Business
BE NYC: Advancing Black Entrepreneurship in the Heart of the Nation’s Business Capital
(MANHATTAN, NY – August 2, 2025) – In a city as vibrant and diverse as New York, the potential for Black entrepreneurship is as expansive as the skyline. Yet, a stark disparity tells a deeper story: while Black residents make up 22% of New York City’s population, only 3.5% of its businesses are Black-owned. This glaring gap is not due to a lack of ambition, innovation, or talent—but a legacy of structural barriers that have long denied Black entrepreneurs equitable access to capital, mentorship, and opportunity.
To confront this head-on, the New York City Department of Small Business Services launched Black Entrepreneurs NYC (BE NYC) in September 2019—an unprecedented initiative to close the racial wealth gap and drive generational economic mobility for Black New Yorkers.
A Vision Rooted in Equity
BE NYC isn’t just a program—it’s a movement. Born from deep collaboration with community leaders, business owners, and policy advocates, the initiative marks the first time a major American city has committed to building an ecosystem explicitly tailored to support Black entrepreneurship.
The mission is bold yet necessary: to create equity of opportunity by tackling Black entrepreneurs’ systemic challenges and empowering them to build thriving businesses across the five boroughs.
From Harlem to Brooklyn, Queens to the Bronx, Black entrepreneurs are laying the foundation for tomorrow’s economic renaissance. BE NYC stands firmly behind them—not with platitudes, but with targeted resources, culturally competent programming, and strategic partnerships.
Programs with Purpose
BE NYC has developed a wide array of services, each aimed at moving the needle toward business equity. Among them:
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BE NYC Startup Intensive: A free, comprehensive program that equips early-stage Black entrepreneurs with the tools and mentorship to launch strong, sustainable businesses.
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BE NYC x VOLS Legal Services Partnership: This initiative, in collaboration with the Volunteers of Legal Service, provides crucial legal assistance, covering everything from incorporation and contract drafting to intellectual property.
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Black Business Solidarity Initiative: A storytelling campaign that celebrates the voices of Black entrepreneurs and emphasizes the power of unity, resilience, and shared experience.
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Publications like the “Advancing Black Entrepreneurship in NYC” report offer data-driven insight into the state of Black business in the city and actionable policy recommendations.
And most importantly, BE NYC connects residents to Black-owned businesses and creates digital infrastructure to help consumers discover and support them.
Building Community Through Education and Events
Beyond services, BE NYC curates a growing slate of events and workshops. One recent highlight:
“Lessons from 30 Years of Black Entrepreneurship”, an online masterclass scheduled for August 26, 2025. Featuring Bentley Ritter, founder of BeneFit Personal Training, this one-hour webinar dives into the triumphs and trials of surviving—and thriving—as a Black business owner for nearly three decades.
In a format that mixes heartfelt storytelling with actionable advice, Bentley pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to build a legacy in a competitive and often inequitable marketplace.
It’s this kind of intimate, real-world learning that sets BE NYC apart. The initiative doesn’t just teach business principles—it builds confidence, nurtures networks, and affirms that Black entrepreneurship is essential to the city’s present and future.
The Road Ahead
As more cities look to replicate BE NYC’s model, it serves as both a blueprint and a beacon. It reminds us that real progress requires intention, investment, and intersectional leadership. It’s not enough to celebrate Black-owned businesses during special months or after national reckonings. Sustained support and systems change must be the norm.
For Black New Yorkers who’ve long dreamed of launching their own businesses, BE NYC is a declaration: Your vision matters. Your enterprise is valuable. And your success is non-negotiable.
To learn more or sign up for upcoming events, visit:
👉 https://nyc-business.nyc.gov/nycbusiness/business-services/initiatives/black-entrepreneurs-nyc-be-nyc
Follow BE NYC on LinkedIn: Black Entrepreneurs NYC
Also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NYCBusiness/
#BlackBusinessMatters #BENYC #BlackEntrepreneurs #EconomicJustice #NYCInnovation #BlackWallStreetToday #BlackUSANews
Business
Deadline Aug. 5: Center for Black Entrepreneurship Opens Paid Internship Program for AUC Students
(ATLANTA — August 3, 2026) — The Center for Black Entrepreneurship is accepting applications for its 2026–2027 Paid Internship Program, offering students across the Atlanta University Center an opportunity to gain hands-on professional experience while supporting programs designed to empower entrepreneurs.
The internship program is open to eligible students attending Spelman College, Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University and Morris Brown College.
Available internship opportunities include:
- Marketing and social media
- Photography and videography
- Administrative operations
Selected interns will work alongside Center for Black Entrepreneurship staff and industry partners while gaining real-world experience in entrepreneurship, marketing, event management, operations and program administration. Interns will also have opportunities to strengthen their professional skills, expand their networks and contribute to events and initiatives serving the AUC community.
Who Is Eligible?
Applicants must:
- Be a sophomore, junior or senior
- Be currently enrolled at Spelman College, Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University or Morris Brown College
- Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75
- Attend mandatory team meetings on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. and Thursdays beginning at 5 p.m.
- Be available for occasional evening and weekend events
- Commit approximately 10 to 15 hours per week throughout the academic year
Required Application Materials
Students should be prepared to submit:
- A résumé
- A professional biography of at least 200 words
- An official or unofficial transcript
- One letter of recommendation
- A portfolio or work samples for photography and videography or marketing and social media positions
The deadline to apply is Wednesday, August 5, 2026, at 5 p.m.
With the deadline quickly approaching, interested and eligible students are encouraged to gather their materials and submit their applications as soon as possible.
The Center for Black Entrepreneurship is a collaborative initiative serving the Atlanta University Center and working to strengthen the pipeline of Black entrepreneurs through education, mentorship, professional development and access to entrepreneurial resources.
APPLY
(RICHMOND – February 23, 2026) – Black-owned newspapers are disappearing before our eyes.
Historic institutions that once carried our stories, defended our dignity, and documented our victories are folding across the country. Newsrooms that anchored neighborhoods for generations are going quiet. Seniors who relied on the printed word are now being forced into a digital world that did not wait for them.
This is not just a Black problem. It is not even just an American problem. It is global.
Technology disrupted everything.
We once used pagers. Then cell phones replaced them. House phones became optional. Now news lives in the palm of your hand. A single influencer with a smartphone can reach more people in seconds than a newsroom once could in a week.
The game changed.
Years ago, The Baltimore Sun recruited me to blog for them. Soon after, their reporters were required to shoot video on their phones. The thing is — I had already been doing that. Innovation wasn’t new to us. We were early.
But disruption leaves casualties.
When a Black newspaper closes, something more than a business disappears. Institutional memory vanishes. Accountability weakens. Community narrative shifts into someone else’s hands.
That void is dangerous.
That is why we built BlackUSA.News.
Not as nostalgia.
Not as resistance to change.
But as adaptation with intention.
I have worked in the Black Press since 1994. I have seen what happens when we control our story — and what happens when we don’t.
BlackUSA.News is our answer to this moment.
We are not watching the Black Press die.
We are rebuilding it — digitally, nationally, unapologetically.
And we welcome all who are ready to build with us.
Deadline Aug. 5: Center for Black Entrepreneurship Opens Paid Internship Program for AUC Students
N.C. A&T to Host 100th Greatest Homecoming on Earth Virtual News Conference on Friday
BlackUSA.News Unveils New National Platform Connecting Readers to America’s Leading Black Media
Gospel Legend Calvin Bridges Celebrates 50 Years of ‘I Can Go to God in Prayer,’ a Song That Helped Shape Black Gospel Music
Crawford Family Donates $2 Million to Spelman and Morehouse to Expand Opportunity for HBCU Students
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