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LEHIGH VALLEY PA: The last few weeks have shown the significant flaws in our society. Racial injustices have been pushed to the side for far too long. The entire nation took to the streets, to social media, and we hear your cries. BLACK LIVES MATTER. We stand in solidarity with you.
As we represent the Diversity Councils of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce on a daily basis, it hurts to see a more than deserving community in pain. The Black community needs our support, now more than ever. Too many lives have been lost at the hands of injustice, and we give our deepest sympathies to George Floyd’s loved ones and to all the other lives taken before him. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” –Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
We are on the brink of change and everyone is paying attention. Foundational change is not immediate; it takes time, persistence and resilience. It takes numbers and a never-ending stream of support. Rosa Park’s refusal to give up her seat in 1955, began the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which took 381 days of focused engagement to result in a desegregated bus system. We cannot stop now.
To this end and in support of the Black Business Community, we are calling for a Lehigh Valley Black Business Directory. During this time, we want to support the Black Business Community of the Lehigh Valley as much as possible. “Strategic change is created through economic commitment – a commitment to be on the right side of an issue you are passionate about. Support Black Owned Businesses,” said Joanne Leasure, CEO of Day One Accounting and Financial Services LLC.
As a “Call to Action,” the African American Business Leaders Council of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce has launched #SUPPORTBLACKBUSINESS Black Business Directory. The open call for businesses to sign up starts now via the Business and Diversity Councils’ webpage: https://www.lehighvalleychamber.org/submit-supportblackbusinesslv.html
The business directory will facilitate supporting black owned businesses by having direct links to their websites and the contact information all in one place and organized into categories. The directory is open to all African American owned businesses in the Chamber footprint.
“The goal is to have a positive economic impact. We also want to create opportunities to exchange beneficial knowledge and expertise that support the success of the business community,” said Qiana Cressman co-chair of the Chamber’s African American Business Leaders Council and Executive Director, Donor Operations at Miller-Keystone Blood Center. “It’s our responsibility to promote and help direct as much business as possible to this underserved segment of our business community,” adds Dan Bosket, co-chair of the Chamber’s African American Business Leaders Council and Director at Community Action Development Corporation of Allentown.
In Solidarity,
The Diversity Councils of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
The dynamic list of Black owned businesses can by accessed here: https://www.lehighvalleychamber.org/list-supportblackbusinesslv.html
Businesses that would like to sign up can do so at: https://www.lehighvalleychamber.org/submit-supportblackbusinesslv.html
For more information on the Black Owned Business Directory and the African American Business Leaders Council, please visit
https://www.lehighvalleychamber.org/businessanddiversity.html
About the African American Business Leaders Council: The Mission of the African American Business Leaders Council is to lead economic empowerment, foster and recognize excellence in the African American Business Community. The vision of the African American Business Leaders Council is a Lehigh Valley community in which the quality of life is enriched by diversity, inclusion and engagement.
About the Chamber: The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce’s mission is to serve as the voice for business by continuously improving the economic climate and creating growth opportunities for the Greater Lehigh Valley region. We accomplish this through business-to-business networking events and marketing products, affinity programs and exclusive, money saving member benefits, training programs, government affairs initiatives and public policy advocacy, and community development enterprises. With nearly 5,000 members who employ more than 200,000 individuals, The Chamber is the largest in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and in the top ten nationwide.
Information provided to TVL by:
Danielle Joseph
Executive Vice President, Diversity Councils
https://www.lehighvalleychamber.org/
