LPB was happy to join with the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce for a virtual discussion about THE IMPORTANCE OF BLACK ENTREPRENEURSHIP: OBSTACLES & SOLUTIONS. We talked about why Black entrepreneurship is important, discussed common barriers, and explored solutions. Taking part in the discussion are:
Aaron Franklin – Chairman and Founder of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce
Dr. Adraine Conrad – Vice Chair of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce
Ada Womack-Bell – Director, Louisiana Small Business Development Center at Southern University
Kara St. Cyr – Host for LPB
Here is a list of some of the resources discussed:
Baton Rouge Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce – www.brmbcc.org
Louisiana Small Business Development Center at Southern University - www.louisianasbdc.org
Small Business Administration (SBA) – www.sba.gov
Louisiana Economic Development (LED) – www.opportunitylouisiana.gov
Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs)-www.americassbdc.org
SCORE – www.score.org
Association for Women Business Centers- https://www.awbc.org
Veterans Business Outreach Centers – www.va.gov/osdbu
Minority Business Development Agency Business Centers (MBDA) -
Procurement Technical Center PTAC – www.aptac-us.org
Newcorp Business Assistance Center – www.newcorpinc.com/
Women’s Business Enterprise Council South (WBEC) – www.wbecsouth.org
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses – www.10ksbapply.com
Southern Region Minority Supplier Development Council – www.srmsdc.org/
United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce - https://www.ushcc.com/
National Urban League - https://nul.org/
Women’s Business Enterprise Council South (WBEC) – www.wbecsouth.org
United States Black Chamber of Commerce - https://usblackchambers.org/
Crossing Over: Black Greek Life
Louisiana has a proud history of HBCUs that serve communities across our state. Led by the far-reaching Southern University System with multiple campuses statewide, students can also turn to Dillard University, Grambling State University, and Xavier University of Louisiana in their search for a predominantly Black college experience. Within each of these institutions you’ll find African - American fraternities and sororities.
It is through this lens that LPB explores a number of subjects with the four-part series, Crossing Over: Black Greek Life as part of weekly news program Louisiana: The State We’re In. Hosted by Kara St. Cyr.
MAKING BLACK AMERICA: THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE
MAKING BLACK AMERICA: THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE, a four-part series from executive producer, host and writer Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., comes to LPB in October. In this latest series from the acclaimed Harvard scholar and documentarian, Gates and director Stacey L. Holman chronicle the vast social networks and organizations created by and for Black people beyond the reach of the “White gaze.” The series recounts the establishment of the Prince Hall Masons in 1775 through the formation of all-Black towns and business districts, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, destinations for leisure, and the social media phenomenon of Black Twitter. Gates sits with noted scholars, politicians, cultural leaders, and old friends to discuss this world behind the color line and what it looks like today. MAKING BLACK AMERICA takes viewers into an extraordinary world that showcased Black people’s ability to collectively prosper, defy white supremacy and define Blackness in ways that transformed America itself.
Funding Credits
Major corporate support for MAKING BLACK AMERICA: THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE is provided by Bank of America. Corporate support is also provided by Johnson & Johnson. Major support is also provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; Ford Foundation; Open Society Foundations; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Gilder Foundation; The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Additional funding by The Inkwell Society and its members Howard and Abby Milstein; Jim and Susan Swartz; Georgette Bennett and Dr. Leonard Polonsky; Joanne L. Cassullo; Deval Patrick; Roger and Jurate Altman; David M. Cote; Betsy and Jesse Fink; John H. N. Fisher and Jennifer Caldwell; Nancy A. Garvey; Peter Schwabach and Misan Sagay Schwabach; Josh Steiner; Richard and Kathy Taylor; Charlotte Wagner; Richard Cohen; David and Nina Fialkow; Steven L. Rattner; Robert F. Smith; Mitch Kapor and Freada Kapor Klein; Connie Lurie; Nicole Commissiong and Darnell Armstrong; Demond and Kia Martin; Gwen and Peter Norton; May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation; Fletcher and Benaree Wiley; Beth Rudin DeWoody; Grant S. Johnson; and Vincent and Elaine Luke. Funding also provided by public television viewers.