mental framework built on the historical example of the Black trailblazers from Tulsa’s historic Greenwood District who displayed extraordinary vision, determination, and resilience in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Leveraging this powerful past, the Black Wall Street mindset says, essentially: ‘They did. I can. I will.'”

Story editing by Carren Jao. Copy editing by Paris Close.

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By Oren Reshef, Washington University in St. Louis; Abhay Aneja, University of California, Berkeley, and Michael Luca, Johns Hopkins University

Labeling businesses as Black-owned can significantly boost their sales, we found in a recent study.

In June 2020, the business-review website Yelp introduced a feature allowing consumers to search for Black-owned restaurants. As professors who study digitization, inequality and the economics of technology, we were interested in understanding its effect. So we analyzed more than two years of data from Yelp.

We found that restaurants labeled as Black-owned saw a 65% increase in online traffic, more searches and calls, and higher sales through food orders and in-person visits. These results suggest that for many Black-owned businesses, a simple change in their visibility can create new opportunities for growth.

However, the impact varied by location. The gains were strongest in politically liberal areas and places with lower levels of implicit racial bias, as measured by regional variation in implicit-association test scores. This suggests that platforms are in part channeling, as opposed to creating, customer demand. Interestingly, white customers drove most of the increase, suggesting the label helped raise awareness of businesses they might not have considered before.

This wasn’t just a 2020 trend – in follow-up analyses, we found similar results among businesses that opted into the feature later. We also collaborated with the online furniture company Wayfair, which launched a “Black Maker” label on its site in 2023, and found that it led to a 57% increase in web traffic. Finally, Yelp rolled out a Latino-owned label on the platform late that year, which led to a similar increase in consumer engagement.

Why it matters

This research has implications for business owners, digital platforms and policymakers. Growing awareness of racial inequality – partially driven by the Black Lives Matter movement, especially after the murder of George Floyd in 2020 — has led to increased corporate and customer interest in supporting minority-owned businesses. It also led many companies to make commitments to promote racial equity.

However, more recently, many companies have dismantled these efforts. For instance, Target recently announced that it was eliminating its program to spotlight Black-owned businesses. Our findings suggest that increasing the visibility of minority ownership – a relatively low-cost change – can substantially improve economic outcomes for Black-owned businesses.

Our results also show that diversity initiatives aren’t just about warm and fuzzy feelings. Businesses should measure and evaluate their impact to ensure their programs are effective. A well-designed program can benefit the bottom line, while a poorly designed one risks being ineffective or even counterproductive.

So it’s important to acknowledge the potential risks. Past research, including some of our own, indicates that revealing racial identity sometimes can lead to discrimination or backlash. While our findings suggest that labeling can have positive effects, a poorly implemented policy can backfire. Yelp’s initiative design empowered users looking to support Black-owned businesses while allowing other users to continue searching in alternative ways.

That means policy design is crucial. What matters isn’t just what information is revealed, but also how it’s communicated. Our analysis shows that customer demand and preferences vary considerably across locations and demographics, meaning that context also matters.

What still isn’t known

While our research suggests that businesses experienced economic benefits from adopting the label, it’s crucial to understand which policy designs work best in the long run. For instance, Yelp’s program used an opt-in feature, which may have contributed to its success.

However, open questions remain. How are platforms affected by labeling businesses? What other types of labels might be impactful, and for which types of businesses? Could some interventions backfire?

Another key question is, which customers respond to racial identity disclosures? Recent advances in data analytics can help companies refine their strategies, making it easier to target the right consumer groups for more effective initiatives.

Ultimately, our study is a step toward understanding how transparency and visibility can shape economic outcomes. It highlights a diversity initiative that has benefited both customers and businesses, and provides a road map for companies that want to design initiatives that matter. And, more broadly, it speaks to a question facing all companies: How can companies better understand and shape their societal footprint?

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Oren Reshef, Washington University in St. Louis; Abhay Aneja, University of California, Berkeley, and Michael Luca, Johns Hopkins University

Read more:

• A boycott campaign fuels tension between Black shoppers and Black-owned brands – evoking the long struggle for ‘consumer citizenship’
• The backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion in business is in full force − but myths obscure the real value of DEI
• Campus diversity is becoming difficult to measure as students keep their race and ethnicity hidden on college applications

In the past, Oren Reshef has worked as an Economics Research Intern at Yelp. The company did not intervene in the analysis or the publication process of this article.

Michael Luca has done consulting for tech companies including Yelp.

Abhay Aneja does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Feature Image: Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

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