(BALTIMORE — November 22, 2025) — Mark your calendars! BMORENews.com’s 23rd Anniversary Benefit is set for Thursday, December 4, 2025, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Douglass-Myers Maritime Museum in Baltimore. RSVP today at bmorenews23.eventbrite.com.
A hallmark of Baltimore’s Black business and media community, the annual celebration spotlights the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards, honoring individuals whose leadership and service uplift their industries and communities. Since 2011, BMORENews and its partners have recognized more than 3,000 honorees across nine U.S. cities for their contributions to Black entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.
This year introduced an exciting new feature — the Black Wall Street Youth Awards — highlighting the next generation of changemakers, visionaries, and emerging business leaders shaping the future of Black enterprise.
Among this event’s honorees is Mob the Block.
Prince George’s County natives Melissa Lewis and LaRhonda Stevenson forged Mob the Block from crisis. Laid off and watching their own family business teeter, the sisters recognized a harsh truth: countless Black-owned businesses wage the same quiet wars for survival. They launched Mob the Block with zero dollars—and ignited a movement proving that visibility, not just capital, keeps businesses alive.
Their formula mobilizes communities, generates viral momentum, and delivers transformative results for struggling entrepreneurs across the DMV. Melissa and LaRhonda dismantle the myth that funding alone rescues failing businesses. Their track record demonstrates that visibility equals survival, community equals currency, and collective action lifts entire commercial corridors.
Their work caught our attention immediately. We reached out without hesitation. They embody the community-powered entrepreneurship we champion at BMORENews. Case in point: they orchestrated a $14,000 fundraising campaign for a Baltimore business—orchestrated entirely from Fort Washington.
That kind of impact demands reciprocal support. With Black Americans controlling nearly $2 trillion in annual purchasing power, no legitimate Black business offering quality products or services should struggle. Not one.
