Black History Month has long served as a time to reflect on the courage, sacrifice, and leadership that shaped our nation. In Georgia, that history is inseparable from economic progress.
While marches and legislation reshaped the social and political landscape, another transformation was unfolding quietly but powerfully: Black entrepreneurs were building institutions, creating jobs, and laying the economic foundation for generational progress.
In cities like Atlanta, economic empowerment became a parallel strategy to civil rights. Business ownership was not simply about profit. It was about stability, self-determination, and access.
Historic corridors such as Auburn Avenue, once known as “Sweet Auburn,” were home to thriving Black-owned enterprises that demonstrated what economic inclusion could look like in practice. Leaders such as Alonzo Herndon built companies like Atlanta Life Insurance Company at a time when access to capital and opportunity was intentionally limited. Later, business visionaries like Herman J. Russell expanded into construction and development, reshaping Atlanta’s skyline and proving that diverse-owned firms could compete and lead at scale.
These leaders were not simply successful entrepreneurs. They were economic architects.
Today, that legacy continues in a different arena: the corporate boardroom.
Supplier inclusion and diverse business development represent the modern infrastructure of economic inclusion. What once required independent corridors of survival now requires integrated supply chains, strategic partnerships, and procurement accountability.
Diverse businesses are not peripheral players. They are critical contributors to innovation, stability, and competitive advantage. Across Georgia, they operate in advanced manufacturing, logistics, professional services, healthcare, construction, and technology. They generate jobs, strengthen communities, and expand the tax base.
The work of the Georgia Business Council exists squarely within this legacy. Development, connection, and advocacy are not administrative functions. They are economic levers.
As corporations continue to evaluate risk, supply chain continuity, and market expansion, diverse suppliers are no longer viewed as optional participants. They are strategic partners.
Black History Month therefore calls us not only to reflect, but to examine. How are we building? How are we investing? How are we ensuring that economic participation remains accessible and scalable?
The transition from civil rights to corporate responsibility is not symbolic. It is measurable.
Every contract awarded, every partnership formed, and every capacity-building initiative launched contributes to a larger narrative: that economic inclusion strengthens markets and communities alike.
Legacy builders of the past laid the foundation. Today’s business leaders have the responsibility to continue constructing an economy that reflects both opportunity and accountability.
Black history in Georgia is not confined to monuments or anniversaries. It is visible in the companies that grow, the partnerships that expand, and the leaders who choose to invest intentionally.
That is the business of legacy.
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