When Mincy Pollock made a pitch to other African-American business owners about joining him as a JAX Chamber member, the response typically was a dismissive why bother shrug.
As much as Pollock sees the chamber as a valuable way for growing his two small businesses Florida Care Insurance and Pollock Group he could understand the skepticism. When I go to the (chamber) meetings, a lot of times, as my grandma would say, I m a fly in a glass of milk, he said. I would go and I would talk to other business owners about Hey, you really should be connected with the chamber, and they have said in the past, It doesn t look like we fit. I don t know if they want us.
Year of protest carries over to business world in confronting racial gaps
The past few months have seen an increase in companies teaming up with schools, businesses and organizations to form initiatives that help communities of color.
Credit: Florida Times-Union Published: 11:38 AM EST December 20, 2020 Updated: 11:38 AM EST December 20, 2020
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. When Mincy Pollock made a pitch to other African-American business owners about joining him as a JAX Chamber member, the response typically was a dismissive why bother shrug.
As much as Pollock sees the chamber as a valuable way for growing his two small businesses Florida Care Insurance and Pollock Group he could understand the skepticism.
The JAX Chamber Foundation introduced Dec. 16 the Lewis and White Business League, a forum and program intended to improve economic opportunity for African Americans in Jacksonville.
The league will include connections to business and educational advancement, quarterly meetings with guest speakers, and networking and mentoring opportunities, said a news release from the chamber.
The initiative is named in honor of A.L. Lewis and Eartha White, African American business leaders in Jacksonville and charter members of the National Negro Business League. The league was founded in 1900 by Booker T. Washington to advance the economic conditions of African Americans.
“We listened to African American business and community leaders to hear how they thought the Chamber could make a difference addressing racial inequities that sadly still exist in our community and the idea of a network like this came up several times,” JAX Chamber President and CEO Daniel Davis said in the release.
Jacksonville forum seeks to improve economic opportunity for African Americans
News4Jax staff
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The JAX Chamber Foundation is launching a forum designed to improve economic opportunity for African Americans in Jacksonville, according to a news release Wednesday.
The Lewis and White Business League is named after A.L. Lewis and Dr. Eartha White two African American business leaders in Jacksonville who are both charter members of the National Negro Business League, which was founded in 1900 by Booker T. Washington to advance the economic conditions of African Americans.
“We listened to African-American business and community leaders to hear how they thought the Chamber could make a difference addressing racial inequities that sadly still exist in our community, and the idea of a network like this came up several times,” JAX Chamber President and CEO Daniel Davis said in a prepared statement. “This is one step in the Chamber’s efforts to ensur