The National Business League Goal to Increase Membership

The National Business League is America’s oldest and largest black business trading group and has aggressive growth plans for the future.

The Washington, DC-based corporate advocacy group plans to increase its current membership from 120,000 to over a million black entrepreneurs and professionals over the next five years. This is to be achieved by starting a national membership campaign in the 365 chapters of the local league from January 2021.

Dr. Kenneth Harris, President and CEO of the NBL, said the organization plans to leverage its robust digital platform, growing social media apparatus, and significant strategic partnerships in the public and private sectors across the country to help achieve the national goal.

The membership strategy comes as the NBL is just celebrating its 120th anniversary. The group was founded on August 23, 1900 by the legendary booker T. Washington.

With the special occasion coming and going, the NBL reports that it stands ready to use technology to streamline the integration of the country’s 2.6 million black businesses into the global marketplace. It is proclaimed that black-owned companies in the US have annual sales of $ 150 billion and create 3.56 million jobs there. This advanced transition into the digital age will be absolutely critical in the post-COVID-19 era, Harris said in a press release.

“Booker T. Washington’s vision is more relevant today than it was 120 years ago as a new generation of unapologetic black executives take the helm,” he said. “The revolution will not be broadcast on television. It should be digitized.”

National Business League (file)

In line with its mission, here are some collaboration programs that the NBL runs or participates in to help drive black businesses forward:

• The NBL is supporting Med Week 2020, a virtual event by the National Minority Business Development Agency, which will take place September 13-19. More details about the event can be found here.

• As part of its newly formed partnership with Comerica Bank, the NBL will host a monthly series of COVID-19 webinars on the economic recovery of the Black Capital Access Program. The event will help entrepreneurs get tips and resources on how to become bankable and investable from financial services professionals. The first virtual seminar will take place on September 17th. More information can be found here.

• The NBL begins its annual National Black Supplier Conference on Wednesday November 18th, 2020. The NBL’s first virtual national conference will take place this year. It will include panel discussions, workshops, and matchmaking with over 100 companies looking to provide contract and sourcing opportunities for black companies in America and around the world. The event is free for all black companies affected by COVID-19. The event is presented by American Express, General Motors, Comerica Bank, Fiat Chrysler, DTE Energy, Ford, the MPS Group and Toyota.