200+ BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES TO OCCUPY 23rd & JACKSON ST ON MEMORIAL DAY

200+ BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES TO OCCUPY 23rd & JACKSON ST ON MEMORIAL DAY IN HONOR OF 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF BLACK WALL STREET MASSACRE

Seattle, WA - In memorial of the 100th Anniversary of Black Wall Street massacre in Tulsa, OK, 200 plus Black businesses will occupy 23rd & Jackson in the Central District of Seattle to protest economic apartheid today. Thousands are expected to attend the Honoring Our Black Wall Streets Rally & Teach In event to demand economic justice for the Black community in Seattle, Martin Luther King Jr. County, WA.

Increasing the success of Black-owned businesses is one the most effective ways to build generational wealth, decrease Black unemployment and support thriving Black communities.

Reports show that up to 98% percent of Black businesses are owned by soloprenuers, having no employees. If these businesses can grow enough to hire 1-3 Black employees, Black unemployment can be nearly eliminated while adding over $55 Billion to the economy.

Although these same Black businesses were disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black community and its businesses have not received equitable relief resources. Now is the time to take bold action to build a new normal rooted in equity.

DEMANDS

1. Vulcan and Amazon divest from predatory development and support Black ownership at 23rd & Jackson.

2. King County and City of Seattle invest $300 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds into the Black community.

3. Local government, corporate sector and philanthropy invest $1 billion dollars to seed the Build Africatown Black Community Development Fund.

Who: Build Africatown Coalition

What: Honoring Our Black Wall Streets Rally & Teach In

When: Monday, May 31, 2021 - 1:00pm - 7:00pm

Where: 23rd & S. Jackson St to Martin Luther King Way & S. Jackson St.