(WASHINGTON, DC – April 9, 2026) — Fifteen years ago, a vision took root in the nation’s capital. What started as a modest gathering of community leaders, entrepreneurs, and advocates has since grown into a multi-city movement recognizing thousands of Black entrepreneurs across the country. Now, the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards returns to where it all began. On Tuesday, June 16, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m., the Black Wall Street 15th Anniversary Homecoming — Washington, DC will take place at Busboys and Poets — the very city where the first awards were held. RSVP now! Limited seating:…

BMORENews.com  ·  April 2026  ·  15th Anniversary 15 Years of Excellence: The Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards Celebrates a Legacy of Impact Since 2011, a Baltimore-born movement has traveled to nine cities, honored more than 3,000 entrepreneurs, and built something the mainstream economy rarely provides for Black business owners — a room where they belong. They did not wait for permission. No major foundation funded the first ceremony. No national organization sent a directive. In 2011, in Baltimore, a decision was made to do something that sounds almost too simple to be radical: find the people doing extraordinary work…

(BALTIMORE COUNTY – April 7, 2026) — The mission continues. On Thursday, June 4, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m., Black Wall Street WOODLAWN brings together entrepreneurs, professionals, and community leaders who are building, investing, and creating opportunity across Baltimore County’s west side. First, I have to thank our host, Andre Boyd, for the opportunity to showcase his facility at 6665 Security Boulevard. Alongside his wife, Boyd has invested significant time, money, and energy into creating a space capable of hosting upwards of 200 people—a true asset for the community. A member of the Boyd family basketball legacy—and the brother…

(BALTIMORE – REVISED – April 20, 2026) – When you talk about Baltimore fashion, one name keeps coming up — Jody Davis. On Thursday, May 21, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m., the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards returns to downtown Baltimore to celebrate a woman who has been making women look and feel their absolute best for 15 years in business. Black Wall Street JODY DAVIS DESIGNS will be held at 110 W. Saratoga Street, and it promises to be an afternoon unlike any other. RSVP to https://blackwallstreetjodydavis.eventbrite.com. Let’s be clear: Jody Davis has been designing women’s apparel…

(NEW YORK – April 6, 2026) – Richard E. Pelzer II has spent more than three decades proving that community and commerce are not competing interests—they are, as he puts it, a superpower. As President and CEO of MEGA Personalities, the business development management firm he founded in New York City in 1994, Pelzer has built a career at the intersection of culture, creativity, and enterprise. His client roster reads like a who’s who of American cultural institutions: the NYSE Diversity Council, Sephora, Essence Magazine, the Apollo Theater, and the NYCxDesign Festival, among others. But what distinguishes Pelzer is not…

(NEW YORK – April 6, 2026) – Swannie Batista, MS, CP, doesn’t fit neatly into one category—and that’s exactly the point. She is a legal professional, educator, children’s author, entrepreneur, and, by her own account, a dedicated mom and wife. In every role she occupies, the through line is the same: equity, inclusion, and a firm belief that access to opportunity should never be determined by zip code or circumstance. Swannie’s professional footprint spans the legal and business worlds in ways few can claim. She is the co-founder of Paralegals FTC, Omnisign, and S&R Batista Group—three ventures united by a…

(NEW YORK – April 6, 2026) – Long before Taylor Varga was coordinating with the NYPD and helping manage one of the most iconic public spaces on the planet, they were standing in the spotlight on Broadway — earning the Best Actor award at the Jimmy Awards in 2013. That early chapter foreshadowed everything that would follow: a career built at the intersection of performance, production, and public life. Taylor’s connection to Times Square began not as a professional, but as a freshman intern at the Times Square Alliance in 2015. Something about the work — or perhaps the place…

(NEW YORK – April 6, 2026) – There are people who study injustice from a distance. And then there are people who lived it — who carry it in their bones — and chose to turn that experience into a weapon for change. John Royster is the latter. A justice-impacted individual, John Royster knows firsthand what it means to be swallowed by a system that was never designed to rehabilitate — only to contain. But where others might have been broken by that reality, John emerged with clarity, conviction, and an unshakable mission: the eradication of mass incarceration of people of…

(NEW YORK – April 6, 2026) – When you have spent years working alongside one of the most consequential civil rights voices in American history, you either fold under the weight of that legacy or you rise to carry it forward. Gina C. Williams chose to rise. A former corporate employee of the National Action Network (NAN), Gina had the rare distinction of working directly under the Reverend Al Sharpton — frontline warrior, living legend, and unapologetically controversial champion in the fight against racial prejudice and injustice. That proximity to power wasn’t a title. It was a calling. Gina answered…

Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards Continues 2026 Tour Celebrating Excellence Across Communities (BALTIMORE COUNTY – April 5, 2025) — The Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards continues its landmark 2026 season with Black Wall Street MILFORD MILL 2.0, set for Saturday, April 11, from 4 to 6 p.m., honoring one of the Baltimore region’s most formidable husband-and-wife legal teams — David and Tonya Baña. Now in its 15th year, the Black Wall Street Awards has become a national platform recognizing entrepreneurs, professionals, and community leaders who exemplify excellence, resilience, and impact. The Milford Mill installment underscores a continued commitment…