New Black Business Center Finally Opens Its Doors in Wisconsin

A brand new Black Business Hub has officially opened in Madison, Wisconsin. The facility will encourage community members to support local Black entrepreneurs.

Hub famous grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 24, based on . Local leaders attended the ceremony, which coincided with the tenth annual Unity Picnic. But the middle is attempting to do greater than just provide an area for entrepreneurs to showcase their businesses.

According to the news agency, 20 of the 90 spots have already been filled. As the middle has grown, Urban League of Greater Madison CEO Ruben Anthony says the initiative has been a “missing piece in the region.”

“We needed this forever,” he said on the event. “There are 10,000 businesses in Dane County that employ more than one employee. Only four-tenths of one percent of those businesses are black-owned. We believe here at the Black Business Hub that we can change those numbers.”

The hub will offer financial and mentoring services to diverse business owners, hoping the space will scale their businesses. Black and other owners of color can participate in the brand new founding, expanding their reach through community support.

Anthony added, “We think this is going to be an economic development project that will give back to this community for generations. I’m excited about the possibilities. I’m excited that we’re at this point.”

Nationally, there have been greater than 3.5 million black-owned businesses in 2019, Reported by Advocacy Center. Additionally, with total sales of $217.3 billion, Black businesses have their very own impact on the U.S. economy.

This in detail how hub was accomplished, raising $25.5 million for the project. It took two years to construct and in addition includes event spaces, classrooms and a big kitchen where entrepreneurs can attempt to develop their skills.

The Hub also made sure to pay tribute to those that got here before it, unveiling a wall honoring the Greenwood neighborhood of Tuscany, Oklahoma. The famous neighborhood hosted its own “Black Wall Street” until a massacre by a white mob in 1921 destroyed much of the realm.

To right the wrongs of the past, emerging businesses, from the primary black-owned beauty school in Madison to a podcast studio, now call this place home and the place where their dreams are born.