You’re Invited: The Greater Baltimore Black Empowerment Forum Featuring the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards
Saturday, May 31, 2025 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon
Thurgood Marshall Amenity Center
1315 Division Street, Baltimore, MD
RSVP to blackwallstreet104.eventbrite.com
The public is invited to a powerful and timely gathering: The Greater Baltimore Black Empowerment Forum, taking place on Saturday, May 31, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon at the Thurgood Marshall Amenity Center in West Baltimore. This event will convene local leaders, community members, and changemakers to discuss the State of Black Empowerment in the Greater Baltimore Metropolitan Area.
The event will be hosted by Kelli Redmond-Bagby, a respected Baltimore entrepreneur and health advocate, and will include remarks from several state elected officials. Attendees can expect a dynamic and meaningful conversation about economic equity, political power, health justice, and the path forward for Black Baltimore.
As part of the forum, the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards will honor four outstanding individuals for their entrepreneurial excellence and commitment to community development. This year’s honorees include:
-
Ufuoma Agarin
-
Darryl De Sousa
-
Kedrick Gough
-
A surprise honoree to be revealed at the event
These awards are presented in the spirit of Black Wall Street — a thriving Black community in Greenwood, Tulsa, Oklahoma, that was destroyed by racial violence 104 years ago.
State Senator Ben Brooks, representing Baltimore County’s 10th Legislative District, reflected on this solemn anniversary:
“On Saturday, we’ll gather in solemn remembrance—104 years after one of the darkest and most devastating acts of racial violence in American history: the destruction of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma,” said Brooks.
“What was once known as ‘Black Wall Street’—a thriving, self-sufficient Black community filled with homes, businesses, schools, churches, and dreams—was reduced to ash in less than 24 hours. Over 300 Black Americans were killed. Thousands were left homeless. And an entire generation’s wealth and promise was stolen—by fire, by hatred, and by silence.
As a State Senator—and as an African American man—I cannot allow that silence to continue. The destruction of Greenwood was not just a local tragedy; it was a national injustice. It was a reminder of what happens when racism goes unchecked and when the success of Black communities is seen as something to destroy. May we never forget. May we always speak truth. And may we be bold enough to build the kind of future that Greenwood once dared to imagine.”
Special thanks to Dr. Alvin Hathaway and the Thurgood Marshall Amenity Center for their partnership in hosting this critical forum and honoring the legacy of Greenwood through action, remembrance, and empowerment.
