BWSF Durham

“Durham is one of largest cities in North Carolina…the city of cities to look for prosperity of the Negroes and the greatest amount of friendly feeling between the two races of the South…Durham was a city of Negro enterprise (Independent, 1911).” - Booker T. Washington

 

Map of North Carolina with location pins on Durham, Raleigh, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, and FayettevilleAs Forward Cities embarks on an unprecedented project to understand and shift narratives around Black business ownership, Durham’s historic Black Wall Street serves as a model. Durham was selected as one of five pilot communities for Forward Cities’ Black Wall Street initiative.

 

Justin Minott

Durham Ecosystem Builder in Residence

Justin Minott is an international author, community builder, speaker, entrepreneur, and business coach who is passionate about helping world-changers launch and scale their ventures.

 

 

The Durham Pilot

Black Wall Street Mindset

"Black Wall Street Mindset: Black Wealth in the Modern Era” provides an interactive experience with incredible speakers and entrepreneurs in an environment conducive to connection and collaboration.

We bring together:

  • Black entrepreneurs looking to launch and scale their venture
  • People committed to advancing economic liberation in the Black community
  • Entrepreneur supporters who invest in the Black entrepreneurial ecosystem

Lively and engaging panel discussions featuring powerful local entrepreneurs and intentional networking time are designed to help you advance your mission through meaningful collaborations.

Discover BWSF-Durham

Events

Black to the Future

February 29, 2024 5:00pm-8:00pm

Provident1898  

Join host Justin Minott and the Black Wall Street Forward team for an immersive experience where we will collectively help chart the path forward for Black entrepreneurship in Durham. This evening consists of networking, inspiration, entertainment, and ends with an entrepreneur pitch contest to put resources directly in the hands of local Black entrepreneurs.

The Strategic Vision

The Black Wall Street Forward Council was asked to project forward and imagine what that community would look like in the year 2050, with each pillar activated to its fullest potential. The following is the strategic vision emerged by the council along with historical context, aligned assets, and council-identified collaborative opportunities that can be leveraged as part of a larger effort to bring that vision to fruition.

Explore the Interactive Presentation

Explore the journey of the Black Wall Street Forward Council using our interactive Prezi.

Connect with us

 

For updates and information, connect with us on LinkedIn and Instagram at @BlackWallStFwd.

To stay updated on The Black Wall Street Forward initiative, subscribe to the newsletter!

 

Are you interested in learning more about a particular Black Wall Street Forward community or finding ways to be involved? Complete this form to share how you might like to engage with us.

Pillars & Council Members

In order to catalyze this narrative change in each community and honoring past and existing efforts of Black Wall Street legacy stewardship, we will pull forward the following pillars of success from Durham’s historical Black Wall Street.

Collaborative Black leadership and innovation

 

Kenyetta Hall

CEO, Katalyst HQ

Matthias Payton

Owner, Jasper & Gold

Culturally-rooted geographic business hub

 

Dauv Evans

Founder, The Gallus Collective

Ally investment and partnership

 

Keith Daniel

Managing Director, Resilient Ventures

Jon Fjeld

Co-Director, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Duke University

Talent pipeline seeded by education

 

Makayla Booker

Executive Director, Wall St. Juniors

Tamette Farrington

Counselor, North Carolina Central University

Engagement with the broader Black community

 

Latoya Alston

Owner, Kingdom Building Mentality

Chisa Pennix-Brown, MBA

Owner, Give it to the People

Self-perpetuating funding engine

 

Darlene Deberry

Business Solutions Officer, Carolina Small Business

JaLisha Richmond

Director of Lending, Thread Capital

Partners

We're grateful for being able to partner with the following organizations to catalyze Black-centric Entrepreneurial Ecosystems:

Truist Foundation Logo
Provident1898 logo