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00:00I need you to introduce yourself to Detroit and tell everybody your position.
00:06Hello, Detroit. I am Charity Dean. I'm the president and CEO of the Michigan Black Business Alliance.
00:12Good morning. Good morning. Good morning and welcome, Charity.
00:15I'm happy to be here.
00:16So tell us about your organization and the importance of it.
00:20Absolutely. So the Michigan Black Business Alliance is five years old.
00:23We were founded in 2021. We serve black businesses across the state.
00:28Our goal is to help close the racial wealth gap. So we do that through our programs.
00:33We have programs helping businesses get access to capital.
00:35We have programs for youth entrepreneurs.
00:37We have programs helping businesses get what they need to grow and scale.
00:42And then we connect our businesses to opportunity.
00:44So whether it's contracts, vendors, when the NFL draft was in town,
00:47we made sure that our members were out there in the footprint.
00:50There were more black businesses in the footprint in the NFL draft in Detroit than in NFL history.
00:56And then policy. So we are very engaged in the political space,
01:01making sure that elected officials and folks are making decisions when they're thinking about black businesses first,
01:07when they're making decisions for economic development policy.
01:10Yeah.
01:10Now, what's one of the hardest things you think black businesses face?
01:14Hmm. Money, money, money, money.
01:17Wait a minute, girl.
01:18Money.
01:19Say that, girl.
01:20Money, money, money, money.
01:22Yes. Access to capital is hard, right?
01:25If you think about the history of our people in this country, when we could even acquire wealth,
01:29when we could even build and buy houses, right, to have collateral to get loans.
01:34And so we are at a disadvantage, right?
01:36And so the Kellogg Foundation did a report that said white families and black families,
01:40with the same education, same income, that white family is going to have nine times more wealth than a black
01:46family.
01:46Same education, same income, nine times more wealth.
01:49And so access to capital and being able to build a business with the resources that black businesses need is
01:56the number one issue, hands down.
01:58So can any black business join your organization?
02:01How does that work?
02:02Yes, absolutely.
02:04Anybody can join.
02:05And you don't even have to be a black-owned business to join, right?
02:08I mean, our mission is to close the racial wealth gap.
02:10But anybody that wants to help us join that fight, no matter what you look like, you are welcome.
02:14And so we have a community membership, which is free.
02:17All you got to do is go to BlackBusinessAlliance.com and join.
02:20And then our premium membership is $25 a month, and that gives access to grants and other programming.
02:26But there's free membership.
02:27We've got a member meeting coming up.
02:29But anybody can join the Black Business Alliance, absolutely.
02:32So you must have been an entrepreneur student, and then they just made you president.
02:36You know what?
02:36No.
02:37How did it get started for you?
02:39Tell me.
02:40I'm a lawyer, right?
02:41Really?
02:41I used to work for the mayor.
02:42Yeah.
02:43Okay.
02:43And when COVID hit...
02:44Hold on.
02:44Let me cuss.
02:45Uh-oh.
02:46Get the...
02:46Hey!
02:48I'm a whole lawyer.
02:50Really?
02:50Yeah.
02:51I'm a whole attorney.
02:52Yeah.
02:53Yeah.
02:53Yeah.
02:55But when...
02:56Oh, my mother then would be proud.
02:58Oh, it's the Coxy.
02:59Yes.
02:59This is what happened at Kent State.
03:01This is what the dude told us.
03:03I'm sorry.
03:03Every time it come up, I got to go back.
03:05He told us.
03:07He said, listen, there'll be a time when you're going to see Black doctors.
03:13Come on.
03:13And lawyers.
03:14Come on.
03:15Who look like the people you grew up with next door.
03:18That whole class exploded into laughter because that was just not going to happen.
03:24But he knew.
03:25And by the way, he was a professor from Detroit.
03:28See?
03:29Say cool.
03:29See?
03:30Put it out there.
03:31Wow.
03:31That is great.
03:33I bet it's amazing, girl.
03:34Get it.
03:34So, talk.
03:35So, I used to work for the mayor.
03:37And when COVID hit, I was responsible for the city's small business response.
03:41And it was really during that time where we saw, okay, there weren't folks really advocating
03:46for Black people and Black business.
03:49And the pandemic was hurting us twice, right?
03:52It was killing us.
03:53The virus was killing us.
03:55And then our businesses were hurting even more.
03:57And so, it was during that time that me and a group of folks got together and said,
04:01we need something here in Detroit.
04:02Detroit is the blackest city in America.
04:04And so, we need something for entrepreneurs here in Detroit.
04:07And the Black Business Alliance was born.
04:09Yep.
04:09I love it.
04:10I love it.
04:11And I feel your passion for it.
04:13I'm a fighter.
04:13That's what you hear.
04:14Okay.
04:14I love it.
04:15I'm more of a fighter than an entrepreneur.
04:16Although I am an entrepreneur, I own a coffee shop.
04:18But I'm a fighter.
04:20What's your coffee shop?
04:21Rosa.
04:22Okay.
04:22Rosa.
04:23Yeah.
04:23Where?
04:24So, Rosa is, OG Rosa is in Rosedale Park.
04:28Right.
04:28And after my great-grandmother, Rosa Malone, who was the second black family to move into
04:33Rosedale Park.
04:34And then we have a location at Water Square and then one at Wayne State Bookstore.
04:39Get it, girl.
04:40Get it, girl.
04:41That's amazing.
04:41So, I'm feeling the vibration.
04:43Like, Angie, I want to get more information.
04:46I want to be a part of this.
04:47I need this.
04:48How?
04:49Yes.
04:49So, I would say, the first thing I would say is always tell people to follow us on
04:52social media.
04:53That's how you know we're not scammers.
04:54Right.
04:54That's how you know the stuff is real.
04:56Because we post on social media.
04:57You can see the work.
04:58You can see there are events when we have grants and things come up.
05:02And then go to our website, right, blackbizalliance.com, and join.
05:06And then come see us on Wednesday.
05:08I mean, tomorrow night, we have a member meeting.
05:10You can come and see us real live in person.
05:12It's at Aya House in the Eastern Market.
05:15So, Aya is one of our members.
05:16They have an event space.
05:17They have co-working.
05:18It's a community in the Eastern Market.
05:20So, that's where we'll be tomorrow at 6 o'clock.
05:22And then our – so, we generally – because we're statewide, even though most of us are
05:27here, we have a Grand Rapids member meeting on Thursday at Sugar, Please, which is another
05:32one of our members in Grand Rapids.
05:34Yeah, I love them.
05:35You love Sugar, Please.
05:35That's Wendy, right?
05:37So, I'm telling you.
05:38So, if you are on the west side of the state, you can see us on Thursday at 6 o
05:42'clock at
05:42Sugar, Please, in Grand Rapids.
05:43Or, if you're in the Detroit area, see us in the Eastern Market tomorrow at 6.
05:48Yvonne's got a question.
05:49No, just start your choices out again, because you mentioned it.
05:52Oh, yeah, that's right.
05:53Yeah, yeah.
05:53At BlackBizAlliance.
05:54I appreciate that.
05:55So, we're on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
05:58And it's at BlackBizAlliance.
06:00You did your undergrad work where?
06:03Oakland University.
06:04So, I'm in Michigan, but I went to OU for undergrad and U of D for law school.
06:08Wow.
06:08Hit it, girl.
06:08So, I've been here.
06:09Did you – how long did it take you to complete law school?
06:12Three years.
06:12Three years.
06:13You did it under the four.
06:14I did it under – look, and I started part-time, but I'm a –
06:18Really?
06:19You know how black women know.
06:20It takes four years.
06:22Three years.
06:22It's generally three years full-time for law school.
06:26It does.
06:26If you do it – but I started part-time, which would have been a four- or five-year
06:30program,
06:31but I was –
06:31You went to what high school?
06:33I went to Sacred Heart High School.
06:36You're a Catholic girl.
06:36Oh, you're Catholic like Angie.
06:38Yeah, yeah.
06:39You Catholic women are special.
06:42Yes, we are.
06:42I'm very special.
06:44What teacher told you – what turned the light on to be an attorney?
06:49Oh, you know what?
06:51It's funny because I don't have any attorneys in my family, and I did not know lawyers growing up.
06:57I didn't.
06:57I didn't – even teachers, I didn't.
06:59Why did you want to do it?
07:01I fell in love with politics and the law.
07:05This sounds like later in life.
07:07And look, later, in college, but when I was younger, when I was in middle school – okay,
07:10don't laugh.
07:11I used to be like, I used to be like, I want to wear a suit to work every day
07:14and take the people mover to work.
07:15Because in my mind, the people mover was like the subway.
07:19You know, I lived on the west side, like Dexter and Davidson, like to take the people mover to work
07:25every day and dress up with a briefcase.
07:29That was the initial thought.
07:31Yes, yes.
07:32So you planted that seed.
07:34That seed, you had to get to that seed, and that was the way.
07:38Yeah.
07:39I don't even – it's funny because I never thought I was smart enough for law school, so I didn't
07:44even go straight to law school after undergrad.
07:46I waited six years after undergrad to go to law school.
07:50What were you doing for six years?
07:51Working in the community.
07:52I was doing nonprofit work.
07:54I was working in Chansy Condon in one of the Skillman Foundation's Good Neighborhoods.
08:00I was being a community advocate.
08:03But, you know, you can't be what you don't see, right?
08:06And sometimes, I think, especially for – and we get back to the black business too, right?
08:10You talk about what are the challenges.
08:11Sometimes we haven't seen the thing to even know what's possible for us.
08:16And so I think when I made up in my mind that I did want to go to law school,
08:21and I got to meet other friends that went to law school, it opened up my mind to something more
08:27that was possible.
08:28And when I got there, oh, my God, I was a way different student than I was in high school
08:33and college.
08:33I was obsessed.
08:34I was in love.
08:36And then I could see something different, and now my children can see something different, something that's possible.
08:41So they say through the imagination – this is the way it works.
08:44This is what they try to teach people.
08:47When you say what it is, it's not how you get there.
08:52Like you said, I want to ride the people mover, carry a briefcase, and be dressed every day.
08:58And the point is people go, then how do I do it?
09:01Yeah.
09:02No, you just start going.
09:04Yes, that's right.
09:05And you already see the end.
09:06So the end was briefcase, dress up every day, ride the people mover.
09:12That was the end.
09:13You saw the end.
09:14So all you had to do was take the journey to go.
09:17And I think being a fighter was in me as an advocate.
09:20That's what I like.
09:21That was in me, right, being a fighter.
09:23And so whether it was in middle school, you know, just being involved in student government or in advocating.
09:30You know, even when I was in law school, I was like, you know, we are evening students, and we
09:33need the cafe open at night, right?
09:35I love it.
09:36You know, always.
09:37I like your energy.
09:38That is my girl.
09:40We need us already.
09:42Man.
09:42You sound like.
09:43Yeah.
09:44My bad.
09:45I mean, you sound like you got a passion for helping people.
09:48I do.
09:49Where'd that come from?
09:49Your mom, grandma, family members?
09:52All of them.
09:52All of them.
09:53My mom, my dad taught DPS for, you know, over 30 years.
09:57Yeah, my dad's an educator.
09:58Clark Elementary on the east side.
10:00So we was on the west side.
10:01My daddy was driving us to all of our schools and still going to Clark Elementary by 8 a.m.
10:06Wow.
10:07It was a bunch of us.
10:08He dropping us all off at our different schools and going to Clark Elementary.
10:11Absolutely.
10:12Yeah.
10:12My dad is my hero for sure.
10:13Aw.
10:14Yeah.
10:14My dad and my mom, they did a good, like, they are, they're advocates themselves.
10:18You got to shout their names out.
10:19Yeah.
10:19Oscar and Crystal Jones.
10:20Hey, mommy.
10:21Hey, daddy.
10:22Y'all did that.
10:23Y'all did that.
10:24Yeah.
10:24Absolutely.
10:24Sweetheart.
10:25Closing thoughts.
10:26And we want to bring you back on, especially when you guys have any, like, special events,
10:30special programs, anything that can help our Detroit entrepreneurs.
10:33Because that means a lot to us.
10:35So anytime.
10:36We got you.
10:37We're excited about our, the Black Biz and the D featuring one of our members a week.
10:42I think we talked about that.
10:43So we're excited about that.
10:44And we just want to be a hub for entrepreneurs, right?
10:48Because it's really hard out here, especially if you are a black business, right?
10:52And so that's what the Black Biz Alliance is.
10:54This partnership is going to be amazing.
10:55I'm excited.
10:57I'm excited.
10:57All right.
10:58All right.
10:58You got to give us some closing thoughts and some inspiration.
11:01Well, Kenny Valentino just told me to give him a shout out.
11:04Kenny!
11:04You know Kenny?
11:05Let me tell you something.
11:07Let me tell you something.
11:08Oh, Kenny did arrive.
11:09That kid right there.
11:10That's our new Kenny Valentino.
11:12That's our new Kenny Valentino.
11:14You look like you kind of diet Kenny.
11:17That's right.
11:17You're going to diet Kenny.
11:18Let me tell you.
11:19Okay.
11:19That Kenny Valentino.
11:21Cool.
11:21I love it.
11:22When Kenny met Angie.
11:24Oh, yeah.
11:24Oh, man.
11:25He did the same thing.
11:29He protected her.
11:31There you go.
11:32That Kenny is smart.
11:34You have my back.
11:35I love Kenny.
11:37He studied.
11:38He will not quit.
11:40I love Kenny Valentino.
11:41So, he is one of our most active members of the Black Business Alliance.
11:45That would be Kenny.
11:46That would be him.
11:47All day.
11:48We love him.
11:48Yes.
11:49Yes.
11:49Really?
11:50Yes.
11:50Oh, wow.
11:51Kenny, you need to get in here.
11:52Yeah.
11:52Maybe we'll start with your business.
11:54Yes, Kenny.
11:55We'll start with your businesses.
11:57Yes.
11:57Yes.
11:58We'll start with Kenny.
11:59This is great.
12:00This is great.
12:00So, you got to give us some closing thoughts and inspiration.
12:02Yeah.
12:03Closing thoughts and inspiration.
12:04You know, this is what I will say.
12:06Whatever you're thinking about, whatever dream is in your heart is there for a reason.
12:10God has given it to you for a reason.
12:12And what is for you is for you.
12:14Do not let this world, this country, even these politics make you shrink.
12:20But whatever God has for you is for you.
12:22And you don't have to do it alone.
12:24And we at the Black Business Alliance want to be right there on the journey with you.
12:28Thank you, Charity.
12:29Perfect name.
12:30Charity D.
12:31Yes.
12:33Like the kids do.
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