Thursday, February 6, 2025 – Tuskegee, AL – The National Business League (NBL), the nation’s first and oldest Black business organization, founded by Booker T. Washington in 1900, has officially launched its 125th Quasquicentennial Anniversary Year with a historic press conference at the Alabama League of Municipalities in Montgomery, Alabama. The event drew a standing-room-only audience of Black business owners, corporate leaders, elected officials, and students from across the country, setting the stage for a bold new era of Black economic empowerment.
Speaking to the crowd, Dr. Ken L. Harris, the 16th President & CEO of the NBL, reinforced the organization’s commitment to economic sovereignty, self-reliance, and self-determination, echoing Booker T. Washington’s vision.
“For 125 years, the National Business League has championed Black Business Enterprises (BBEs) as the foundation for economic independence, liberation, and freedom. Today, we take that vision further, recognizing that in the digital age, technology and digitalization are the new industrial revolution. To secure Black economic sovereignty globally, we must digitize our businesses, modernize our industries, and build sustainable wealth through technological advancement.” – Ken L. Harris, Ph.D.
As part of this transformative initiative, the NBL is rolling out an ambitious three-year strategic plan to digitize 1 million Black Business Enterprises (BBEs)® by 2028. This effort builds on the success of the organization’s National Black Supplier Program Black Business Enterprise (BBE) Certification Pilot Program from 2022-2025, which, over the past three years, has secured $150 million in contracts with Fortune 500 partners, Stellantis, GM, Ford, Toyota, Cummins, Magna, Comerica Bank, DTE Energy and several others, demonstrating significant potential for economic impact by going direct from NBL to strategic corporate partner outside of defeated affirmative action and failed DEI frameworks. The new strategy will expand the NBL’s reach, modernizing its national and international business league chapters while equipping BBEs with the digital infrastructure needed to compete in the global economy.
The momentum will culminate at the highly anticipated 125th National Black Business Conference, hosted by the National Alliance for Black Business is set to take place August 17-23, 2025, at the Hilton Atlanta Hotel in Atlanta, GA. With an expected attendance of 5,000 business leaders, policymakers, and industry innovators, the conference will serve as a pivotal, Black-led platform for shaping the future of Black economic empowerment.
This landmark initiative is not just a commemoration of the past—it is a strategic move toward the future, redefining the Black economic agenda beyond the white-minority-led and defeated affirmative action and DEI frameworks. The National Business League is leading the charge toward a new era of economic sovereignty, where Black businesses thrive through ownership, innovation, and digital transformation—not just survival.
About the National Business League
Founded in 1900 by Booker T. Washington, the National Business League (NBL) is the first and largest trade association for Black businesses, dedicated to advancing economic independence, entrepreneurship, and enterprise development for over a century. Today, the NBL continues to drive Black business growth across the U.S. and globally, shaping the future of Black economic empowerment through strategic partnerships, digital transformation, and industry-leading programs. Visit: www.nationalbusinessleague.org
