A Phoenix incubator is on a mission to extend the lifeline of Black-owned businesses.
ABC15 Arizona reports that the Phoenix building on East Washington Street was previously listed in the Green Book. As AFROTECH™ previously shared, Victor Hugo Green’s Negro Travelers’ Green Book was a guide that helped Black travelers during segregation in the Jim Crow era. It identified businesses, restaurants, gas stations, and lodging where they could safely stop without facing racial discrimination.
The Swindall Tourist Inn remains a safe space. It houses Black-owned businesses through the Afri-Soul Education Center, a hub that “preserves African American heritage, strengthens community, and expands economic opportunity,” according to a statement on its website.
Darlene Little is the founder and CEO of the business incubator. When she first moved to Phoenix, she recognized there was a lack of support for Black founders, leading many businesses to survive only three to five years, according to ABC 15. They were in need of access to capital, mentorship, and business education.
The Afri-Soul Education Center is working to change that. Within its marketplace, which features handcrafted goods, art, apparel, and creations, 15 to 20 Black artisans and entrepreneurs are supported.
“My business is their business,” Little told ABC15 Arizona. “I have no other function than to help other African-American or small business or BIPOC businesses be successful. That is our goal and our mission.”
The Afri-Soul Education Center also prioritizes cultural education and storytelling; entrepreneurial development; intergenerational learning and community wellness; and even youth empowerment for children ages 5 to 12 and teenagers through its BOSS program.
“A lot of us don’t know the language of business, and that becomes a barrier,” Little explained to ABC15 Arizona. “We need to start young.”
Looking ahead, Little wants to ensure her mission at the building becomes permanent by securing ownership of the property.
“We are doing a capital campaign in order to purchase that building so that it’s in Black hands forever,” Little explained, according to the outlet. “So that we can stretch out, so that we can have event space for small businesses that won’t cost them too much in order to promote their own businesses.”
