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Event Series:
Anniversary | National Negro Business League
Anniversary | National Negro Business League
August 23, 2026
Booker T. Washington creates the National Negro Business League
The Negro Business League was founded by Booker T. Washington on August 23, 1900 to promote the interests of Black businesses all over the country.
The League, created initially in Boston, Massachusetts, included small business owners, doctors, farmers, craftsmen, and other professionals.
Booker T. Washington felt that there was a need for African Americans to build an economic network and allow that to be a catalyst for change and social improvement. The League also helped these businesses with merchandising and advertising problems, promoting them in Black newspapers and magazines.
Image: Letter from the Negro Business League to the City of Miami Chief of Police and the Director of Public Safety. In this letter, they petition for Civil Service status for the Black policemen of Miami. Black Police Precinct & Courthouse Museum archives.