When people hear the words community health, they usually think about hospitals, doctors, health insurance, or access to medical care.
I understand why.
After surviving multiple heart attacks and stage III cancer, I know firsthand how important quality healthcare can be. But over the last several years, as I’ve traveled across New York City building Heart, Body & Soul, I’ve come to realize something equally important:
Our health doesn’t begin at the hospital.
It begins in our neighborhoods. It begins with the grocery store we shop at. The café where we gather. The yoga studio where we reduce stress. The wellness practitioner who reminds us to slow down. The restaurant serving healthier meals. The entrepreneur who hires local residents. The cultural institution preserving our history. These are all part of the health ecosystem. That’s why National Black Business Month matters.
It’s not simply about celebrating entrepreneurship. It’s about recognizing that every thriving Black-owned business represents another opportunity for our communities to become stronger, healthier, and more economically resilient. For me, supporting Black-owned businesses isn’t charity. It’s community investment.
Courtesy of Ralston Smith
Every Dollar Tells a Story
Every day, we make purchasing decisions without thinking much about them. We order coffee. Buy lunch. Visit a barber. Take a fitness class. Shop online. Pick up groceries. Individually, those purchases may seem small. Collectively, they’re shaping the future of our neighborhoods.
When we intentionally support local businesses, we’re doing far more than helping one owner pay the bills. We’re helping someone hire another employee. We’re helping a family remain in Brooklyn. We’re helping a storefront stay occupied instead of boarded up. We’re helping someone sponsor a youth sports team, donate to a neighborhood nonprofit, mentor a young entrepreneur, or support a community event.
Money doesn’t simply disappear after it’s spent. It continues working.
The question is: Who is it working for?
Courtesy of Ralston Smith
Black Businesses Are Economic Engines
Small businesses remain the backbone of New York’s economy. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, New York is home to approximately 2.4 million small businesses, representing 99.8% of all businesses in the state. Together, they employ 3.9 million people, accounting for nearly 47% of New York’s workforce. Between 2023 and 2024 alone, small businesses contributed more than 54,000 net new jobs across the state. Black entrepreneurs are an increasingly important part of that story. Nationally, Black business owners operate nearly 3.6 million businesses, employing more than 1.27 million Americans. Those numbers continue to grow, demonstrating both resilience and the tremendous entrepreneurial spirit within our communities. Yet statistics only tell part of the story.
Behind every business is someone who took a risk. Someone who emptied a savings account. Someone who borrowed money from family. Someone who worked nights after working days. Someone who believed enough in an idea to build something that didn’t previously exist. Those dreams deserve our support.
What Happens When We Lose One Business?
Sometimes we think a business closes and life simply moves on. But communities feel those losses. When a neighborhood café closes, we lose more than coffee. We lose a meeting place.
When a wellness studio closes, we lose another accessible pathway to healthier living.
When a neighborhood bookstore disappears, we lose another place where young people discover ideas. When a family-owned restaurant closes, we lose culture, jobs, and traditions that often can’t be replaced.
Across New York, business owners continue navigating rising rents, inflation, staffing shortages, insurance costs, and changing consumer habits. These pressures are especially difficult for independently owned neighborhood businesses with limited access to capital. State reports continue to emphasize the importance of strengthening small businesses because they remain central to New York’s economic growth and neighborhood vitality. Every time an independent business disappears, a piece of the community disappears with it.
Courtesy of Ralston Smith
Entrepreneurship Is Community Leadership
One of the greatest misconceptions about entrepreneurship is that it’s only about making money.
The entrepreneurs I’ve come to know are community builders. They mentor young people. They donate to local causes. They sponsor neighborhood events. They create safe spaces. They employ local residents. They solve problems large corporations often overlook.
At Heart, Body & Soul, we’ve intentionally partnered with businesses like Urban Asanas, Brooklyn Tea, Life Wellness Center, HAAM, Aunts et Uncles, Men At Work Healing, Weeksville Heritage Center, Makina Cafe, Brooklyn Supported Agriculture, and Ancestral Whisper because we’ve witnessed something beyond their products or services. We’ve witnessed purpose. These businesses have opened their doors, shared their expertise, invested their resources, and shown up for our community time and time again. That’s leadership.
Our Communities Need More Owners
Supporting existing businesses is only part of the equation. We also need to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. Young people should know they don’t have to wait for permission to create opportunities. They can become employers instead of only employees. They can own buildings instead of only renting them. They can develop products, launch nonprofits, open cafés, create technology companies, start wellness practices, and build businesses that reflect the needs of their communities. Ownership creates options. Ownership builds wealth. Ownership changes neighborhoods.
Courtesy of Ralston Smith
A Healthier Future
Heart, Body & Soul has always believed that health is bigger than medicine. Health is economic opportunity. Health is stable employment. Health is fresh food. Health is safe spaces. Health is culture. Health is community. Health is hope. Every time we choose to support a neighborhood business that’s making a positive impact, we’re helping build the kind of Brooklyn we want future generations to inherit.
This National Black Business Month, I encourage you to be intentional. Discover a new café. Book a wellness appointment. Buy from a local artisan. Take a fitness class. Visit a cultural institution. Recommend a Black-owned business to a friend. Write a positive review. Bring someone with you the next time you visit.
Because supporting Black-owned businesses isn’t simply about where we spend our money. It’s about what kind of community we’re choosing to build. And that’s an investment that benefits all of us.