LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Louisville Urban League marked Kentucky Emancipation Day with a Black Business Expo in Louisville, connecting the state’s history of emancipation with Black Business Month and support for Black entrepreneurs.
 
The event brought together several business owners who shared their products, met other entrepreneurs and built visibility for their work. Organizers said the day was meant to highlight both history and economic empowerment.
 
For Brandy English, owner of Kraftii Bee, launching a business began after people started noticing her work.
 
“People was coming up to me, complimenting, asking where I got them from, and I said, ‘Oh, I make them,’” English said. “And then I just went from there. I just stepped out on faith and said, OK, I’m about to turn this into something.”
 
English said she has now been in business for three years.
 
“It’s been going great,” English said. “I’ve been in business for three years now, and I’m loving it. I really am.”
 
Cynthia Brown, with the Louisville Urban League, said holding the expo on Kentucky Emancipation Day was significant because of the date’s meaning in the state.
 
“I think that it’s significant because this was Freedom Day for Kentucky,” Brown said. “Everybody talks about Juneteenth. This is Juneteenth for Kentucky, and it’s when people got the word that they were free.”
 
Brown said entrepreneurship has long been part of the Black community, and the event offered a way to connect that history to present-day business ownership.
 
“Being able to kind of pull that piece out and connect it to the history, I think that’s really special,” Brown said.
 
More than 150 years later, organizers said the day also served as a reminder of the role Black businesses have played in building communities.
 
Monica Cauley, owner of Charming Behavior, said the expo gave her a chance to meet other entrepreneurs and build new connections.
 
“I’ve already made so many different connections from just being here, just walking around and introducing myself and learning from other people,” Cauley said. “I think it’s important for us to give back to each other, so I love it.”
 
Cauley said events like the expo help business owners gain visibility beyond a single sale.
 
“But it makes me feel good to know that what I’m portraying out, everyone else is receiving it,” Cauley said.
 
Organizers said the goal is to make sure support for Black-owned businesses continues beyond Black Business Month and happens year-round.
 
The Louisville Urban League also offers support for aspiring entrepreneurs, including coaching and help securing funding to get businesses started.

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