Juneteenth celebrates the day on June 19, 1865, that Union soldiers told enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, that the Civil War had ended and they were free. The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in the South in 1863 but it was not widely enforced (or even known) until after the end of the Civil War in 1865.
Currently, the day is recognized in various ways in 47 states and the District of Columbia. While it is not yet recognized as a federal holiday, in a nation that is currently seeing massive racial unrest and people taking to the streets to demand equality, for many, Juneteenth is taking on greater significance.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo in New York declared the day a state holiday and proposed legislation to mark it annually and companies and organizations across the nation are granting their employees the day off to recognize its importance. Twitter, Nike, Target, Uber, Lyft and numerous others have granted their employees a paid day off and/or holiday pay in vocal celebration of the holiday.
JCPenny’s CEO Jill Soutau said to employees, ““This Friday, June 19, I ask that you take the day to honor the historic pain caused by — and lives lost to — racial inequity and celebrate racial diversity.” She further reminded employees that, “This is an opportunity to continue to learn, connect with each other, and reflect on how we can move forward and achieve permanent and lasting change.”
JCPenny also gave corporate employees paid time off and offered holiday pay to retail employees scheduled to work today.
For us at the Chamber, we are choosing to shine a light on some of our local, black business owning members.
Many of you will recall that we at the Chamber recently underwent an organizational rebrand in 2019. For us, it was more than just a shiny new logo and crispy new business cards. It was a process, years in the making with months of planning, that resulted in a new mission, a refocused vision, and a renewed dedication to the business community of Frederick.
The mission of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce is to create value for our members through leadership, education, advocacy and networking, and to move the business community forward by promoting shared interests.
We made a commitment to lead, to educate and to advocate. We made it our mission to be a network for our members and to provide them with opportunities to create those meaningful connections on their own through us. We made a promise to help move the entire business community of Frederick County forward by promoting shared interests.
The board and staff of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce are committed to building community connections, supporting and engaging in meaningful dialogue with business and community leaders, and actively implementing new programs and opportunities to support equity in our business community and equality in our streets.
Because equity and equality are shared interests.
They benefit every member of our community and, without them, none of us can move forward – we are stagnant.
We are working to move you forward.
Celebrating Black Owned Businesses in Frederick County
*Note: This is not an exhaustive list of Black Owned businesses in Frederick County. This is a selected group of Chamber members we are highlighting based on their Chamber membership.
@VR
With nine separate gaming stations and over 40 games to choose from, visitors can come in alone or with friends and enjoy a single or multiplayer gaming experience. PC Gamers will also find a happy place @VR where, in addition to virtual reality gaming stations, they also offer PC gaming stations where you can log on and play.
Find out more: @VR
Also, be sure to read our feature story on @VR to find out more about our experience at their exciting location!
Beyond the Box Interiors
Beyond the Box Interiors is a full-service interior design firm that lives by the philosophy “design for the real world”. We believe that great design should not only reflect your style and personality but should also result in livable, functional spaces that you truly love. Their goal is to make the design process enjoyable and exciting from the initial concept through installation. They give careful thought and care to each project as we bring your vision to life.
Find out more here: Beyond the Box Interiors
Colbert Ball Tax Services (Franchise owned by Darrick Bowens)
Colbert/Ball Tax Services provides tailored, next-level tax and financial services to the individuals, small business owners, and nonprofit organizations in the Frederick and DMV area. With a deep-seated mission to understand, help, and educate for a beautiful financial future, Colbert/Ball cares deeply about each client and works tirelessly to understand each unique situation to develop a fitting course of action.
Find out more: Colbert Ball Tax Services
Greenbank Business Services
At Greenbank Business Services, the mission is to help creatives and holistic entrepreneurs not only keep up with their financials but to understand them, so they can make informed and strategic business decisions that help them thrive. Founder, Marie Greenbank, is about helping small business owners understand and implement financial strategies that get results. Her goal is to give you actionable steps and systems so that you can understand what your numbers are saying and use them to grow your business so you have “More Green Bank Days”.
Find out more here: Greenbank Business Services
Lee Building Maintenance
At Lee Building Maintenance, their experienced owners and technicians have been providing building maintenance solutions for over 16 years. Their commitment to the communities and people whom they serve fuels them to provide superior customer service with integrity and reliable, quality work, at a value price.
Find out more here: Lee Building Maintenance
Lundy HR Consulting
Lundy Human Resources specializes in HR Operational Excellence. Their team of experts has more than 20 years of experience in Human Capital Management, Change Management, Talent Management, Risk Management Performance Management, Employment Law, Policy Development, Training and Proposal writing. Lundy HR Consulting is driven to find solutions to meet your business needs.
Find out more here: Lundy HR Consulting
Check out Kimberly Lundy’s amazing homemade dessert company, Lundy’s Sweet Treats, too!
Mama Biscuit’s Gourmet Biscuits
Mama’s Biscuits is America’s first gourmet biscuit company. They specialize in making all-natural biscuits that contain No Trans Fat, No Preservatives, No Artificial flavors, colors or dyes and use real butter. Their biscuits come in over 50 + rotating flavors of sweet, savory, vegan and gluten-free.
Find out more: Mama Biscuit’s Gourmet Biscuits
Menchie’s Frederick (Franchise owned by Dianna Adams)
Known for their pick your flavor, pick your topping frozen yogurt selections, Menchie’s is actually about a lot more than good fro-yo. The Frederick franchise, like most of the locations, also offers fruit bars, customizable and character fro-yo cakes, sorbet, and fro-yo cookie sandwiches too. Their yogurt is certified kosher and awarded the live and active culture seal by the National Yogurt Association. Menchie’s prides themselves on using real ingredients in their frozen yogurt recipes and they even offer dairy free, sugar free, gluten free, and vegan options too.
Find out more here: Menchie’s
And, be sure to read our feature story about Menchie’s too!
Three Luxe Nine Interiors
Three Luxe Nine Interiors (formally just Three Luxe Nine) began by offering decorating services for special events and private in-home occasions. They quickly realized the positive impact that design and decorating services could also have on the daily lives of their clients and began to transition Three Luxe Nine into what it is today, a residential interior design firm, creating casually glam and transitional forever homes. Three Luxe Nine Interiors loves revealing the potential and beauty of existing spaces and changing how homeowners connect with their homes.
Find Out More here: Three Luxe Nine Interiors
Tropical Smoothie Cafe (Franchise owned by Tameka Davis)
Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s menu boasts bold, flavorful smoothies with a healthy appeal, all made-to-order with quality ingredients. We find that real fruits, veggies and juices just taste better. Their toasted wraps, sandwiches, flatbreads and quesadillas are made to suit your individual tastes with quality meats, fresh produce and flavorful sauces. Combine that with a fun, relaxing atmosphere – and unparalleled hospitality – and you can see why people return again and again for the Tropical Smoothie Cafe experience. The Tropical Smoothier mission is to inspire a healthier lifestyle by serving amazing food and smoothies…with a bit of tropical fun.
Find out more here: Tropical Smoothie Frederick
Uplift with Dr. Xavier Bruce
Dr. Bruce is the creator of the self-development framework known as Strategic Energetic Transition™ (SET). This serves as the basis of his unique approach to coaching and speaking. He specializes in helping clients change the way they think, feel and act when dealing with stress. Together, he works with you to be your trusted partner in creating an action plan to start making big steps towards your goals.
Find out more here: Uplift
Special Thanks
We’d like to also specially recognize Jason Lee, CEO of Lee Building Maintenance, Aje Hill, Founder of I Believe In Me Inc., Wil Graham, Chamber Board Member, Darrick Bowens, owner Colbert Ball Tax Service, and Daryl Boffman, FCPS Executive Director of Public Affairs, for their countless hours of service on our board, in committees and/or in consultation with us this year and many previous.
Their leadership and guidance has and will continue to help us on our journey to help create a more equitable, inclusive, and diverse business community in Frederick County.
Frederick Chamber Insights is a news outlet of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce. For more information about membership, programs and initiatives, please visit our website.