Help Us Bring Wealth and Prosperity to Underserved Communities
Black Americans represent 13% of the US population but possess only 4% of the nation’s wealth. Black businesses comprise just 2.2% of the nation’s businesses. A typical Black family has $2,000 or less in liquid savings while a White family has more than four times that amount.
Help us close this wealth gap. Join a community doing whatever it takes to help the underserved.
Giving $37 Monthly Can TransformBlack Lives in the Southern US....
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| $37 every month |
We Exist for the Underserved Communities....
The average Black family has a total wealth of just $17,600 - less than one-tenth the wealth of average white Family which stands at $171,000. We believe that building black businesses will reduce this economic inequality ~ and ultimately build stronger black communities.
Inspired by the humanist philosophy of Ubuntu, our founders firmly believe that when one community suffers, the whole society suffers. This is why we have embarked on B.O.O.M. or Building Our Own Marketplace Initiative which is projected to birth 1,340 new businesses, create 2,800 new jobs, and empower 2,500 students through financial literacy.
B.O.O.M (Build Our Own Markeplace)
Our Five-Step Framework for Improving Black Lives in the Southern U.S.
Meet Dr. Gentles: Serving 50,000 Children Every Year
The We All Eat Story: An Ingenious Solution that Fed More than 3,300 Hungry Families During the Pandemic
After seeing the covid 19 virus wreck havoc across the country, we come up with an ingenious solution to address food insecurity while simultaneously helping restaurants stay afloat.
Meet James: Employees First…
He’ll dip into his meagre savings, max out his credit cards, and apologize profusely to his creditors - all for one purpose. To pay his employees even when his business was shut down due to the pandemic.
Watch James McGhee share how Texas Black Expo support helped him navigate the rough waters of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Billionaire Robert Smiths Celebrates the Work of Texas Black Expo, Inc.
“Congratulations Texas Black Expo for 20 years of service to the community!”.
Earvin "Magic" Johnson
~Hall of Famer, Entrepreneur, and Philanthropist
“When we were first starting out, we did not have a lot of advertising money…TBE increased out visibility. A lot of people started coming into our organization knowing who we were. The benefit of having a strong black community is…it’s a strong symbiotic relationship”.
Dr. Anastasia Gentles
Co-founder, NightLight Pediatric Urgent Care
"You have helped so many with their business, skill-sets, and personal esteem. Thank you so much for your service!”
Dr. Dana Carson
CEO, Dana Carson Kingdom Ministries
Eternal Gratitude to Our Past Sponsors. We Could Not Have Done It Without You.....
Meet The Team
Jerome D. Love, Founder, and President
After founding Texas Black Expo in 2003, Jerome has been working tirelessly over the past two decades for advancing the economic prosperity within the Black community.
In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Jerome piloted the We All Eat Texas program that provided 713,000 meals to food-insecure families in addition to providing $11 million in economic stimulus to small businesses.
During Hurricane Harvey, Jerome worked tirelessly to secure microgrants for more than 42 local entrepreneurs.
He is thrilled to bring his experience and wisdom to B.O.O.M. for the next phase of impact and growth.
Jerome holds a Bachelor's in Corporate Communication & Business from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Certificate of Non-Profit Leadership from the Boston College Carroll School of Management.
He and his wife have 4 kids and reside in Houston, TX.
Dr. Shannon Cormier Williams, Co-Founder
Combining her doctoral training from The University of Texas at Austin in entrepreneurship and business incubation with nearly two decades of successful startup formation, Dr. Shannon is the co-founder of Texas Black Expo.
Her research expertise focuses on the incubation of micro-enterprises in underserved communities and transforming these emerging markets through the wealth-creating activity of the business enterprise.
Her first book, The Business Birthing Blueprint, teaches nonprofits, economic and community development organizations, local governments, and churches how to establish business incubators.
Her most recent book, Kingdom Entrepreneurship, promotes the development of startup ventures for the primary purpose of funding global, Great Commission-based activities in the church.
A native Houstonian, Dr. Williams resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, Pastor Lew Williams.
Dr. Johnny O’Connor, Chairman of the Board
The Chairman of the Board, Dr. Johnny O’Connor is also an experienced academician and entrepreneur.
He is the interim department chair and an assistant professor with the Department of Education Leadership at Lamar University. He has been with the university since 2014.
With 19 years of experience in pre-K - 12 education, Dr. O’Connor has been recognized for his commitment and accomplishments in providing positive educational opportunities.
His commendations include being the recipient of the YMCA Achievers Award, Ivy League Education Foundation Award, Iota Phi Lambda – Pearl of Service Award, and TAABSE Men of Distinction Honoree.
He has studied and trained at several universities including Harvard University, Cambridge, M.A. (urban special education), Rice University (strategic marketing), Texas Southern University (M.B.A.), Southern University (B.S./M.Ed.), Texas A&M University (Ph.D.) and University of Texas-Tyler, Texas (superintendent certificate).
Help the Less Fortunate...
Join a community doing whatever is takes to help the underserved.
Collectively, we can close this wealth gap, and do our bit to change Black Lives.
