Alabama Black Expo encourages businesses, community!

By: Renata Di Gregorio

 

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - As race divides people miles away in Virginia, it brought people together Saturday in Huntsville.

Business support, culture, and community are just some of the words used to describe the inaugural Alabama Black Expo.

 

For new business owner Keunna Swopes, that support is what keeps the black-owned business world going 'round.

"No matter what you want to do, you can do it because there's all different types of people in here and they're all doing something different and it's amazing," she said.

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Swopes says she's always had a 'you can't stop me' attitude when it comes to her dreams, but she also feels it's important to succeed because of her ethnicity. "I'm gonna go for it, I'm gonna work hard for it, I'm gonna educate myself on it,” she said. “And I just feel like me being a black woman, I have to do that. It's something I don't take lightly. Because there's so many that don't succeed, I'm gonna make sure that me as well as my children, we gonna succeed."

 

In light of the day's violence in Virginia, she feels community gatherings like this one become all the more important.

"The only way to overcome those things is to continue to do great things,” Swopes said. “If we continue to just lift each other up, no matter who, what color, what race, it doesn't matter, that tries to stop us, then we're gonna do good. So I say, don't focus on the bad."

Swopes isn’t the only person who said positivity is key. Others said it’s important to encourage positivity in the black community and outside of it.