business
Mississippi Black Business Expo Bolsters City and State Economy
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August 4 - 31, 2021 • jfp.ms
courtesy mississippi black pages
so that money would stay within the community,” Franklin says. “We felt like that was a way for us to contribute to what was going on in the world at the time.” The inaugural Black Business Expo debuted in 2014 at Tougaloo College with more than 100 metro-area vendors in attendance. Five years later, the event had outgrown the original Tougaloo location and included vendors from across the state. This year will mark a return to the in-person event after the pandemic caused last year’s exhibition to be held virtually. The 6th annual expo will be held Aug. 21 at the Jackson Convention Center and will feaMississippi Black Pages supports and promotes more than 1,000 Black-owned ture more than 200 vendors sellbusinesses in the state, with many based in Jackson metro. More than 200 of these ing a myriad of products. businesses will attend this year’s Mississippi Black Business Expo to sell their wares. Items for sale include clothing, fitness supplies and other retail items, along with n 2014, the world watched as Eric Garner lost con- promotional efforts by those representing and promoting nonsciousness while in a chokehold by a New York City Po- profit organizations and businesses from across the state. In addition to shopping and networking, the expo will lice Officer. The video prompted a bevy of marches and calls for actions. The months that followed were filled host business workshops, including one the City of Jackson’s with introspection, challenges and the desire for change. Department of Economic Development will host titled “DoIn Jackson, friends George Patterson, Sabir Abdul-Haqq, ing Business with the City.” A “food garden” will be set up under the breezeway on Brad Franklin and Queen Franklin began discussing how they could make an impact. They wanted to do something different Lamar Street, while children can enjoy the family fun zone as well as music from DJ George Chuck. Organizers are expectthan the protests, uprisings and pushes for legislation. “We were talking about … what we can do as Black ing more than 2,000 people to flow through the halls over the people to better our situation, to contribute to the economy course of the event, each leaving with the sixth edition of the Mississippi Black Pages directory. and to flourish within our community,” Brad Franklin says. The City of Jackson serves as a title sponsor and partner “We said that our economic power—the Black spending power that exists in this nation—is so great that we need to be of the event. Franklin says that the significance of the city’s able to harness that spending power. Because of the money that partnership in a municipality where more than 85% of the resiwe spend as consumers, our dollars can dictate what happens dents are Black cannot be denied. “(It is) an effort to mobilize, take advantage of and particin our community.” In response, Patterson founded the Mississippi Black ularly spotlight Black Businesses in the city of Jackson because Pages. The directory lists more than 1,000 Black-owned busi- this is an 86% to 87% Black city. It’s imperative that we supnesses and services with the goal of strengthening the economic port Black businesses because if you support Black businesses, you are supporting the city as well,” Franklin says. power base in the Black community. “It is important for Jackson as far as economics is conThe group saw the potential that the directory presented and decided to take it a step further, creating the Mississippi cerned. It is important for Jackson as far as our infrastructure Black Business Expo. The steering committee believes that and our tax base is concerned, and it’s important for the City the expo provides a space that helps empower Black-owned of Jackson and its administration to show that they are in tune businesses, create networking between business owners and with and have on their agenda to help more Black businesses to thrive and grow in the city.” offer shopping opportunities for the public. The event is free to the public, while vendor prices vary. For “We wanted to be able to present a platform where Black businesses would be able to network, but where people would more information, find The Mississippi Black Business Expo on be able to come in and spend money with Black businesses Facebook or visit msblackpages.com.
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