Changing the Narrative with Black Businesses

This story is adapted from the Forward Cities monthly e-newsletter. Subscribe for the latest news and updates from cities across the country.

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June 2022

Forward Cities, Truist Foundation,
and Provident1898 Launch
Black Wall Street Forward

On May 19, 2022, Peter Cvelich (Provident 1898), Dontá Wilson (Truist Bank), and Fay Horwitt (Forward Cities) publicly announced a partnership to launch a pilot for the Black Wall Street Forward program.

With the launch of the Black Wall Street Forward initiative, and in partnership with Truist Foundation and Provident1898, Forward Cities is proud to honor and continue the legacy that Black entrepreneurs, founders, and small business owners have been building for decades.

Black Wall Street Forward is modeled on the pillars that made Durham's original Black Wall Street successful, and aims to continue the legacy of this vibrant work by supporting and catalyzing local leaders, Black business owners, and champions.

The transformative pilot will engage five communities throughout the state of North Carolina — Durham, Charlotte, Fayetteville, Raleigh, and Winston-Salem — in a cohort-based learning journey to explore the past and present of Black entrepreneurship in these communities and to take collaborative action to build a better collective future.

Learn More About BWSF

Join Us July 6 for Pull-Up at Provident

During COVID, we've learned to live with the virtual world, more or less, but as we were reminded last month during the Pull-Up at Provident gathering, there is nothing like connecting and learning in community.

On June 1, Provident1898 — a Black-centric coworking community in downtown Durham where Forward Cities is headquartered — hosted local entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial support organizations for six informative workshops during Pull-Up at Provident. Led by E3 Durham community partners, the sessions provided a wealth of knowledge to current and aspiring business owners.

We'll gather again on July 6, and every first Wednesday in the months after, to celebrate Durham's entrepreneurial ecosystem and gain valuable insights and resources from organizations that exist to support our founders, small business owners, and entrepreneurs.

Workshop session topics include:

Managing your business credit for funding, presented by Infinity Bridges
Developing an effective brand for your small business, presented by Durham Tech's Small Business Center
Local lender offerings, moderated by the SBA
Counting the cost: PESTLE - External Forces that Affect Your Business, presented by the NCCU School of Business
The effects of learned helplessness and privilege in leadership, presented by Helius Foundation
Developing a leadership mindset for you and your employees, presented by the Carolina Small Business Development Fund

RSVP to Join Us on July 6

If you cannot make it to Pull Up at Provident, there we will have monthly opportunities for virtual workshops that will mirror the workshops held in person. Times, registration links, and more information regarding our virtual E3 Durham sessions can be found at www.E3Durham.org.

Infinity Bridges

E3 Durham partner Infinity Bridges, Inc. will be offering 30-minute, one-on-one financial, entrepreneurship Business Counseling Support Sessions for E3 Durham participants from 1:00 - 5:00 pm at Provident1898 before Pull Up at Provident. This service is provided at no cost to participant thanks to the Small Business Administration’s Community Navigator Pilot Program.

Celebrating ESHIP Communities

On June 22, we hosted a final convening celebrating three years of innovation and entrepreneurial support through our ESHIP Communities program. It was a powerful closing moment in which we shared lessons learned and honored the bright futures of the four communities that have contributed invaluable wisdom about the practice of entrepreneurial ecosystem building.We shared innovative tools, developed connections, and brainstormed solutions to your collective next steps.

We, sadly, bid farewell to our pioneering local directors and organizers who have been the heart and soul of this engagement. We can't wait to see the impact they have in and with their communities in the years to come.

And of course we'd be remiss if we did not reiterate our gratitude to the amazing work of Local Director Gabe Munoz and ESHIP Kansas City, which was the first to wrap (earlier this year) and continues its great work with The Toolbox – the go-to resource for everything small business in Wyandotte County, Kansas.

Learn more about ESHIP Communities

We're Hiring!

Forward Cities is growing and we hope you (or someone you know) is a good fit for one of our newly created roles. We are currently looking for a Director of Development, a Senior Director of E3 Solutions, and a Manager of E3 Solutions. Click below to learn more about Forward Cities and what it's like to work with us.

Work With Us

Moving The Ball Forward in Indy

This month brought together community leaders and entrepreneurs to design a pilot in Indy that will transform the landscape for the entire metropolitan area and serve as an equitable model nationwide.

As the details are ironed out and the scope of work is determined, we hope you stay engaged with the E3 Indy initiative by way of our blog, this newsletter, social media, and the E3 Indy webpage.