African American Entrepreneurs - KOLUMN Magazine

This 103-year-old woman still helps run the pie shop she opened nearly 70 years ago | TODAY

February 25, 2020February 25, 2020African American Entrepreneurs, Black Businesses

The family-run business is serving up happiness, one slice at a time. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] In the tiny town of Monroe, Virginia, something sweet has been stirring for nearly 70 years. Woodruff’s Café & Pie Shop first opened in 1952 and its founder, 103-year-old Mary Woodruff, still helps run the business. She opened the shop with […]

After 65 Years, the First African-American-owned Travel Agency Continues to Provide Travelers With Unique Experiences | Travel + Leisure

February 13, 2020February 13, 2020African American Entrepreneurs, African American Travel

The agency planned Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s trip to Oslo when he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] Before the current boom of black travel nomads and influencers, there were African-American pioneers who charted a course that would revolutionize the way black travelers traversed the world. More than 80 years ago, […]

Saginaw mother and daughter start public transport business | MLive

February 6, 2020February 6, 2020African American Commuities, African American Entrepreneurs

Magical realism meets real life in the acclaimed journalist’s debut novel about American slaves escaping to the north [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] A former national correspondent for the Atlantic magazine, Ta-Nehisi Coates is among the most revered and widely read intellectuals in the US. His bleak but scintillating book about race, We Were Eight Years in Power […]

A look at the oldest black-owned business in the U.S. founded in 1881 and still going strong | Face2Face Africa

February 3, 2020February 3, 2020African American Entrepreneurs

The company, which started as a stop on the Underground Railroad, has now become a respected moving company in the country. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] E.E. Ward Moving & Storage was founded in 1881 and is the oldest Black-owned business in the U.S. The company, which started as a stop on the Underground Railroad, has now become […]

Danielle Johnson Will Launch the First Black Woman-owned Digital Radio Station in Boston | Black Enterprise

January 27, 2020January 27, 2020African American Entrepreneurs

People of color in the media industry face many challenges when trying to get their foot in the door. There is a certain way that you must look, carry yourself, and speak. In fact, everything from appearance to professional nature can be found in many media professionals contracts when working for major publications and outlets. […]

Meet the 15-Year-Old Who Went From an Ice Cream Cart to an Ice Cream Parlor | Black Enterprise

January 24, 2020January 24, 2020#BuyBlack, African American Entrepreneurs

At only 8 years old, Victor “Beau” Tracy Shell surprised his parents by asking for an ice cream cart for his birthday in order to sell ice cream not only to buy his own toys but to help his family as well. Soon, his parents obliged and he received the cart on his birthday, giving […]

First African American-owned bourbon brand to debut in Louisville | WLKY

January 24, 2020January 28, 2020#BuyBlack, African American Entrepreneurs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Sarah Shadburne) — Victor Yarbrough wanted to do something that would bring positive opportunities for economic growth to west Louisville, according to our partners at Louisville Business First. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] So, he started his own bourbon brand with his brothers Chris and Bryson. It’s called Brough Brothers Bourbon, and it’s already distributed through […]

Exclusive: Atlanta-Based Entrepreneur Jewel Burks Solomon named Head of Google For Startups, U.S. | Hypepotamus

January 15, 2020January 15, 2020African American Entrepreneurs

Atlanta tech entrepreneur Jewel Burks Solomon has been named head of Google for Startups for the U.S., Hypepotamus has confirmed. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] Solomon is not only the first African-American woman to have this title — a highly significant matter in itself — but she is also the first person to ever hold the newly created […]

This Black-Owned Cafe is Redefining the Culture for People in Richmond, Virginia | Black Enterprise

January 4, 2020January 4, 2020#BuyBlack, African American Entrepreneurs

A little black girl walks into a coffee shop and stops when she sees a black woman by the counter. With excitement and curiosity in her eyes, the little girl asks, “Do you own this?” Kelli Lemon, the owner of the Urban Hang Suite RVA social cafe, bends down as she looks at the little […]

The Ivy Hotel: Maryland’s Black-Owned Oasis in the Middle of Charm City | Ebony

January 3, 2020January 3, 2020African American Entrepreneurs, African American Travel

The Black-owned boutique hotel has been open only five years, yet it already has a strong-hold on hospitality in the city. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] Despite countless contributions to American culture, Baltimore, Maryland, has been associated with nothing more strongly than HBO drama The Wire over the past two decades. The street life depicted on the Emmy-winning […]