In celebration of Black History Month and National Entrepreneurship Week (Feb. 14–21), Harris-Stowe State University will host the Culture and Commerce: Black History Vendor Fair 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, February 21 at the Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE), 3203 Olive Street.
The Harris-Stowe Anheuser-Busch School of Business, CIE, and African Chamber of Commerce St. Louis are partnering for the event, which takes place in the former Mill Creek Valley.
A victim of ‘urban renewal, the hub of Black culture and entrepreneurship was also home to more than 20,000 residents, mostly of who were African American.
HSSU’s CIE site, which opened last year after extensive remodeling of its site, “reconnects Black economic activity to a place deeply rooted in Black history, resilience, and legacy,” according to a Harris-Stowe release.
“The CIE serves as a hub of innovation, a center for entrepreneurship, and a facilitator of partnerships and programs to enhance Black and brown scholars as well as the innovation community and entrepreneurship ecosystem,” states the CIE website.
Lyah LeFlore-Ituen, Missouri Historical Society’s African American History Initiatives director will share thoughts on the initiative and Mill Creek, and the fair will include an exhibit exploring “significant narratives in Missouri’s Black history and commerce.”
“St. Louis has always been a city of giants — poets, musicians, visionaries — and I’ve always felt called to make sure the world knows that,” she recently told the St. Louis American’s Kenya Vaughn.
“This city raised me creatively. Everything I do is rooted in honoring that.”
The New York Times bestselling author, award-winning producer, and NAACP Image Award winner brings more than 30 years of experience to her new role, in which will guide initiatives that expand scholarship, deepen community trust, and ensure that Black history remains central to understanding the American story.
She will serve as the primary spokesperson for AAHI and report directly to Missouri Historical Society President and CEO Dr. Jody Sowell.
The event, which is free and open to the public.