Black small business owners in Columbia receive grants from national coalition

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Five Black small business owners in Columbia recently received $5,000 grants from the Coalition to Back Black Businesses.

The Coalition is a multi-year-grantmaking and mentorship initiative established by American Express and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to address the needs of businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and support their long-term growth, according to a news release. This year the Coalition is giving out $1.62 million in awards to Black-owned small businesses in 34 states.

The recipients from Columbia are Stephanie Armstrong of Caveman Haircuts, a local barbershop staffed with woman barbers; Vonquintella Golson of JMG Transport, a local transportation company that mentors driver sot become owner-operators; Carmen Young of One Forty Logistics, a service-based logistics and mobile application development company; Danika Parker of Danika Parker Insurance Services, and Jessica Grant of Blush Salon, a retail shop that is part of Branded Beauty Co. and provides coaching and resources for women.

Through the program, they also will have access to long-term mentorship programs and online resources, according to the release.

Since its launch in 2020, the Coalition has awarded over $8.1 million in grant dollars to over 1,400 Black-owned small businesses.