CultureVations, founded by Tyreek Moore, will host “The Black Wall Street Homecoming,” a three-day event June 15–June 17 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that will focus on equipping underrepresented founders with equity, access, exposure, and opportunity for their entrepreneurial endeavors.
Founded on the legacy of the first Black Wall Street, which spanned 35 blocks in the Greenwood District of Tulsa before race riots killed nearly 300 people in 12 hours, the event hopes to create thriving Black business districts nationwide. The original string of Black-owned businesses totaled over one billion dollars and included five hotels, 31 restaurants, eight doctor’s offices, two movie theaters, 24 grocery stores, and more, according to Forbes.
Moore hopes to establish a pipeline of success for entrepreneurs of color, who, he says, often feel that the only barrier to their progress is closed doors. “I’ve worked in cultivating underrepresented founder ecosystems for the last several years, [and] many of my founders repeated the same statement time after time. I just want a seat at the table,” he said. Racial gaps are significant in understanding the full scope of how wealth is distributed in America, and many corporations are joining the call to help make things right.
Microsoft, Goodlight Capital, Black Ambition, Atento Capital, AccentureACN, Big Equity, MaC Ventures, and Cinematica Labs are all early supporters of the work Moore and CultureVations are doing to support the future of Black entrepreneurship. Moore says the event will be part of a larger programmatic strategy to address the specific needs of those in the margins. “We are bringing together thought leaders and problem solvers from across the country to identify methods by which we can resurrect Black Wall Street, physically in Tulsa and mentally everywhere,” he said.
“The Black Wall Street Homecoming” event will be another part of the CultureVations mission to partner with brands on creating culturally relevant experiences and activations.