Daily Black Excellence Spotlight: Successful Black Business Owners + Did You Know These Pre-Slavery History Gems?

Happy Saturday, fam! ☕

Welcome to your daily dose of Black excellence, where we're serving up inspiring entrepreneur spotlights, mind-blowing history facts your textbooks conveniently skipped, and the data that proves we've been about this business since day one.

Let's dive in.

Today's Entrepreneur Spotlight: Three Game-Changers You Need to Know

Lyneir Richardson: Building the Blueprint for Urban Entrepreneurship

If you're serious about Black economic empowerment, you need to know Lyneir Richardson's name. As the founder and executive director of the Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development at Rutgers, Richardson is literally writing the playbook for how Black communities build sustainable wealth through entrepreneurship.

But he didn't stop there. As CEO and Co-Founder of TREND, Richardson is creating pathways for the next generation of Black business owners. His work focuses on the unglamorous but essential parts of entrepreneurship, access to capital, business education, and policy reform that actually helps our communities instead of just looking good on paper.

Brittany Harvey & Davante Rowe: Parents Who Solved a Problem (and Built a Business)

Here's a real talk moment: the best businesses often come from solving problems you're personally frustrated with. That's exactly what Brittany Harvey and Davante Rowe did with Vonu Baby and their flagship product, Burplee.

These parents-turned-entrepreneurs saw a gap in baby products that actually worked for modern families, and they filled it. Their innovation? Creating products that make parenting easier while building a brand that represents us. It's the kind of practical excellence that doesn't always make headlines but changes lives, and bank accounts, every single day.

Sheffie Robinson: The Tech Visionary Behind Touco Direct

In 2026, if you're not online, you don't exist. Sheffie Robinson understood this early and built Touco Direct to help businesses, educational institutions, and government agencies establish their digital presence. We're talking web design, managed hosting, maintenance, and full-scale digital marketing services.

Robinson's genius? Recognizing that digital infrastructure is the new commercial real estate. Just like Black Wall Street in Tulsa needed physical storefronts, today's Black businesses need powerful online platforms. Touco Direct is building that foundation, one website at a time.

The Numbers Don't Lie: Black Business is Booming

Let's talk data, because this is where things get really exciting.

According to recent reports, Black-owned businesses saw a 22% increase in loan approvals from community-based financial institutions (CDFIs) in the past year. That might sound like just another statistic, but let's break down what that really means: more Black entrepreneurs are getting the capital they need to scale, hire, and compete in markets that historically locked us out.

The U.S. Black Chambers isn't playing small either. Their 2026 priorities are focused on five game-changing areas:

• Bringing Black capabilities to all marketplaces (not just niche categories)
• Investing in entrepreneurial development programs (teaching the skills schools won't)
• Preparing the next generation of Black entrepreneurs
• Enabling wealth creation through policy reforms (changing the rules of the game)
• Expanding access to technology (because innovation is the equalizer)

Black-owned brands are thriving across industries, beauty, spirits, fashion, tech, and beyond. This isn't just survival mode anymore. We're building empires.

Did You Know? Pre-Slavery History They Don't Teach

Now let's time travel: way back before the narrative they fed us in school. Before enslavement, before colonization, Black civilizations were building empires that still blow historians' minds today.

Ancient Kemet (Egypt): The Original Architects of Civilization

Here's something your history teacher probably glossed over: Ancient Kemet (Egypt) was African. Not "Middle Eastern," not "Mediterranean": African. Black Africans built the pyramids, developed advanced mathematics, pioneered medicine, and created one of the most sophisticated civilizations in human history.

The Kemetic people had a deep understanding of astronomy, architecture, agriculture, and commerce. They established trade routes that connected Africa to the rest of the ancient world. Sound familiar? It's almost like Black folks have always been natural entrepreneurs and innovators.

The Wealth of Mansa Musa: When Black Wealth Crashed Gold Markets

Let's talk about Mansa Musa, the 14th-century emperor of the Mali Empire, who is often considered the richest person in human history. When Musa made his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, he brought so much gold that he literally crashed the Egyptian gold market for over a decade.

That's not a typo. A Black king was so wealthy that his generosity disrupted international economics. The Mali Empire thrived on gold, salt, and sophisticated trade networks that stretched across Africa and into Europe and Asia.

The Kingdom of Kush: Challenging Empires

The Kingdom of Kush (in present-day Sudan) didn't just exist alongside Ancient Egypt: it conquered Egypt and ruled it for nearly a century. Kushite pharaohs were so powerful that they're literally part of Egyptian dynastic history. They were master iron workers, builders, and warriors who defended their territory against multiple empires.

The point? Black excellence isn't new. Black entrepreneurship isn't a trend. Black innovation isn't surprising. It's legacy.

Connecting the Dots: From Ancient Empires to Modern Marketplaces

So what does ancient African wealth have to do with supporting Black businesses today?

Everything.

The same DNA that built pyramids, established transcontinental trade routes, and created economic systems sophisticated enough to influence global markets is still flowing through our veins. When you support Black-owned businesses on platforms like The Black Wall Streets, you're not just buying a product: you're continuing a legacy that spans thousands of years.

Every purchase is a vote. Every dollar circulated within our community is a brick in the new Black Wall Street. We're not starting from scratch; we're rebuilding what colonization tried to erase.

Why This Matters Right Now

In 2026, we're at a critical inflection point. The 22% increase in loan approvals? That's momentum. The rise of Black tech founders, fashion designers, and product innovators? That's movement. But momentum only becomes transformation when we actively participate.

Here's what you can do today:

1. Shop Black-owned. Make it a habit, not a hashtag. Explore the marketplace and discover businesses that deserve your support.

2. Share their stories. Every time you post about a Black-owned business, you're doing marketing they might not be able to afford yet.

3. Invest in financial literacy. Understand how money works so you can build generational wealth, not just temporary income.

4. Teach the real history. Share these pre-slavery facts with young people. Let them know they come from builders, not just survivors.

The Bottom Line

From Lyneir Richardson building entrepreneurship infrastructure to our ancestors establishing gold-based economies that influenced the world, Black excellence has always been about more than surviving: it's about thriving, creating, and building systems that last.

The Black Wall Streets isn't just an online marketplace. It's a digital monument to what we've always been capable of when given the resources and support we deserve. It's Tulsa's Black Wall Street meets Ancient Kemet's innovation meets 2026's technology.

So next time someone acts surprised by Black success, you can hit them with the facts: We've been CEOs, architects, innovators, and empire-builders since the beginning of civilization.

We're not new to this. We're true to this.

Support Black-owned. Build Black wealth. Honor Black legacy.

Ready to put your money where our history is? Explore Black-owned businesses making moves right now at The Black Wall Streets. Every purchase is a step toward economic freedom.