Network on the beach? Miami wants Black businesses to connect

Edwin Muhammad, founder of HEAL Innovators in Miami, expressed that he had no idea what to expect from a networking event at Historic Virginia Beach Park.

“I was going to take a business day out to come to this and maybe fall behind,” Muhammad said. “But it turned out to be completely what I needed, because I actually met with some key people that I specifically need for what we’re looking at doing.” 

Muhammad was talking about “Business Link Up on the Beach,” an event led by Miami Commissioner Christine King. With the turquoise waters of Virginia Key as its backdrop, local government bodies, non-profits, and business-owners mingled underneath the shade of a tent by the park’s Historic Concession Stand. 

“That’s why we do these business link-ups, right?” King said. “Because you never know who you’re going to run into. You never know who you’re going to see and what resources you’ll learn about and who.”

District 2 Commissioner Damian Pardo was also present, chatting with his team and event attendees about the initiatives and opportunities present with the Omni CRA.

“The most important thing about this event is linkage,” Pardo said. “And a lot of time Black businesses aren’t linked to a lot of other parts of the community that really can provide those resources, connections that are so needed and so available.”

“Let’s bring a bunch of organizations that have tremendous connections, great resources, and wonderful programs. Let’s help educate the community, bring them all together, have a nice time on a beautiful day in Miami, here on the beach, and celebrate Black businessmen.” 

Volunteer and education coordinators Maya Forbes and Luiz Serra Arenas welcomed event-goers to the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park and emphasized the importance of the waterfront park as a meeting place:

“This has been a place of community building,” Forbes said. “Communities coming out to enjoy the beach, to work together to bring forth a place of connection.”

“We are here together to not only get business connections together, but also to enjoy this historic site and just relish in what this place is and how important it is to Miami’s history.”

Forbes announced that the event was intended to share resources with the community in celebration of Black Business Month this August. Alongside networking opportunities, the event provided complimentary food, drinks, and a raffle. 

Some participating vendors included South Florida Debris Free Oceans, Miami Waterkeeper, the Omni CRA, The Little Haiti Revitalization Trust, the North Miami CRA, the Bayfront Park Development Trust and the Miami-Dade Democratic Party.

A majority of vendors aimed to promote grants available for small business owners and resources for collaboration. Some, like the Little Haiti Revitalization Trust, specifically target areas that would benefit from reinvested dollars into the community. 

Joann Milord, president and CEO of the Little Haiti Revitalization Trust, wanted to encourage people to learn more about their services –whether a small business grant, a home rehab grant or a home buyer program–to see whether or not they qualify. 

Black homebuyers in rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods like Liberty City have described struggles to buy back in their communities – whether barred by income requirements in loan qualifications, high home costs, or low credit scores. 

Santravia Butler, special event manager at Bayfront Park Management Trust Corporation, encouraged Black business owners interested in doing an event at Bayfront Park to fill out their special events application. She cited other recurring events hosted by Bayfront Park, such as the Haitian Compas Festival and Best of the Best Caribbean Festival, that celebrate Black culture.

“We support [Black businesses] and we just want them to know that anything that they need, Bayfront Park is willing to help.” 

Tahlia Gray, procurement analyst at City of Miami, cited a number of projects available for business services on its website that they are hoping for small businesses to come and take part in the city’s opportunities. 

Cecilia Jones, executive director of the City of Miami’s Omni Community Redevelopment Agency, added that the focus is on underserved communities. “We want to make them know, and we want to let all of Miami know that we are here as a resource in the city of Miami,” she said.

In 2022, businesses with majority Black ownership represented only about 3% of all companies in the United States, and they generated just 1% of the total revenue among classifiable firms, according to the Pew Research Center.

King mentioned she now offers a small business grant upwards to $10,000 exclusively for small business owners in District 5. 

At the end of the event, King thanked everyone for their participation and celebration of Black Business Month.

“We are here to celebrate. Celebrate Business Month. Celebrate you. Celebrate our businesses,” King said. 

“It is absolutely the most diverse district in the city of Miami, but we share it with all of our colleagues in the city of Miami. It is absolutely the Magic City.”

Pardo also wanted to promote his workshop called Partnering for Progress, which presents accessible information and explanations of each department in Miami for the average person in order to empower them with information to better advocate for their community and neighborhood. 

Muhammad of HEAL innovators says he plans to follow up on his newfound connections immediately and create some magic. 

The Key Biscayne Independent and Liberty City Independent receive support from the Press Forward program at the Key Biscayne Community Foundation for community cultural, arts, and event coverage. The KBI and LCI are solely responsible for all content.