How Black Entrepreneurs are Rebuilding Baltimore’s Struggling Neighborhoods

By some measure, Baltimore’s entrepreneurship economy is heading in the right direction. Startup activity in the city has increased by 7.4 percent since 2010, more than double the national average over that period, according to a report by the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore. Meanwhile, 51 companies in the greater Baltimore area made Inc. magazine’s 2015 Top 5,000 list, which ranks the fastest-growing private companies in the country. However, those promising economic figures mask some serious economic and racial challenges that linger in America’s Charm city. More than a quarter of the city’s African-American population, for instance, still lives below the poverty line, almost double the rate for Caucasians. In addition, Baltimore’s African American population faces a markedly higher unemployment rate, according to Al Jazeera. Previously under the radar, the well document riots last year (fueled by the death of local resident Freddie Grey) cast the national spotlight on some […]