Minneapolis’ annual Black Business Week kicks off Thursday afternoon.
There’s a busy calendar for the next week, with networking and skill building events for business owners, plus public street markets and expos.
City officials say it’s part of their effort to boost a more diverse business community.
This marks the fifth year the city has hosted the week-long event, as part of the nationwide celebration of Black Business Month.
“Black Business Week is a great time to renew our commitment to supporting Black-owned businesses and cultural institutions not just with our words, but also with tangible resources and monetary support,” City Council President Elliott Payne said in a statement.
Cara Deanes is the executive director of Roho Collective, a network of artists of color in the Twin Cities. She’s attended the event in past years; this year, her organization is leading a full-day conference at the Minneapolis Institute of Art for artists to build business skills.
Deanes said it’s an important chance to connect with other entrepreneurs.
“There's a lot of resource sharing and networking, which is really valuable sometimes, especially owning businesses,” Deanes said. “We all have our head down and we're grinding and we're doing the work, and a lot of times it takes a lot to pop our head up out of our little silos.”
Deanes’ conference is sold out.
The week of events starts Thursday, with a showcase at George Floyd Square. That includes a vendor and resource fair, a panel discussion and an art crawl.
City council member Andrea Jenkins, who represents the neighborhood, called it an apt place to start the week.
“The 38th Street corridor is an important cultural connector in our city,” Jenkins said. “It’s an epicenter for racial justice and healing, and home to several Black-owned businesses — a community that deserves lasting investment.”
Relationships between business owners and the city have been tenuous in that spot. Some local business owners in the square have accused the city of neglecting businesses there since George Floyd’s death, amid disagreement over the future of the square between the city and activists who maintain memorials there.
Some of the week’s events are geared mostly towards business owners, like a resource fair for East African businesses on Monday and a mentoring event next Thursday.
Some are open to the public and families. Saturday’s Black Business Week Street Mall at the Capri Theatre offers shopping, food and music. Also on Saturday is the Webber Camden and Northside Epicenter Black Business Expo, featuring crafts and food for sale from local vendors.
Events run through Thursday, July 31.
