COAL Recognizes August as National Black Business Month
View as Webpage. August 4, 2021
Greetings!
August 1st marked the beginning of the 18th annual National Black Business Month (NBBM), an observance that highlights the importance of African-American businesses to the Black community as well as our national economy. This celebration also generates awareness for the policy issues affecting African-American entrepreneurship.

Founders John William Templeton and Frederick E. Jordan Sr. started the national holiday back in 2004 “to drive the policy agenda affecting the 2.6 million African American businesses,” according to the official website.

During the 31 days of August, Jordan and Templeton want local government officials, community leaders, and venture capitalists to focus efforts on creating a more hospitable environment in which black-owned businesses can grow. Jordan believes that supporting black business is the best way to lower the high rate of African American unemployment. “Economically, we’re way behind our ethnic counterparts", says Jordan, who sits on the board of California’s small business council and is president and chairman of the San Francisco African American Chamber of Commerce.

Our collective goal must be to build sustainable wealth across the Black community.

Respectfully,
COAL Board of Directors  

"The time to work seriously and collectively, to improve the state of our Community, is upon us..."
Let's Continue the Work
COAL strongly encourages its membership and community of interest to recognize Black Business Month by spending $$$ at Black-owned businesses and with Black self-employed / independent service-providers.

Just as importantly, COAL encourages Black businesses to support and reinvest in the community that supports them.

and finally, recognizing that many businesses that operate in the Black community are owned by others, COAL calls on these businesses to hire from the community and to support and invest in the communities in which they operate.
We Advocate Participation
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The National Black Agenda directs us all to:
  • Circulate and re-circulate your hard earned dollars within the community;
  • Encourage and Support Black Entrepreneurship;
  • Utilize our black doctors, dentists, lawyers, financial analysts, consultants...;
  • Use 'word of mouth' to actively market black businesses that have provided quality service / products;
  • Demand quality services and products from black-owned businesses; and then pay for said services and products as you would with majority-owned businesses; resist insisting that black-owned businesses 'cut you a deal', thereby reducing profit margins;
  • Support legislation that supports small business growth;
  • Support financial institutions that support black businesses; fight to knock down barriers and improve access to capital; and Invest in black-owned businesses;
  • identify and support economic generators that create opportunities that encompass our communities (the South Suburban Airport is a great example);
  • Elect and re-elect officials with a proven track record of expanding opportunities for black business;
  • Demand that Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) policies at all levels are more than words on a document; demand results; demand transparency in reporting progress towards meeting and exceeding MBE goals;
  • Promote upward mobility for our professionals in all sectors;
  • Challenge the status quo of limited access to Corporate Boards;
  • Provide Internships to our youth;
  • Mentor a business; Pass on the experiences you've gained so that others can mitigate the challenges of starting / sustaining their business;
  • Black businesses: form alliances and purchase collectively to secure lower pricing on inventory and supplies;
  • Black business owners: focus on expanding your knowledge of all areas of your business beyond your core service or product; technical, financial, marketing, strategic planning, relationship management, negotiations, customer service...; and practice succession planning;

During the month of August and every month, Buy Black, whenever and wherever it works for you and yours and please be intentional.
Ron Carter, Chairman
Black Wall Street Chicago (773) 595 5229 - Flyer
Eric & Sheila Dantzler (469) 772 - 0422
About COAL
COAL is an umbrella organization founded by 13 of Chicago's historic African American mens clubs. COAL's overarching mission is to identify, examine, illuminate and find resolution to issues impacting the greater community. We strive to use our collective experience, expertise and resources to improve the quality of opportunity, quality of preparedness and the quality of outcomes (expressed as 'quality of life') for our Community. 
Founding Member Organizations
100 Black Men Of Chicago ■ Chicago Assembly ■ Chicago Connection ■ Druids Club ■ Frogs Club ■ Lunch Bunch ■ New Committee ■ Original 40 Club Of Chicago ■ Rat Pack ■ Royal Coterie Of Snakes ■ Saints ■ Sigma Pi Phi Beta-Boule ■ UIC Male Forum (now Chicago Good Health Group)
What We Believe
The Coalition of African American Leaders believes that it is important to examine the critical issues confronting the African American community where injustice, inequality and the absence of access and opportunity continue to prevail, thereby negatively impacting us as a people. COAL is an assemblage that advocates and organizes for appropriate and responsible public policy change, system behavior change and equality of opportunity. We aim to achieve for all of our people the fullness of the life experience without any form of racism or exclusion as a deterrent. We believe we must prepare ourselves for the opportunity of this full participation, thereby achieving the necessary education and training to participate.