(BALTIMORE – January 5, 2026) – To God be the glory for the great things He has done. To God be the glory for the great things He has done, including allowing us to have Saturday’s Black Wall Street NEW YEAR Summit at the Downtown Cultural Arts Center. We thank God because nothing is possible without Him.
The weather was perfect. The spirit was right because we began – as always – with an ecumenical prayer. My daddy said to always thank the Lord. And from there, we set off for a 4-hour journey into the lives and souls of entrepreneurs. Black entrepreneurs. In 2026. That’s right!
From ages 93 to 11, we had a diverse crowd that included parents of our youth honorees. The summit also featured dynamic authors, branding experts, and women professionals in the region. Attendees came from as far away as Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., as we all put our best foot forward on the first Saturday of the new year to kick it off with a motivational bang!
Some moments stand out. Dr. Warren Hayman – 93 years young and serving on Morgan State’s Board of Regents – presented an award to Corin “Tiny” Adams, Morgan State’s all-time leading scorer, who now runs Leader Breeders, Inc., a 501(c)(3) serving youth. Dr. Hayman sits on her board. Think about that: a 93-year-old legend still investing in the next generation. He also honored Ernie Graham, and we ensured Ernie’s son had a few words. Every entrepreneur deserves their flowers while they can still smell them.
Then there was 11-year-old Mackenzie, who stole the show. This young sister has a business plan and a new product line dropping in March. At 11! That’s the future right there, and she reminded every adult in that room what’s possible when you start young and dream big.
The Women in Leadership panel brought serious fire to the room. These weren’t just professionals showing up for a photo op – these were serious women engaging, networking, building real connections. And our keynote speaker Robyn Murphy from Create Baltimore dropped a revelation most of us didn’t know: her family owned Ideal Savings and Loan, the historic Black bank on Druid Hill Avenue. That lineage matters. That history matters.
Thank you to Towanda Livingston and Constellation Energy, our sponsor. Thank you to Elev8 Baltimore’s Alexandria Warrick Adams and Dr. David Miller. Also, Renny Bass is a gem. He is the owner of the Downtown Cultural Arts Center and the lead for KIOBA, an investment group of local men who have collectively raised over $2 million in real estate investments. Right here in Baltimore. That right there says it all for me.
Rather than complain about what the government isn’t doing, a true entrepreneur is in their laboratory, basement, garage, or spare room working on their plan. They have a chart on the wall measuring their progress. They also have project notes with deadlines highlighted on the wall. Sometimes, the people who help this entrepreneur the most are halfway around the world. It’s much nicer when they are actually beside you, but the true entrepreneur is driven to reach the goal with whoever will ride with loyalty.
That’s it in a nutshell. We call it the grind. Some call it hustling. We know that if we don’t hunt, we don’t secure the bag, and we gotta close up shop. And trust me when I tell you, none of us started to fail. We need to surround ourselves with people who consistently help us win. Anybody else is a serious distraction and must be gutted because the entrepreneur’s mission is too important for any foolishness.
You have to be willing to hear “No” a zillion times, all the while knowing that you are just one “No” away from the right “Yes.” Did you catch that? An entrepreneur must have the mental toughness of a honeybadger. Run over by a tank. Bit by a rattlesnake. Scuffling with an eagle. An entrepreneur is so vested that – really and truly – nothing can stop them. Nothing at all.
So, bravo to all of our attendees. May 2026 be a successful year of business, and don’t forget to send the elevator back down so another brother and sister can come up.
God bless!
