Newark Photo Exhibit Spotlights Black Women Business Owners

NEWARK, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of a Newark Patch community member. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.

The Newark Public Library (NPL) will present an opening reception on Thursday, April 7 for "Self Made," an exhibition of photos of Black women business owners in Newark, with a focus on entrepreneurs in the city’s West and South Wards. The show celebrates their beauty, creativity and connection to community.

The "Self Made" photojournalism project (www.selfmadenewark.com), launched in August 2020, originally profiled nine Black women business owners in Newark who were documented just before the COVID-19 outbreak. New images by photographer RaeAnn Walters that showcase women with at-home businesses were added to the library show.

The exhibition, which runs through September 17, can be viewed in the library’s first floor gallery and the James Brown African American Room Gallery on the second floor. The opening and reception will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Many of the "Self Made" women, who make the products they sell, were photographed and interviewed by photographer Tinnetta Bell and journalist Carrie Stetler between July 2019 to December 2020. They own businesses in the often ignored South and West wards of Newark, where economic recovery has been slower than other parts of the city.

Although Black women are rarely depicted as the face of small business owners in America, for more than a decade they have been the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in the U.S. From 2014 to 2019, firms owned by Black women grew at a rate of 50%, according to the American Express 2019 State of Women-Owned Business Report. The pandemic has not slowed the trend. According to the Harvard Business Review, 17 percent of Black women are in the process of starting or running their own businesses, compared to 10 percent of white women and 15 percent of white men.

"With Self Made, we wanted to emphasize that there is a wide range of Black women throughout Newark and the nation who are entrepreneurs, builders and creators," said Stetler, editor-in-chief of Self Made. "They are shaped and supported by their communities and strengthen them through the work they do. But they also offer products and services that give them joy to make, that are expressions of their values and passions, and that are available to everyone."

Bell, whose photos capture her subjects on and off the job, describes the importance of spotlighting Black women’s achievements and abilities.

"Society and media have perpetuated images that are not often in the best light. Black women are entrepreneurs and business owners," Bell said.

"We are out here making it happen for ourselves. Little girls and young women need to see this, and these images are here to positively influence and inspire. There needs to be light and it should shine brightly," said Bell who shot four updated images for the exhibit this year.

The exhibition focuses on images from the 2020 "Self Made" publication, originally created with funding from Newark Arts and an Express Newark Third Space grant. Four entrepreneurs are highlighted: Shidae Jones of CB Dreamhouse Boutique; Rashena Burroughs of Blueberry Café Juice Bar & Vegan Grille; Charmaine Vann Seagraves of Charmaine Has Hands 4 Hair; and Shikhana Muhammad of Salaam Ice Cream Parlor.

Five additional business owners are featured in shorter profiles: Laura Bonas Palmer of Akwaaba Gallery; Shante Lewis, the HotDog Lady; Malika Muhammad of Fashionable Fashions; Isabel Merced of Party Events; and Philomina Kissi of Dresswell Boutique.

The library show also includes "Self Made at Home," which features images of four Newark women who run home-based businesses, photographed in 2022 by RaeAnn Walters. They include artist Andrece Brady; jewelry maker Brianna Garrick, of Bekhari Styles; make-up artist Charisma Lyles, owner of the Glowing Experience; and Brandis Jones of Brandis Berry Wine.

The "Self Made" print publication, available for purchase on MagCloud, includes stories on the history of Black women entrepreneurs in America, resources for aspiring entrepreneurs and expert advice from financial educator and Newark resident Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche and Dawn Fitch, founder and owner of Pooka Pure & Simple bath and body products. The publication is in NPL’s special collections.

Profits from magazine sales are donated to SHE Wins Inc., a Newark non-profit that cultivates the potential of middle-school and high-school-aged girls, with a focus on those who have been affected by violence and trauma.

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