This month marks National Black Business Month, a celebration of Black-owned businesses, and Washington, D.C., leaders are marking the occasion by visiting and showcasing area entrepreneurs.
Nina Albert toured small businesses on Tuesday, shaking hands and talking with business owners in the Congress Heights and Anacostia neighborhoods of southeast Washington, D.C. (WTOP/Nick Iannelli) Nina Albert toured small businesses on Tuesday, shaking hands and talking with business owners in the Congress Heights and Anacostia neighborhoods of southeast Washington, D.C. (WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
August is National Black Business Month, a month that celebrates black-owned businesses, and Washington, D.C. leaders are marking the occasion by visiting and showcasing entrepreneurs in the area.
“We’re honoring Black-owned businesses,” said Nina Albert, D.C.’s deputy mayor for planning and economic development. “For me, it’s an opportunity to hear people’s voices and find out what’s going on.”
Alberts toured small businesses on Tuesday, shaking hands and chatting with business owners in the Congress Heights and Anacostia neighborhoods of Southeast Washington.
“You have two options: You can buy from Amazon or you can look to see what our community has to offer,” Albert said. “We want to make sure that entrepreneurs in our community have the support system they need.”
One of Albert’s stops was Sycamore & Oak, a shopping center in Congress Heights that is home to more than a dozen black-owned businesses.
“This is brand new,” owner LeGreg Harrison said, “We’ve only been here a year.”
Harrison’s store, The Museum DC, sells clothing and art.
“We have up-and-coming entrepreneurs in our company, and this is their first time operating a brick-and-mortar store,” Harrison said. “We’re all here together, learning and growing.”
According to recent national statistics, there are approximately 3 million Black-owned businesses across the United States, employing 1.2 million people and generating $133 billion in total sales.
“We hear a lot about small businesses being the bedrock of our economy, but some people don’t know how to support them,” said Rosemary Suggs Evans, director of Washington, D.C.’s Office of Small Business and Community Enterprise Development.
Suggs Evans joined Albert on a small business tour on Tuesday.
“Just going out to do business, going out to dinner, going shopping is a way to not only support a business, but to support other businesses that contribute to that business,” Suggs Evans said.
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Muchas gracias. ?Como puedo iniciar sesion?
Muchas gracias. ?Como puedo iniciar sesion?