This year’s 10th Annual Alaska Black Business Expo was the largest gathering of Black-owned businesses and supporters in Alaska. Thousands attended, and it has been one of the most successful Black business expos held across the country.
The festivities are always held the first weekend in February in Anchorage, Alaska, to kick off Black History Month and act as a gathering spot for all things Black culture, business, and community. This year’s events were held in collaboration with many community partners and businesses, including the Anchorage Museum, NAACP Anchorage, Ohana Media Group, Next Level Coaching, International Salon Institute, The Di Experience, Waffles and Whatnot, Edutainment Nite Publishing, and more.
Guests included Talib Kweli, legendary rapper and community activist; Carlton Brown, co-founder of FUBU; Alexander Martin, co-founder of FUBU; Keith Perrin, co-founder of FUBU; Antoine Tutt, president of Sales at FUBU/COOGI; Regina Davenport, A Banner Vision; Sheley Anderson, Anderson Law Group; Leslie Jennings, Leslie Jennings Real Estate; Derrick Green, Waffles and Whatnot; Sophia Metters, founder of The Gap Program.
This year’s events featured panel discussions, a Black business expo, a citywide free day at the museum, a youth entrepreneur pitch, an after party, and Alaska Black Creative’s Fashion Show featuring Alaskan designers as well as FUBU, COOGI, and David Banner Collection.
Jasmin Smith, the founder and creator of the event, comments, “This event is designed to show our community what we are capable of. There is so much to know, learn, and celebrate, and each year, we get closer to that dream of redefining generational wealth. My hope is that these events inspire my community and others to dream, envision the future they want, and know there are resources and support to make it happen. Alaska has an exceptional Black community doing great work that is history in the making, and we want to celebrate that for generations to come, both locally and nationwide. There are so many people to thank for making the events this weekend possible, and I want each of them to know how appreciated they are.”
Learn more about the event at AlaskaBlackBusinessExpo.com
This story was first reported by Blacknews.com
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