msa attends cbcf’s 51st annual legislative conference
On September 28, 2022, the Main Street Alliance team attended the 51st Annual Legislative Conference hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. There were hundreds of policy sessions during the five-day conference addressing a plethora of issues facing the global Black community.
The first policy session I, Naomi Smith - MSA’s Policy Program Manager, attended was the 14th Annual Black Women’s Roundtable. Each year, this standing-room-only session gathers the nation’s top policy minds, on-the-ground leaders, and elected officials to discuss the most pressing issues impacting Black women in our nation. Following the Black Women’s Roundtable, I attended an array of sessions focused on small and Black-owned businesses.
During the sessions, I had the opportunity of listening to the perspectives of Black business owners, entrepreneurs, and Black businesses leaders like President and CEO of the U.S. Black Chambers of Commerce, Ron Busby; President and CEO of the National Urban League, Marc H. Morial; and Black leaders in government such as Representative Maxine Waters, Chair of the House Financial Services Committee and The Honorable Marcia Fudge, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. I was able to see live discussions around the state of Black and small businesses across the nation, of which limited access to capital was a major theme among these conversations.
In addition to these powerful conversations, our staff was able to connect with hundreds of Black small business owners and supporters of MSA’s mission. The conversations with potential members echoed the narratives from the sessions and reiterated the mission of Main Street Alliance. These business owners need more access to capital. Our hope from this experience was to increase MSA’s presence among Black small business owners and I believe our participation at the 51st Annual Legislative Conference successfully introduced Main Street Alliance to a community of true small business owners that are so often underrepresented.
If you’re a small business owner who wants to continue the conversation on capital access, we encourage you to join us for our Getting Up To Speed Session on Capital Access with Josh Sanchez, the co-founder and CEO of FloatMe. FloatMe is a rapidly growing fintech platform working to help millions of Americans better their finances. Under his leadership, FloatMe has raised over $50M in equity and debt, grown to over 70 employees distributed globally, and has helped millions of Americans save over $150M in overdraft fees alone. Most notably, Josh is a profound member of the Texas startup community by both investing in and mentoring other entrepreneurs.
Resource Links
National Urban League Entrepreneurship Centers- Through the work of our directors and staff, the Entrepreneurship Center Program has counseled, mentored and trained over 60,000 businesses since 2006.
The Congressional Caucus on Black Innovation (CBI)- composed of Members of Congress who believe in the indispensable role of Black innovators in advancing American economic growth.
Black Innovation Alliance- an ecosystem building institution dedicated to closing the racial wealth gap through the direct support of Black-led innovator support organizations in service to Black entrepreneurs, tech founders and creative technologists.
The Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership (IFEL)- an independent, not-for-profit organization that supports economic development through entrepreneurship.
ByBlack- An extensive national Black business directory developed by the US Black Chambers. And the only national certification exclusively for Black-owned businesses.