In 2004 engineering businessman Frederick E. Jordan and publishing executive John William Templeton introduced Black Business Month with the intention to “drive the policy agenda affecting the 2.6 million African-American businesses.” From personal experiences they both knew of the unique challenges faced by minority business owners.
Since the late 1700s, both free and enslaved Black people began to open their own small businesses, from barbershops to tobacco shops and shoemaking. Black owned businesses grew along with emancipation, leading to the period between 1900 — 1930 labeled as the ‘golden age’ of Black owned businesses. A result of segregation was that there were entire districts that were Black owned, such as Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In 1915, with the establishment of The National Negro Business League, there was widespread support of African-American entrepreneurship, with The National Business League spreading to over 34 states. By 2002, 1.2 million of the United States’ 23 million businesses were owned by Black people.
Nashville Black Market seeks to provide resources and connections for Black and minority-owned businesses in the Nashville area. Held on the first Friday of each month at the downtown farmers’ market location, dozens of Black owned businesses set up shop and “circulate the Black dollar.” With individual clothing lines, Javvon Jones and Carlos Partee co-founded the Nashville Black Market in 2018. Without the impediment of a brick and mortar shop, after starting with 35 vendors, the Black Market has grown precipitously
The Nashville Black Market takes place at the Nashville Farmers’ Market, 900 Rosa L. Parks Blvd, the first Friday of each month as well as the third Saturday of each month in The Gulch. For more information on the Nashville Black Market, click here or find them on Facebook and Instagram.
