One of the wonderful parts about the Forbes brand: its ubiquity in song lyrics—specifically, lyrics of Black artists, from Jay-Z to Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé to Bruno Mars to 50 Cent to the Weeknd. Forbes serves as handy one-word shorthand for success, yes. But more specifically, it’s a self-determinant strand appealing to anyone who feels societal roadblocks to achievement. As A$AP Rocky sings, “The sum of my performances/Just put me on the Forbes list.”
Ayisha Mendez and Jabari Young onstage at Forbes BLK Summit.
That empowerment message transcends music and explains the physical line, literally two city blocks long, in early November, as more than 800 Black entrepreneurs and leaders flocked to Atlanta for the first-ever ForbesBLK Summit. “You don’t have to explain impact when you can feel it,” says Ayisha Mendez, who manages ForbesBLK, which has surged to more than 33,000 members and 118,000 newsletter subscribers just since May. Adds Jabari Young, the editor of ForbesBLK: “In this room, you can just do business and network and feel comfortable. And in this room, we’ll find the next Black billionaires.”
A packed house of attendees at Forbes BLK Summit
Based on what I witnessed, Young nailed it. Entrepreneurship is transformative, and alluring, because while the playing field might not be level, anyone can bet on themselves. That journey becomes easier when it’s shared. ForbesBLK has already opened seven local community hubs and established mentoring partnerships with America’s HBCUs. It’s powerful.
We’ve seen previous effects within ForbesWomen and the young entrepreneurs of the Forbes 30 Under 30, but ForbesBLK demonstrates just how much untapped power sits within communities hungry for their full share of the American Dream. Drake offers the endgame: “This year I made the Forbes list/ Everything’s coming up gorgeous.” We’re excited to catalyze more gorgeousness in the years to come.
