Richmond

Once known as the “Harlem of the South,” Richmond is a unique hub for Black culture. History runs deep here, with one-in-four African Americans tracing their roots back to the waterways of the James River. Black entrepreneurship was born just a few blocks away in Jackson Ward, a historic Black neighborhood established more than 150 years ago. Visionaries like Maggie L. Walker, the first Black woman to found, charter, and serve as president of a bank in America, and John Mitchell Jr., a businessman, newspaper editor, civil rights activist, and politician, stoked the embers of hope for Black society.

At the turn of the century, this Black community prospered, establishing their own banks, newspapers, stores, and theaters and creating a mirror society. Jackson Ward boasted over 200 Black-owned businesses and acquired the nickname “Black Wall Street.” Jackson Ward was a flourishing epicenter for Black culture until the city cut the neighborhood in half with the placement of the highway in the 50s. Like a tree whose roots have been destroyed, this forever altered the sense of community as well as the successes of the neighborhood. Now, nearly 70 years later, there is a conscious effort to support, highlight and bring in more Black businesses to the neighborhood.

Richmond’s current wave can be described as an old city with creative and entrepreneurial energy flowing through it. With a strong Black business culture in the city, businesses like Penny’s Wine Shop and Urban Hang Suite are paying homage to the history of the area while inspiring the next generation of Black entrepreneurs. Individuality is celebrated, in people, in food, in music, in cultural experiences. BLK RVA, an initiative of Richmond Region Tourism, celebrates Black culture and contributions in the city.