"We've got to strengthen Black institutions. I call upon you to take your money out of the banks downtown and deposit your money in the Tri-State Bank. We want a 'bank-in' movement in Memphis... We [must] begin the process of building a greater economic base."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., April 3, 1968
As 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. Fayetteville has been selected as one of five pilot communities for Forward Cities’ Black Wall Street initiative.
Lee Gray
Fayetteville Ecosystem Builder in Residence
Lee Gray is a community-oriented leader and ecosystem builder. Her
career experiences have spanned across the retail and fashion industry. Since graduating from North Carolina A&T State University, Lee has led teams in retail management, apparel design, and visual merchandising for national clothing brands including Nordstrom, Belk, and bevello.
Lee’s interest in entrepreneurship and community development stems from her desire to transfer her wealth of skills in management and retail to entrepreneurs in real time. Lee currently serves as Associate Director of Outreach & Communications for Knox St. Studios, a studio serving entrepreneurs and change makers across North Carolina. Most recently, Lee is the Outreach coordinator for E3 Durham, an SBA backed initiative that connects small businesses in Durham to the tools and resources, to mentors, and to each other. Lee holds a Masters in Operations Management and a career certificate in Fashion Design and Merchandising.
The Fayetteville Pilots
Black Business Connect 2023
Black Business Connect is an innovative expo to bring the black business community together through informative workshops, panels, speakers, networking, food and music. Come out and help build on the legacy of the Black Wall Street ecosystem here in Fayetteville, as we celebrate our history, collaborate on how we can support our successes in the future and have a good time!
Black Artist Forum 2023
Come out to the Black Artist Forum where you can gain exclusive access to local art and business experts and collaborate with each other. This three hour panel and networking event will include an interactive discussion with experts, mentors, and organizations in a safe space for attendees to voice their needs during a Q+A session. Each attendee will also be provided curated resources specific to the tools needed to be successful in the arts.
Discover BWSF-Fayetteville
Connect with us
For updates and information, connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @BlackWallStFwd.
To stay updated on The Black Wall Street Forward initiative and the various opportunities to get involved with the initiative, subscribe to the newsletter!
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
Kirk Bell
Realtor, EXIT Realty
Kirk Bell
Realtor, EXIT Realty
Kirk serves on the Fayetteville NC Forward Cities’ council. An Army Officer who transitioned to the civilian sector as a NC Real Estate Broker, Kirk brings a wealth of leadership and management experience to the team. He earned a M.B.A. from Liberty University among other leadership and managerial credentials which he hopes to leverage in bringing creative ideas to the team. A life-long learner, he is always seeking self-development. Working as a REALTOR® in Fayetteville allows him to serve the community of veterans and service members which he loves. He enjoys running, playing soccer, and spending quality time with his family. Kirk’s hope is to influence positive change in the narrative surrounding black owned businesses in the Fayetteville ecosystem along with identifying avenues which black entrepreneurs can explore to ensure the success of their business venture.
Allonease Readdy
Owner, Dark Red Photography
Allonease Readdy
Owner, Dark Red Photography
I’m AJ.
Originally from Raeford NC!
I started DARKRED Photography in 2009!
Im super excited to be a part of BSWF!
Culturally-rooted geographic business hub
Tamara Bryant
Director, Hub at UNCFSU
Ally investment and partnership
Kia Anthony
Mayor, City of Spring Lake
Kia Anthony
Mayor, City of Spring Lake
Born in Flint, Michigan to parents Fred and Carolyn Anthony, Kia is in the middle of six siblings. Upon graduation from Flint Northwestern High School in 1999, she enlisted in the United States Army where she would deploy to Afghanistan and Iraq. She would go on to receive an honorable discharge after seven years of dedicated service.
Kia is also a mother to a daughter, Nina Michelle.
A serial entrepreneur and philanthropist, Kia is a master at networking and possesses the creativity, the resolve, and the passion needed to turn ideas and innovations into successful business strategies and ventures.
Kia founded Just Cactus, a 100% chemical-free hair and skincare line, and is also the founder and President of Circa 1865, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that focuses on the celebration of African American culture and unity. Circa 1865 had the honor of hosting the inaugural ‘Juneteenth Freedom Festival’ that was held in Fayetteville, North Carolina. This groundbreaking event led to multiple proclamations from cities and towns throughout the state, as well as Cumberland County.
Kia has the honor of also being the newly elected Mayor for the Town of Spring Lake, NC and has since gone on to found the ‘Greater Sandhills Chamber, Inc., with their office located in Spring Lake and servicing several surrounding towns and areas.
A devoted community activist, much of her free time is dedicated to the community she calls home, and its surrounding areas, through multiple outreach programs and initiatives such as community food distributions and community feeds, rallying for voter registration and voter turnout, assisting with the implementation of local COVID-19 drive-through test sites, and being proactive and instrumental in spreading awareness of the importance of the United States Census through local census drives.
A strong believer in family, Kia’s first love is spending time with her daughter. She also enjoys reading and spending time in the outdoors with the beauty of all things nature.
Shakeyla Ingram
Council Woman, City of Fayetteville
Talent pipeline seeded by education
Dorrance Kennedy
Professor of Social Work, FSU
April Mata
Creative Director, Arts Council
April Mata
Creative Director, Arts Council
Serial entrepreneur and artist, April Mata has been in business with AMD since 2010. Through working for many budding entrepreneurs, April expanded her repertoire from just a designer to a successful marketing and business advisor. She found herself speaking and leading entrepreneurship workshops around her community. She is driven by a love for her community and creates change by linking resources whenever possible. Her goal is to see her clients and community move forward as successful businesswomen and men in all capacities and genres. Her latest project the Village of Cumberland County is focused on preparing our youth for success through mentorship, mental health, and financial support.
Engagement with the broader Black community
Kurin Keys
Owner, 1-800 Tees
Quow Lumumba
Founder/Community Steward, Barber Kings
Self-perpetuating funding engine
Crystal McLean
Director of Lending, CEED
Crystal McLean
Director of Lending, CEED
Crystal is known in the community as "the financial literacy advocate"! Her superpower is helping her community to be financially literate and teaching how to create and sustain wealth. Crystal D. McLean is a native of Fayetteville, North Carolina. She is an alumnus of Fayetteville State University, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Banking and Finance. Crystal has worked in the financial industry for over 10 years. She currently works at CEED as the Director of Lending, which allows her to assist business owners in the community with access to capital and support. She is a proud supporter of her community and is involved in numerous volunteer and charitable organizations. Crystal is also an Entrepreneur and 2x’s Best-Selling Author which allows her to use her personal experience to help others on their journey of entrepreneurship. Crystal is on a continued mission to ensure her community is financially literate and that business owners not only have access to capital but that they are in a position to remain sustainable.
Robert Van Geons
Workforce and Economic Dir, City of Fayetteville
Robert Van Geons
Workforce and Economic Dir, City of Fayetteville
Since 2017, Robert has been President and CEO of the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation, announcing more than $450 million in new investment and 4,000 jobs, with international and domestic companies. His team is committed to building a dynamic and business-friendly community, leveraging next-generation technologies and a uniquely skilled workforce. Robert believes that successful communities prosper when the public and private sectors work together.
Robert is proud to represent Fayetteville, NC, the home of Ft Bragg. This historic military installation, the largest in the world (by population), transitions 7,000 skilled, experienced, and dependable personnel into the civilian workforce each year. These young men and women, and their families, provide Fayetteville NC one of the youngest workforces in the Southern United States, providing a cost-competitive and internationally diverse workforce (more than 80 languages are spoken in our community). These powerful demographics, along with those of the Fayetteville MSA, has allowed for continued success in meeting employer talent needs, despite tightening in the national labor market. Recent announcements include projects with NVR, Amazon, Danson’s, Booze Allen Hamilton, eClerx, Advanced Computer Learning Company, CACI, E-N-G Mobile Systems, and Campbell Soup.
Robert has nearly 20 years of economic development, consulting, and development experience, helping companies execute their location strategies and communities achieve their economic development goals. His work across industry sectors (including information technology, automotive, logistics, systems automation, specialty chemical, advanced composites, and energy production), has led to the announcement of more than $2 billion of investment and 7,500 jobs.
Robert, along with his wife Tara, two daughters, 14 guitars, and four rescue cats, reside in Fayetteville, NC.
Partners
We're grateful for being able to partner with the following organizations to catalyze Black-centric Entrepreneurial Ecosystems:
