Realizing The Dream of A New Black Wall Street

J. Hackett founded Black Wall Street AVL in 2020, as the nation was being rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic. The mission: to revitalize Black-owned businesses in Asheville, N.C. Along with Executive Director Bruce Waller Jr., Hackett started with an initial goal of supporting at least 20 entrepreneurs. Now they have more than 135 businesses in their cohort and produce one of the largest and fastest-growing outdoor festivals in the region, Grindfest AVL, designed to drive revenue for Black entrepreneurs. Hackett and Waller join Beyond The Hype to share their experience of building a new Black Wall Street.

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