Black Wallstreet Grand Rapids’ celebrated the groundbreaking of its new headquarters this week. Located on its flagship district at 1956 Eastern, the multi-use building sits on the same block as Grand Rapids Area Black Businesses and the Urban League of West Michigan.
Co-Founder and President, Preston Sain, said in a press release this location provides an opportunity to “mobilize and strengthen the ecosystem of Black and Brown communities,” adding it also creating pathways for equity, ownership and generational wealth.
With long-term plans to develop eight Black business districts, the public-private collective said it hopes to turn Grand Rapids into a world-class diverse and inclusive city of the Midwest.
Ownership of the new headquarters is shared between Black Wallstreet Grand Rapids Co-founders and Burton Village BBQ. The ground breaking was hosted in celebration of the Black August holiday month and Black Philanthropy Month.
Black Wallstreet Grand Rapids is inspired by the original Black Wallstreet in Tulsa Oklahoma, which was known as the wealthiest Black community in American history, before it was burned to the ground in the massacre of 1921.
In a statement Sain said breaking ground on the group’s headquarters is just one step closer to creating that kind of thriving Black economy in West Michigan.
