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February's Subject of the Month
Black Business and Enterprise
Selector: Allia McCoy & Shannon Mcdermitt
“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” — Oprah Winfrey
In celebration of the 2025 Black History Month theme of African Americans and Labor we are highlighting Black Business and Enterprise. "In each of these instances, the work Black people do and have done have been instrumental in shaping the lives, cultures, and histories of Black people and the societies in which they live. Understanding Black labor and its impact in all these multivariate settings is integral to understanding Black people and their histories, lives, and cultures." — ASALH
eBooks
MeL
Videos
- Boss: The Black Experience in BusinessWatch the entire documentary via the Alexander Street Collection.
From award-winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson comes a film that educates, informs, and examines more than 150 years of African American men and women who have embodied the qualities that are the heart of the American entrepreneurial spirit.
Websites
- Black Leaders DetroitFully aware that Detroiters of African descent have never lacked creativity, viable economic strategies, entrepreneurial zeal, or innovative business models, Black Leaders Detroit aims to diminish the disparities by providing the one thing that has been lacking: financial support.
- Black Girl VenturesAt BGV, we create access to capital, capacity, and community for under-resourced entrepreneurs that enable business sustainability and create intergenerational wealth for a more equitable society.
Exhibitions
- Invisible Changemakers of IndustryNational Museum of African American History and Culture | Smithsonian Institution
Local Black Owned Businesses
Midtown Businesses
- Ima4870 Cass Ave
Detroit, MI 48201 - Shell Shock'd Tacos418 W Willis St,
Detroit, MI 48201 - Source Booksellers4240 Cass Ave, #105
Detroit, MI 48201
Source Booksellers, an independent bookstore in Detroit's Midtown district, is a unique niche of non-fiction books. We offer books and unusual sideline items that enhance your life and your lifestyle. - SuperCrisp4830 Cass Ave,
Detroit, MI 48201
Where Japanese street food meets Detroit soul! Supercrisp Detroit serves up mind-bending karaage fried chicken sandwiches and creative comfort food in the heart of Wayne State's Midtown. - Yum Village6500 Woodward Ave,
Detroit, MI 48202
Fresh-made, delicious Afro-Caribbean Food & Drinks available to every village.
Books in Print
Immigrant and Minority Entrepreneurship by ISBN: 0275965112Publication Date: 2004-06-30Bulter, Kozmetsky, and their contributors examine how immigrants and American minorities develop enterprises and create different degrees of economic stability. Top scholars in the field of immigrant and minority entrepreneurship discuss data that concentrates on new venture development and the ways immigrants incubate their enterprises. Groups analyzed include Chinese, Vietnamese, African-Americans, and Women.
Doing Business with Beauty by ISBN: 9780742561168Publication Date: 2008-02-15Black women comprise one of the fastest-growing groups of business owners in the United States. In Doing Business with Beauty, sociologist Adia Harvey Wingfield examines this often-overlooked group and one of the most popular businesses run by these entrepreneurs: hair salons. Through Harvey Wingfield's research we can understand the black female business owner's struggle for autonomy and her success in entrepreneurship.
Databases
- African American Experience This link opens in a new windowAn online collection on African American life, The African American Experience is an electronic research tool for African American history and culture. The two primary goals: to provide rock-solid information from authorities in the field, and to allow African Americans to speak for themselves through a wealth of primary sources. Designed under the guidance of leading librarians, this database gives voice to the black experience from its African origins to the present day.
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new windowWith more than 1,200 journals, Business Source Complete is THE database for journal articles from all disciplines of business. Also includes additional full text content including financial data, books, conference proceedings, case studies, industry reports, market research reports, country reports, company profiles, SWOT analyses and more.
