(BALTIMORE – September 30, 2026) – Saturday’s Black Wall Street Expo was riddled with rain. Still, business went on.
That morning, Jacqui Cummings already had a message ready for callers asking whether the event would be canceled. Even with the weather threatening everything she had worked to bring together, she was handling business.
That’s Jacqui!
Jacqui Cummings is the mompreneur who founded Notre Maison, a nonprofit serving young adults in Baltimore. She is also a woman who pours her time, energy, and resources into helping Black-owned businesses succeed.
Anybody can imagine how she must have felt Saturday. I know I can. When you understand the preparation involved in bringing together more than 60 vendors, you understand why that rain hurt.
That’s a lot of lifting. It’s at least 60 conversations—and probably many more. Jacqui wants to know something about her vendors, and they more than likely want to meet her, too. That’s business. You build relationships. You earn trust. You help people see what is possible.
For Jacqui, that work extends well beyond one Saturday. It’s an ongoing journey along 25th Street and beyond.
It’s a mindset. And Jacqui exemplifies it as well as anyone.
What stands out most is her determination, even in the rain. When she sets her mind to doing something, wild horses cannot stop her. That’s part of why this community, in this city, adores her.
Did I tell you she has five properties on 25th Street and houses more than 30 businesses?
Hell, she’s Black Wall Street all by her lonesome.
But if you know Jacqui, you know she doesn’t roll like that. She’s a “we” person. She believes in the possibilities within our community when we work together—and she puts in effort to make those possibilities a reality.
She said this recently on BMORENews.com: She loves Black people; she wants to see Black-owned businesses succeed.
And she is more than talk. She lives it. Ask her tenants.
After a 40-hour workweek in the school system, she is still helping empower others. Still making room for somebody else’s dream. Still working to strengthen the community she calls home.
And she gives back.
Through Notre Maison, her support for young adults, and the opportunities she creates for entrepreneurs, Jacqui continues to invest in people. Her success means something to her because she can help others move forward, too.
But, again—that’s just Jacqui.
A quiet champion who you don’t want to rub the wrong way. She has a way of politely setting one straight. She has heart, but she also has backbone.
So, yes, Saturday’s rain hurt. When you put that much into something, of course it does. We see the preparation. We see the commitment. We see how much she wanted that day to succeed for every vendor who believed in it.
We also see what she has built—and continues to build—on 25th Street.
Yep! That’s Jacqui: a hometown hero, a proud Morgan State alumna, and a woman who champions Black-owned businesses from the core of her soul.
We love you, Jacqui!
