Statewide initiative brings business, government and community leaders together to turn conversation into coordinated action

Georgia has earned national recognition as one of the best states in America for doing business. Now, the Georgia Coalition of Black Chambers is asking an important question: How do we ensure that Black businesses, communities and families are fully positioned to participate in Georgia’s continued economic growth?

The answer is taking shape through the Georgia BlackPrint, a statewide initiative designed to bring together Black business leaders, elected officials, community organizations, educators, financial institutions, faith leaders and other stakeholders around a shared strategy for economic prosperity.

Led by the Georgia Coalition of Black Chambers (GCBC), the Georgia BlackPrint represents a shift from isolated conversations and individual programs toward a more connected statewide economic ecosystem.

“Our goal is bigger than hosting another conference,” said Charise Stephens-Merriweather, Executive Director of the Georgia Coalition of Black Chambers. “The Georgia BlackPrint is about creating a framework that allows us to identify where we are, determine where we need to go, and then work collectively to get there. Georgia is number one in business, and we believe Georgia can become number one in Black business.”

A Statewide Voice for Black Business

The Georgia Coalition of Black Chambers works to strengthen and connect Black chambers of commerce and business organizations throughout the state while expanding access to resources, relationships, information and opportunities.

The Coalition’s growing role is one of convener, connector and advocate.

Rather than attempting to duplicate the work already being done by local chambers and organizations, GCBC seeks to connect those efforts and create opportunities for collaboration across regions.

That approach is especially important in a state as diverse as Georgia. The economic realities facing a business owner in rural Georgia may be significantly different from those confronting an entrepreneur in Metro Atlanta, Savannah, Columbus, Augusta or Macon.

The Georgia BlackPrint is designed to make room for all of those voices.

“Georgia does not have one Black economy,” Stephens-Merriweather said. “We have urban communities, rural communities, legacy businesses, startups, professionals, contractors, manufacturers, farmers, creatives and entrepreneurs. If we are serious about prosperity, our strategy has to recognize that diversity while connecting us around common goals.”

More Than a Conference

The public launch of the Georgia BlackPrint will be highlighted during The Georgia BlackPrint: The Prosperity Convening, August 31 through September 1 in Macon.

Hosted by the Georgia Coalition of Black Chambers and the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, the gathering will bring leaders from across Georgia together to discuss business development, public policy, procurement, workforce development, banking and capital, entrepreneurship, education, health, tourism, technology, international opportunities and community development.

Community partners include the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, Advancing Black Business Foundation, The B.L.A.C.K. Center, the Georgia Association of Black County Officials and the Georgia Black Mayors Coalition, with special recognition of the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc and the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials.

But organizers emphasize that the convening is the beginning—not the end—of the process.

The Georgia BlackPrint is envisioned as an ongoing statewide framework that can help establish priorities, measure progress, identify gaps and create greater accountability around Black economic advancement.

The initiative will ultimately focus on moving Georgia from conversation to coordination, coordination to implementation, and implementation to measurable results.

Building the Table Differently

One of the distinguishing features of the Georgia BlackPrint is the range of people being invited into the conversation.

Business leaders cannot solve economic challenges alone. Neither can government, nonprofits, philanthropy, educational institutions or community organizations.

The BlackPrint model calls for those sectors to work together while recognizing their different responsibilities.

Black mayors and other elected officials can help shape policies and public investment. Chambers can organize businesses and connect entrepreneurs with opportunities. Financial institutions can expand pathways to capital. Colleges and universities can develop talent and research. Corporations can strengthen supplier diversity and contracting pipelines. Community organizations can ensure that economic strategies reach neighborhoods and families.

The goal is not simply representation at the table. It is alignment around measurable outcomes.

That includes increasing Black business formation and sustainability, expanding procurement opportunities, strengthening access to capital, preparing workers for emerging industries, supporting Black-owned commercial corridors, increasing intergenerational wealth and ensuring rural communities are included in statewide economic strategies.

From Macon to Every Corner of Georgia

Holding the Prosperity Convening in Macon also carries significance.

Located near the geographic center of Georgia, Macon provides an opportunity to bring together leaders from metropolitan, small-city and rural communities.

It also reinforces a central message of the BlackPrint: Georgia’s economic future cannot be built exclusively from Atlanta.

Economic development must reach communities throughout the state.

The Georgia BlackPrint seeks to strengthen connections between those communities so that successful strategies developed in one part of Georgia can be shared, adapted and expanded elsewhere.
The initiative also recognizes that Black economic development is not solely about creating new businesses. It is about strengthening an entire ecosystem—from entrepreneurship and homeownership to education, healthcare, infrastructure, workforce development, tourism, culture and public policy.

Creating a Blueprint That Outlives the Moment

For GCBC, one of the most important measures of success will be what happens after participants leave the convening.

The organization plans to continue developing the Georgia BlackPrint as a living statewide economic framework, incorporating research, priorities, partnerships, scorecards and implementation strategies.

The vision is to create something future leaders can build upon rather than starting over every few years.

“We have tremendous talent and leadership throughout Georgia,” Stephens-Merriweather said. “The challenge has never been a lack of ideas or organizations doing good work. The opportunity before us is to better connect that work, identify our shared priorities and build the infrastructure necessary to sustain it.”

That means asking difficult questions.

Where are Black businesses growing? Where are they disappearing? Who is receiving public and private contracts? Where are the capital gaps? Are Georgia’s young people being prepared for the industries of the future? How are rural Black communities participating in economic development? And what policies could produce measurable improvements over the next five, ten and twenty years?

Those questions will require data, transparency and continued collaboration.

One Georgia. A Shared Economic Future.

The Georgia BlackPrint arrives at a pivotal moment.

Georgia continues to attract new businesses, industries, investments and residents. Billions of dollars will flow through infrastructure, technology, manufacturing, healthcare, entertainment, logistics and other sectors during the coming years.

For GCBC, the question is whether Black businesses will simply witness that growth or help lead it.

The Georgia BlackPrint is intended to help make the latter possible.

“This is not about one organization receiving credit,” Stephens-Merriweather said. “It is about building something that belongs to Georgia. If our chambers are stronger, our businesses are stronger. If our businesses are stronger, our communities are stronger. And when every community has the opportunity to prosper, Georgia is stronger.”

The Georgia Coalition of Black Chambers believes the state already has many of the people, organizations and resources needed to make that vision possible.

Now, the work is bringing them together.

The BlackPrint is the framework. Prosperity is the goal. Implementation is the work ahead.

For additional information about the Georgia Coalition of Black Chambers and the Georgia BlackPrint, contact GCBC Executive Director Charise Stephens-Merriweather at (478) 747-7920.