For the second year in a row, Black business owners are invited to the state Capitol to speak with legislators about their business needs.
The Feb. 16 event kicks off at 11:30 a.m. with a “Rally in the Rotunda,” where Black business owners will share their experiences and meet one-on-one with elected officials including Gov. Tim Walz, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Attorney General Keith Ellison.
Last year’s event drew 400 business owners and this year’s could be twice the size, said founder and organizer Sheletta Brundidge, who is a small-business advocate and the founder and owner of podcast and production company ShelettaMakesMeLaugh.
Business owners who register for the event will be given an itinerary curated by Brundidge to connect them with a lawmaker who represents their district, invited to lunch with legislators and be entered to win a $5,000 grant.
“I need to make sure I don’t waste your time,” Brundidge said, adding that buses full of entrepreneurs will be making the trek from around the state. “If you’re coming down from Duluth or Rochester, I am going to make sure you see your representative,” she said.
A dozen lawmakers attended last year’s event, Brundidge said, and this year she expects 56.
State Sen. Judy Seeberger, a Democrat who represents Afton, Cottage Grove, Hastings and Lake Elmo, said last year’s event was a success as she was able to meet business owners, make connections and learn what she can do for them.
Seeberger, who will be in attendance Friday, said, “I am excited to be a part of this and I will do whatever I can to support Black entrepreneurs.”
Kiara Raquel, founder of Ethnotrot, a health and wellness business based in St. Paul, plans to attend Friday and said she is looking forward to speaking with lawmakers about potential benefits and startup compensation for Black-owned businesses.
“In the past, lawmakers have played a huge part in tearing apart Black Wall Streets, which happened to Rondo twice over when they built the Green Line,” Raquel said. “There is value in being able to have these business owners have a seat at the table and express how it is still impacting their businesses and their livelihoods to this day,” she said.
At the end of the last legislative session, Brundidge said Walz credited Black Entrepreneurs Day for pushing for funding programs to support minority-owned businesses in Minnesota.
Black Entrepreneurs Day is not about the money for everyone, Brundidge said, adding that last year people came looking for connections and resources. “I saw people so empowered, so educated and feel like they had a seat at the table,” she said of last year’s event.
Black Entrepreneurs Day
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When: 11:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 16
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Where: Minnesota State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul
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