(WASHINGTON. DC – June 16, 2026) – It all started in Washington, DC. Fifteen years ago, the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards launched what would become a national movement right here in the nation’s capital. There was no better place to begin. Washington is an international, political, and historic city. But for generations of Black people, it has been known by another name: Chocolate City. Mention DC, and certain names immediately come to mind. Chief among them is Mayor for Life, Marion Barry. Ask any true Washingtonian who their favorite mayor is, and chances are you’ll hear the same answer. “Marion Barry.” Spend enough time in the District, and you’ll hear another familiar refrain: “Marion Barry got me my first job.” Not once. Not twice. Thousands of times. Because Marion Barry represented something bigger than politics. He represented access. Opportunity. Hope. He represented the belief that government should work for the people who needed it most. And the people loved him for it. Marion Barry wasn’t born in Washington. He was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi. But Washington, DC, became his city, and through his leadership, he showed Black communities across America what it looked like to embrace a leader who returned their embrace. That kind of love cannot be measured. It can only be multiplied. If you know DC, you know there is a certain energy to Southeast. The rest of the country sees monuments, museums, and federal buildings. Washingtonians see neighborhoods. Anacostia. Barry Farms. Benning Road. Ward 7. Ward 8. Communities that have produced leaders, entrepreneurs, activists, artists, athletes, and everyday people who have carried entire families and neighborhoods on their backs. It’s the same energy Brooklyn brings to New York. The same energy Sandtown brings to Baltimore. Communities forged by struggle often produce extraordinary people because the challenges are extraordinary. And that’s why it felt right for Black Wall Street to return home. Fifteen years after the first ceremony. Three thousand honorees later. Nine cities later. We came back to Southeast. And it did not disappoint. This year’s honorees represent the very best of us — people who understand that success means little if it is not shared. People who understand that leadership is service. People who understand that you get by giving. This evening is a celebration of achievement, but it is also a celebration of responsibility. The responsibility to lift as we climb. To mentor. To build. To invest. To leave communities stronger than we found them. That’s what Black Wall Street has always been about. And that’s why this moment feels so special. Because in many ways, it is a full circle. What began in Washington, D.C., fifteen years ago has now grown into a movement that has honored more than 3,000 individuals across nine cities throughout America. Yet the heartbeat remains the same. Community. Service. Excellence. Legacy. And nowhere are those values more deeply rooted than in Chocolate City. SPECIAL THANKS None of this happens without Vaughan Lee. For years, Vaughan has helped…
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JOE MANNS BLACK WALL STREET AWARDS | WOODLAWN | 15TH ANNIVERSARY Founder of the Natural Hair Care Expo continues to champion Black beauty, self-love, and cultural empowerment (WOODLAWN – May 28, 2026) – There are certain queens who, when they move, all you can do is stop and pay homage because you know it’s a queen. Malaika-Tamu Cooper been doin’ it gracefully for years. My ex-wife and daughter used to go to her shop in the Junction. Like another popular Black Wall Street WOODLAWN honoree, Randy Dennis, Malaika has too made a lasting impression on Baltimore and beyond with her…
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