HU PNC National Center for Entrepreneurship

Stacie Lee Banks has worked in the family business for over 50 years. Lee’s Flower and Card Shop is a DC institution — and she is the reason it still stands. Standing ovation on The Main Stage at HBCU Empower where we’re giving flowers. June 24-26.

HBCU Empower is where the business gets done and the culture shows up to celebrate it. Two things can be true at the same time.

Eight days out.

Join us in DC! June 24th-June 26th! Link in our bio!

Howard Alum, Denise Rolark Barnes has been keeping DC’s community informed for decades. As Publisher of The Washington Informer (Washington Informer), she knows the power of owning your narrative across generations on the Main Stage, June 24-26. Link in our bio to join us at HBCU Empower.

She was one of Roc Nation’s first employees. Now she runs the room. Shardé Simpson started at the intersection of law, music, and business before most people knew that intersection existed. From Def Jam to Sony Music to nearly a decade inside Jay-Z’s Roc Nation — rising from executive assistant to Business and Legal Affairs — she learned the industry from the inside out. Today she leads The Simpson Group, a boutique entertainment law firm representing record labels and Grammy-winning artists. She also founded Hello Wilma, a legal tech platform making music contracts accessible to independent artists. Billboard named her a Top Music Lawyer. The culture already knows. HBCU Empower 2026. June 24–26. Washington, DC. Register now. Link in bio.

This is the next generation of business.
And they are not waiting.
Ten days until HBCU Empower 2026.
The students in this room will be running industries. Some of them already are.

Come see what it looks like up close.
Register now. Link in bio.

Celebrating Excellence. Honoring Impact. Advancing Legacy.

We are proud to announce the distinguished honorees of the 2026 HBCU Empower Awards.

Join us as we celebrate and honor these extraordinary individuals during the 2026 HBCU Empower Awards Ceremony at the 4th Annual HBCU Entrepreneurship Empowerment Summit on Friday, June 26th in Washington, DC: hbcuempower.com. Ticket link in our bio.

Congratulations to our 2026 honorees:
Community Impact Award: Shannan Herbert, CEO of Washington Area Community Investment Fund, Inc. (WACIF), Howard University Alum

Visionary Impact Award: Luke Lawal Jr., Founder/CEO of HBCU Buzz, Bowie State University Alum

Retail Impact Award: Kim Roxie, Founder and CEO of LAMIK Beauty, Clark Atlanta University Alum

Ecosystem Impact Award: Lakeysha Hallmon, EdD, CEO and Founder, Author, Tougaloo College Alum

Cultural Impact Award: Marcus Davis, Chief Steward of The Breakfast Klub, Texas Southern University Alum

He turned a family business into one of the most recognized haircare brands in America. Cornell McBride Jr., President of McBride Research Laboratories and Design Essentials, is on the Main Stage. June 24-26 in DC. Register now — link in bio.

Tennessee State alum, Jasmine Hudson spent nine years managing over $2.3 billion in retail spend at Walmart. Then she left to build the brand she always wished was on the shelf. Black Paper Party. Main Stage, June 24-26 in DC.

There are two Nasirs in venture capital. One raps. The other manages $186 million in AUM. If you are building and trying to raise, you need to be in the room when Hampton alum, Nasir Qadree speaks. Founder of Zeal Capital Partners. Main Stage. June 24-26 in DC.