In the pursuit of economic empowerment, Black entrepreneurs have long navigated a challenging landscape riddled with systemic racism and oppressive structures. The idea of individual wealth, while appealing on the surface, has often left many in our communities marginalized while reinforcing existing disparities. It's time for a major shift in perspective. What if we moved from the confines of individual success to the transformative power of collective wealth?

There’s no skirting around the fact that the U.S. financial system is fundamentally flawed. The financial system has been established using a complex framework of laws, regulations, institutions, and practices to support the economy and serve the people. But, when the system values profit over people or the planet, who gets left behind?

RUNWAY, a justice and equity-centered financial innovation firm with a mission to advance resiliency for Black businesses, is coming to Mobile as part of ROOTED, their 10-year initiative to invest in Southern Black entrepreneurship, creativity, and innovation. They are kicking things off in Alabama, the home state of RUNWAY founder Jessica Norwood, to learn about the unique needs of local artists and entrepreneurs and understand how to best serve the community. RUNWAY’s work is focused on building community wealth by providing early-stage “friends and family” style funding and holistic business support for Black entrepreneurs. But, it’s about more than just giving money to Black businesses. It’s about giving entrepreneurs a runway for creating a strong foundation for long-term economic growth and success in the community.

Folks are often curious about what we mean when we say that we’re a “financial innovation firm,” so we decided to break it down. The way we’re looking at financial innovation is through the lens of reparative finance.

As a 100% Black and Brown-women-led organization, we can say with conviction that there is zero room for patriarchy up in here. But in reality, practicing anti-patriarchy is just that–a practice.

Black History Month can be a complicated and nuanced time. Every February, we are often guided to reflect on the resilience of Black people–on our ancestors’ (and our own) experiences being on the short end of this nation’s obsession with having power, domination, and control over Black bodies.

How do we keep Southern creatives and entrepreneurs resourced and supported so they can stay rooted where they are in community?

We’ve made significant progress over the past year, and we are proud of the hard work and dedication of our team.

There’s no better time to put your money where your mouth is and support Black-owned businesses for the holiday season and beyond.

“100 years later, and the dust has not settled in Tulsa, and it has not settled in America. We’re here today to have a sacred conversation about what it means to repair the damage done to Black businesses and Black communities.”