The Wisconsin BLACK Chamber of Commerce is "Something To Talk About." After attending their Year End Celebration program. We are convinced Wisconsin will soon become what Georgia is to cities like Atlanta and Decatur.
BLACK isn't a lot of things and for sale is at the top of that list. For years BLACK businesses have been selling themselves short. By submitting to phrases such as "Support BLACK, Shop BLACK, or Buy BLACK is the equivalent to the term "selling out." When used in this context, BLACK is being referenced as the product or service. In other words, being bought with money. Let me put it like this. From what I witnessed and in my own words, "The Wisconsin BLACK Chamber of Commerce over-stands business in general and mission is: "To Make BLACK people the Largest Employer of BLACK People." They can't do this without understanding that BLACK entrepreneurs are in fact the source of the exchange between goods, services, and communities. Wow! The hardest part is putting what I felt in words. (Tip: * Always take a pen and pan to programs to record important notes)
Chairman/CEO, Ruben W. Hopkins
A 14 year military veteran, Ruben is the founder of the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce. Concerned with the lack of business engagement and concerned for the future of the black community. For more than 10 years he has been positioning the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce to take a more active leadership role in improving quality of life in black communities throughout the State of Wisconsin. The Year End Celebration was my first time being in the same room as Ruben. Although, I was introduced to his Head of Operations, Just Becca via a mutual friend named Erin. The Wisconsin BLACK Chamber of Commerce made a stop in Madison while on their Road To Diversity tour. As a recent graduate of Madison BLACK Chamber of Commerce MBCC Means Business accelerator program. I must say, I would love to see Madison BLACK Chamber of Commerce do year around collaborations with The Wisconsin BLACK Chamber of Commerce.
I don't have to be a Milwaukee resident to see Ruben leading his team right. The first thing I did when I visited their website was check out the "Our Team" to honestly, see if they were repping how they were stepping with an all-BLACK staff. There was no lacking on their end as BLACK men and women filled their board and departments. I don't know the year around workings or the temperature the City of Milwaukee has with their chamber but, I can see LessWork being in more spaces with TWBCC. I'm huge on creating a template for my people to follow with less trials and tribulations than I had to endure. This approach ensures access is in abundance. What better way to build BLACK than to build stronger BLACK men and women of the community? That's exactly what it means when I see the chamber hiring local hip-hop artists like Phif as their in-house graphic designer.
This is so dope on so many levels because this is what I've been screaming for so long. Obviously, I was screaming in the wrong places. No matter how loud you scream, sustainable ideas can sound like a foreign language to people who just don't see the vision. There is a lot of buddy-ball (favoritism) between organizations and the businesses their mission statement aims to service. Either way, The Wisconsin BLACK Chamber of Commerce acted as a breath of fresh air on my faithful journey that one day, local recording artists will be viewed as more than talent on stage. Vividly, we are the missing link to the language barriers us BLACK folks have created internally with oppressive-like status and invisible lines of acceptance. In the words of Malcolm X, "Who taught you to hate yourself?"
BLACK is being backed by BLACK dollars in Milwaukee and that's amazing! However, this is in response to the deficit we (BLACK Americans in Business) face when the number of BLACK businesses is compared to other ethnicities in the U.S. According to the United States Census Bureau, there are around 130,000 African-American-owned businesses, approximately 15,000 of these organizations are in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin BLACK Chamber of Commerce is passionate about increasing this number. The 3000 Black Business Challenge is an initiative by the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce Inc. solely focused on birthing 3000 black-owned businesses in the Milwaukee area before the year 2024. Through TWBCC high-quality capacity building workshops and events, new businesses can reach greater heights.
All BLACK owned businesses are encouraged to educate yourself on TWBCC Business Bootcamps. Here is an excerpt from their website: "Our bootcamps are designed to provide you with the necessary tools to empower you along your entrepreneurial journey. Each bootcamp is a dynamic and informative eight (8) hour event. To be awarded the grant, you must attend all 8 hours and successfully score 90 percent on the evaluations related to each topic of discussion. You must be willing and prepared to learn new ways of seeing business, thinking about business, and operating in business. This is not a lending program. If you are in need of funds for capacity building, there is no grant to be awarded. We will, however, work to position and advise you on how to best approach our Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) and traditional lenders. If you are not successful in receiving a grant, you may reapply and attend a future bootcamp.
Bootcamps take place on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month. You only need to attend one (1) Saturday bootcamp. Invitations to the bootcamps will be based on the application narrative below. Surveys will also help us guide you through the process. We are evaluating additional weekday bootcamp offerings, as the need presents itself. If you have business partners, all partners are recommended to attend the bootcamp together (if possible). There is no cost to attend any bootcamp. Please include the total number of partners when you register for the bootcamps. We will make provisions for partner groups because space will be limited at each camp. Please do not bring children or anyone who is not an active part of your business."
LessWork Monthly Music Meetings are once a month with the intention of giving artists and creatives tools to use not only on the stage, but off the stage as well. Our meetings are designed to cater to the business side of artistry.
Learn about:
writing down your goals,
- playing creative games,
- networking to uncover your tribe
- enjoying good food and hospitality
Written by: 1neofmani Pen
video/photo/ credit: LessWork Lens
LessWork logo designs by: LessWork & Matt Nemetz of FocalFuse
Other Logos ownership: Urban Triage, Kingdom Restaurant, Broadjam, Collaboration 4 Good, Serieux Clothing
Citing Source Credits:
LessWork Local Lifestyle research.
Title: "BLACK Is NOT For Sale" Blog: #42
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Our youth needs real life representation that looks like them. LessWork Local Lifestyle is a media-based company owned by Black artists of various artistic backgrounds. We offer a after school program called: SaySo. We focus on teaching the youth what we do. Covering creative mediums in Music, Media, and Marketing in the form of drop-ins. Every day after school from 5pm to 8pm young adults are encouraged to stop by LessWork office to connect and learn from artists who can relate to their struggles of locating a safe space for themselves as well as their friends. If you are 13 - 25, this program is for you. Talk to your parent or guardian about signing up for LessWork subscription options today. Click to sponsor a youth membership today.
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