WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The call is going out to rally more Black-owned businesses across our area to take part in a new event coming to Luzerne County.
It all surrounds the "Black Owned Business Expo." It'll take place at Mohegan Sun Pocono near Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, September 4, 2021, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Organizers and some of the vendors joined Newswatch 16's Ryan Leckey on Thursday at Mohegan Sun Pocono to highlight the event and rally more businesses to get involved.
The month of August is also "National Black Business Month." The campaign highlights the importance African American businesses play in the Black community as well as the national economy.
Interested in participating?
If you or someone you know has a Black-owned business in our area they would like to spotlight at the event, contact Jaine Montes. She's the organizer and owner of Janieces Purse Collection LLC. She can be reached at
Pursecollectionllc@gmail.com.
Black-owned businesses from all over are invited to participate as vendors.
What to expect
Businesses will market their services, brands/products, custom items, and more!
Organizers say the goal is to "showcase all Black-owned businesses excellence as well as make the statement that we are here, we are business owners, and we are employers too!"
Why the event matters
Research shows that marginalized populations took some of the biggest hits to their businesses during the height of the pandemic in April 2020. Therefore, more Black-owned businesses are struggling to survive compared to White-owned ones.
The study comes from the University of California - Santa Cruz, conducted by economics professor Robert Fairlie. It's called: The Impact of COVID-19 on Small Business Owners: Evidence of Early-Stage Losses from the April 2020 Current Population Survey. You can read all of the research at this link.
The organization known as SmartBiz, which helps guide small businesses through the financing process, put together this info-graph below to show the impact and statistics Black-owned businesses have in America.
Black Owned Business Expo event details:
- Date: Saturday, September 4, 2021
- Time: 11:00 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Location: Mohegan Sun Pocono, 1280 Pennsylvania 315, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
- Admission: FREE for spectators (fees only apply to vendors)