Campaign being launched to spur economic growth in Baltimore's Black business community

Ron Busby, Sr. , president/CEO, U.S. Black Chambers, Inc . (USBC) and Rev. Dr. Jamal-Harrison Bryant , Pastor and Founder of the Empowerment Temple Church , located in Baltimore, MD come together to announce Driving on E , a Baltimore-based campaign designed to spur economic growth and redevelopment of the city in the wake of recent protests. Local Black-owned businesses, all members of either the USBC or the Greater Baltimore Chamber of Commerce , hardest hit by the city's unrest will receive marketing and promotional support from June through September from Empowerment Temple Church at no cost to the companies.

Driving on E refers not only to the fatigue that has set in in cities across the country, but also the idea that when there are no resources from which to pull, an inevitable circumstance of consequences spurred from helplessness can erupt into unprecedented levels of anger, and the very worst of ourselves often comes out. The faith-based and business communities have come together to empower the Black community to invest in itself by "buying Black". Concurrently, businesses are being encouraged to invest in the community by offering training and employment.

"We have spent countless hours talking about the problems of police accountability, and are now shifting the focus to solutions through economic empowerment," said Ron Busby, Sr. "Only when we recommit ourselves to economically empowering the Black community by both shopping Black and hiring Black, will we see a marked difference."

Baltimore is just one of the cities involved in Driving on E. The campaign was launched nationally in April, and is two-phase initiative to spur renewal and revitalization in communities impacted by the recent spate of police shootings. In each market, both the faith-based and business communities will work together as an additional marketing tool for small businesses.

"The urgent opportunity before all of us is to squarely face the inequalities woven into our communities," said Dr. Jamal-Harrison Bryant" with the strong belief that business development and community development are inextricably linked. By offering these services our goal is to produce immediate tangible results in communities most affected by the protest."