Why Business Conferences for Minority Groups Matter

Sometimes, I get strange messages. Well, they're not strange. Some are flat out ignorant. People ask, "Why do you need a Black Wall Street? What if it was White Wall Street?" I'm not a person who has a problem engaging in this conversation. It's always interesting to hear the perspective of a person who says this. I listen. It's important to me.

The truth is, I love these events. It feels good to be in a place where I can be me. It's a place where I have cultural commonalities with my peers and we can get "schooled" on people of color who are successful. I can go to one event and get a "download" of information that I wouldn't normally get. See, that's the problem. On other days, I have to look for this kind of information. It's like going to the record shop and thumbing through vinyl for that rare album. The news doesn't deliver in a consistent way.

I don't think the powers that be are purposely excluding women and people of color from the conversations. It's just "the way things are." Yep, it's always been done like that. That's why there's a wall to the culture. It's different, it's intimidating, it doesn't mesh with...company culture or values. Dreads need to be cut and voices need to be more calm.

While this is, in fact, the way things have always been, that doesn't mean this is the way it needs to stay. In order to move toward a more robust global economy, everyone needs to be empowered. That empowerment sometimes means that we need to have summits and conferences where we convene, talk, have group therapy and educate each other. That's why we have events like Black Wall Street: Homecoming, AfroTech and the Hue Design Summit. These events aren't an opportunity for us to be exclusive. It's an opportunity for us to see each other.

Let me say this another way.

About 5 years ago, I tutored a young girl with her business assignment. She asked me how I knew so much about business. She didn't know that I owned one. As we spoke, she asked about my staff. I told her we had women, white people, etc. She thought I was lying to her and felt there was no way a black man could run a business or have employees that weren't black.

She hadn't seen it, and because of that, it wasn't a part of her reality. She was 14.

A couple of weeks later, I was with a friend of mine and his 6 year old son. His son told me he was going to be lawyer like his daddy's friend. He said he liked to argue and felt that would be the perfect job for him.

He was a young, white 6 year old boy. He was exposed to someone that made practicing law a part of his reality.

This is why we do it. We need to expose each other. Setting the example, providing support to networks and finding opportunities to get each other's ideas funded. Handling business and celebrating each other is the reason why we do it. The history of Black Wall Street isn't taught in schools, but you probably know about the Great Depression and the Industrial Revolution.

This is why.

This year's Black Wall Street: Homecoming is September 26-29 in Durham, NC. No, you don't have to be black to attend. In fact, we want everyone there. We want everyone to see black founders and celebrate with us. Think of this as a supplement to your business education. Learn more at www.bwshomecoming.com