In Ohio’s Summit County, Black business owners came together to form the Black Chamber of Commerce for Summit County after they realized that the county didn’t have a Chamber of Commerce set up for Black businesses.
According to Signal Akron , the Black Chamber of Commerce was created to help bridge the racial wealth gap and to create more opportunities for Black entrepreneurs. Robert DeJournett, the Black Chamber of Commerce’s founding President and CEO, told the outlet that Black businesses in the business community think that the chamber is a good idea.
According to a directory maintained by the U.S. Black Chambers , the Summit County Black Chamber of Commerce will become one of 25 Black Chambers of Commerce in the Midwest and one of more than 150 around the United States.
“Everyone thinks it’s a great idea and much needed, some of our businesses are not in the loop; they’re off the radar,” DeJournett told Signal Akron .
Black Chamber of Commerce Vice President and COO, Misty Beasley told News 5 Cleveland , “Often Black business owners are working in their business, so it’s hard to work on your business or you don’t have the information or the knowledge or the resources to work on your business, and so being able to have an organization that can help you do that and help you set yourself up for success, that’s big.”