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Jesse Phillips, coordinator of inclusive growth for the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, said “the Chamber stands ready to be a partner, not only this Saturday” but for broader initiatives to follow.Ĭity Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli said “it’s inspiring and an honor” to be part of the effort and “take true action steps” to support Black businesses. One of the merchants who will be at the festival, Athena Murphy, owner of Lip Lock LLC, which sells vegan and cruelty-free lipsticks, said she will have all of Lip Lock’s products in her booth Saturday. “I encourage Black consumers to come out ready to spend,” she said, also reaching out to “our white, brown and red allies.” It won’t change things by itself, said Rogers, who said they received the Grammy nomination for their work on Tamar Braxton’s “Love and War.”īut “this is just the beginning of something great,” he said.Īrden Santan, founder of SAHGE Academy, said the festival comes at a “momentous time.” and is a way to put “money in the hands of Black entrepreneurs. Rogers said the Black Wall Street Festival “is important not only for our artists but for the community.” The festival was organized by the City of New Haven Department of Arts, Culture, and Tourism in partnership with The Breed Entertainment, a New Haven-based music production and entertainment company. “I’m looking forward to being here with my family and I hope you’ll be here, too.”Īmong the city’s partners in the event are The Breed Entertainment, founded by Grammy-nominated producers Aaron "Y.A" Rogers and Rashad "Snacks" Johnson. “It’s exciting to see this kind of energy,” he said. While a Black Wall Street Festival won’t turn that around all by itself, Elicker pointed out that “over the last couple of years, 28 new Black-owned businesses have opened in the city.”Įlicker praised Jefferson for her work and said, “she just rocks it in so many ways.” He emphasized that while New Haven actually has a Wall Street - which largely runs through the Yale campus - the Black Wall Street Festival will be in the Temple Street Plaza.
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Mayor Justin Elicker said the festival “is important because historically we have under-resourced the Black community.”
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The Black Wall Street Festival, which is “in alignment” with the city’s new cultural equity plan, is a way to help support the growth of Black entrepreneurs and cultivate young leaders in arts and entertainment so people “don’t have to go to Atlanta and Los Angeles and New York” in order to be successful, she said. Jefferson talked about how, historically, “Black Wall Street” commercial areas had been destroyed in places such as Tulsa, Okla. She urged people, both within the Black community and its allies, to “make sure you show up, bring your wallets and support Black businesses.”