Some of Seattle's most respected Black business leaders gathered at Byrd Barr Place in the Central District for the Africatown Community Land Trust’s (ACLT) Building Black Wall Street Mixer + Chat in 2024. The event, which brought together members of the Black business community, was hosted by author Debrena Jackson Gandy and featured a keynote from Central District business icon Lewis Rudd, co-founder of Ezell’s Famous Chicken. 

Before the panel discussion, ACLT President and CEO K. Wyking Garrett offered a historic overview, tracing the history of Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the legacy of Black business within the Central District. The subsequent panel was moderated by PBS TV host Jay Martin Jr. and featured distinguished Black business owners, including Veronica Very of Wonder of Women Intl, Damon Bomar of Communion R&B, Rodney Hines of Metiér Brewing Company, and Monika C. Mathews of QueenCare Products. 

The mixer was presented as part of Africatown Community Land Trust’s Summer of Soul Series, which runs through the summer of 2024 and includes future community events like Reunion on Union, Juneteenth, and UmojaFest.

Learn more about Africatown Community Landtrust at africatownlandtrust.org