Michigan now has its first-ever statewide advocacy group devoted to black-owned businesses.
The Michigan Black Chamber of Commerce will introduce its leaders and goals at a press conference in Detroit Monday.
Ken Harris is the group’s president and CEO. He says the number of black-owned businesses in Michigan is growing at three times the national rate:
"We want to identify emerging markets that we’re successful in currently, and then more importantly we want to move into areas where we’re not participating."
Harris says the organization will also lobby in Lansing and Washington DC, and there are plans for local branches in several Michigan cities. The group plans a convention in Detroit in June.
