Charlotte Launches ‘First-Of-Its-Kind' Black Innovation Hub To Empower Entrepreneurs
According to The Charlotte Observer, the chamber acquired an unused property and has poured resources into transforming the building into what Dawkins calls a 'one-stop shop for professionals and small businesses,' in hopes of helping entrepreneurs, improving Charlotte's economic growth, and fighting food insecurity.
The Innovation Center, as the property is now known, will feature an agri-tech program for farmers, event spaces for business meetings, co-working spaces for startups, entrepreneurs and nonprofits; as well as a retail store and a distribution center for small businesses.
To figure out how the space could be best utilized, Dawkins visited other cities with similar hubs, cities like Atlanta, Washington D.C., and nearby Durham, North Carolina, and what he came away with from those tours ultimately led him to create a first-of-its-kind hub for Black-owned businesses and professionals in Charlotte.
'As things in the community get taken away, like federal funding and grants, we want to be a safe space,' Dawkins told the Observer. 'I wanted to create a safe space for business owners and professionals to come get elevated.'
The chamber spent approximately $30,000 to acquire the building, and is in the process of launching a $3.7 million fundraising campaign to attract funding for the necessary renovations in order to accommodate the chamber's vision for the space.
According to two of the chamber's advisors Kneshia Gabriel and Jeremy Johnson, the space has been needed in the city and the Charlotte metro area in general for quite some time.
'We just want to bring more locals here to help expand their experience and help them figure out what they want to do,' Gabriel told the Observer.
'It's definitely needed and I can see it being a great resource and support system for those looking to thrive in the business community,' Johnson added.
According to the fundraiser for the Black Innovation Center, which is listed on the fundraising platform Give Butter, 'Charlotte is evolving. Yet too often, Black entrepreneurs are excluded from the opportunities shaping its future. The Innovation Center–CLT is a bold response—designed to close the gap, elevate ideas, and drive inclusive innovation. We're creating a dynamic space where: Black-owned businesses scale with real support, creatives build brands and media that move culture, communities grow wealth and networks—together. And your investment makes it possible.'
RELATED CONTENT: 'We Needed This Forever': Black Business Hub Launches In Wisconsin
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Charlotte's All-Star bid gets $2M boost
Charlotte's successful bid for the 2026 MLS All-Star Game included a new ingredient: state funding to help offset organizing costs. ALSO READ: Caitlin Clark is still having an impact on WNBA All-Star Game even though she won't play On July 16, when Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber awarded next year's All-Star Game during a news conference at Bank of America Stadium, N.C. Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley disclosed a $2 million grant from state government as part of the recruiting pitch. Tepper Sports & Entertainment, owner of the stadium, MLS team Charlotte FC and the NFL Carolina Panthers, pursued the All-Star Game with assistance from civic leaders and groups, including the Charlotte Sports Foundation. The money will come from the state's Major Events, Games & Attractions Fund, created as part of the law passed by the N.C. General Assembly in 2023 to legalize online sports betting. When sports betting started in March 2024, state government began collecting an 18% tax on gross wagering revenue, defined as all money bet minus paid winnings before deductions for fees, taxes or expenses. This marks the first time a Charlotte event will receive a grant through the incentives program. Read the full story on CBJ's website here. VIDEO: Game On: MLS All-Star Game coming to Queen City
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
The best Amazon deals this weekend: Apple AirPods are within $1 of their all-time low
Get this: There's a restaurant in China that's put baby lion cuddles on their menu. And it creates a dilemma, right? You're thinking, Hmmm ... that feels at least vaguely exploitive of those precious little cubs. But you're also thinking, Awww, the babies! Can I have two orders ...with extra cuteness? It's a bit like the predicament of post-Prime Day shoppers: You're thinking, I kinda made a killing last week — do I really need to be shopping now? But you're also thinking, Oh, man, the best Amazon deals of this weekend are just too good to resist!Allergy sufferers: This $40-off deal on a highly rated air purifier is sure nothing to sneeze at. And as long as you've got de-dusting on the agenda, how about a 40% markdown on a Black & Decker hand vacuum? (It's the one I rely on at home, and it's down to a record-low price.) Ready to have your mind blown? Behold: A 24" Fire TV for a mere 60 bucks! This is our kind of weekend bargain blowout. Killer discounts ... and no dilemmas! Best Amazon deals: Rare sales Best Amazon deals: All-time low prices Best Amazon deals: Our best-tested products Best Amazon tech deals Best Amazon deals: Style Best Amazon deals: Home Best Amazon deals: Beauty Best Amazon deals: Kitchen If you have Amazon Prime, you'll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.)
Cosmopolitan
16 hours ago
- Cosmopolitan
Ami Colé is closing: It's time to wake up before another Black-owned beauty brand disappears
I'm exhausted. Tired in a bone-deep, soul-sapped, can't-believe-we're-here-again kind of way. I almost didn't write this letter because it feels like déjà vu wrapped in heartbreak. The news that Ami Colé, one of the most beloved Black-owned beauty brands, is shuttering after a wildly successful four-year run is as devastating as it is familiar. We know the stats. They're damning. Less than 0.1 percent of venture capital funding goes to Black women entrepreneurs. That's not just a missed opportunity — it's an intentional failure of imagination, investment, and equity. I've dedicated my career to celebrating, uplifting, and advocating for diversity and inclusion in beauty. And yet, most days, it feels like I'm preaching to the choir or screaming into the void. I've used every platform I've been blessed to hold — my voice, my bylines, my seat at the proverbial (and sometimes literal) table — to spotlight the undeniable brilliance of Black-owned brands. And still, I watch them disappear one by one. So now, I'm talking to you: the billion-dollar conglomerates and investors with deep pockets. The legacy houses and corporate giants with the power and purse strings to change the narrative. Yes, I'm talking to you, L'Oréal Groupe, Estée Lauder Companies Inc., Unilever Global, Proctor & Gamble, Coty Inc., Shiseido Company, e.l.f. Beauty Inc., and all the rest. You with the billion-dollar budgets who know how to write the checks that shift culture and make us all feel oh-so-beautiful. You who made room for rhode, Drunk Elephant, OUAI, and Hourglass Cosmetics, to name a few (and no shade — those were solid plays). So, let's not pretend the bank accounts are suddenly empty when it comes to funding Black-owned brilliance. There is money. There is infrastructure. There is a proven formula. So, where's the disconnect when it comes to investing in brands that speak deeply, authentically, and powerfully to communities of colour? Ami Colé did that—and then some. This wasn't an underdog story waiting to be fixed. This was a brand that had already done the damn thing. Over $3 million raised. On shelves in 600+ Sephora stores. Media acclaim. Award-winning products. Loved by the likes of Oprah and Martha Stewart. A founder (Diarrha N'Diaye-Mbaye) who formally worked at L'Oreal and in product development at Glossier. Viral moments. Cult-status glosses. A community that showed up, showed out, and bought in. The consumers did their part. So, why wasn't that enough? I'm devastated not just for the brand but for what this signals to Black founders everywhere: That even when you build something with intention, revenue, and community, survival is not guaranteed, at least not without deep-pocketed allies who understand both the moral imperative and the market opportunity in protecting this space. Let me say this louder: Black-owned beauty brands aren't just for Black folks. And even when melanin-rich skin or textured hair is centred, there is still undeniable magic. The potential to scale is not a liability—it's an untapped goldmine. I'm not just calling for charitable donations or feel-good optics. I'm calling for strategic investments. And maybe even for seats on your boards for people like me—those of us who've built careers testing your products (and all your competitors), telling your stories, and turning casual browsers into lifelong consumers. We may not have actual MBAs, but we have MBAs in beauty. We are your brand whisperers, your trend forecasters, your cultural compasses. The question is, will you listen? I fully understand there are countless layers and valid nuances that make my DEI dreams harder than ever to realise. But right now, I'm writing to you as a devoted beauty storyteller whose professional purpose — and passion — is to help move this industry in the right direction. So, I will continue to dream of a world where I have the capital to be the one writing ginormous checks. But since I don't (yet), I will continue to use my voice to push those who do. Because Black and brown beauty deserves more than a moment. It deserves momentum— real and everlasting. This isn't about calling you out — I'm lovingly calling you in. Let this not be another eulogy. Let this be a turning point. With urgency, hope, and light, Julee Wilson Julee Wilson is Beauty Editor at Large at Cosmopolitan. Previously, Julee was Beauty Director at Cosmo and Global Beauty Director at Essence and has held various editorial positions at Huffington Post and Real Simple. She counts herself lucky AF that she gets to play with beauty products for a living and tell dope stories. And if you're as obsessed with beauty as she is, make sure to follow her on Instagram for plenty of product recs, natural hair inspo, skincare testing, and Black girl magic shenanigans.
