Kenneth B. Morris, Jr., great-great-great-grandson of Frederick Douglass and great-great-grandson of Booker T. Washington, will deliver the keynote address for the Quasquicentennial Anniversary Celebration.
ATLANTA, Aug. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — In a defining moment that unites 125 years of legacy with the promise of a bold economic future, the National Business League (NBL) — founded in 1900 by the legendary Booker T. Washington as the nation’s first and oldest trade association for Black Business Enterprises (BBEs) — will convene its sold-out Quasquicentennial 125th National Business League Conference, August 21–23, 2025, at the Hilton Atlanta Hotel. Born in the shadows of post-Reconstruction America, Washington’s vision—rooted in economic self-determination, Pan-African diasporic unity, and enterprise power—returns to center stage through a historic collaboration with the National Alliance for Black Business (NABB), co-founded by the National Black Chamber of Commerce and the World Conference of Mayors, joined by the All Black National Convention and Presenting Sponsor Traffic Sales & Profit (TSP). In an unprecedented move, TSP—America’s leading learning community for more than 48,000 purpose-driven Black entrepreneurs—has invested $100,000 to anchor the conference’s 3,330 registered attendees and 33 Pan-African countries from around the globe, a role traditionally held by Fortune 500 corporations. Chanting “We Are Together,” these united forces will honor a legacy forged in resilience while charting a bold future grounded in economic sovereignty, global unity, and transformative impact.
Quasquicentennial 125th National Business League Conference, presented by Traffic Sales and Profit, August 21–23, 2025.
[NBL Archives: In August 1913, during the National Negro Business League’s annual conference in Philadelphia—where she served as a keynote speaker and as a devoted member and supporter of the League—Madam C.J. Walker is pictured alongside Booker T. Washington at the dedication of the Senate Avenue YMCA in Indianapolis on July 8, 1913. Walker, one of the nation’s first self-made women millionaires, contributed $1,000 toward the project, while Washington delivered the keynote address.]
This year’s conference represents a defining moment in the trajectory of Black business in America. Amid a widespread retreat by both the public and private sectors from unfulfilled diversity commitments, 61 years after the passage of civil rights legislation, the National Business League delivers a clear and unapologetic message: the era of dependence and the illusion of inclusion is over. Black Business Enterprises (BBEs) must now finance, sustain, own, and control their institutions — as Black Americans did with strength and resolve before the Civil Rights era. Serving as the presenting sponsor of the 125th National Business League Conference, Traffic Sales and Profit (TSP) embodies this mandate, proving that BBEs possess not only the resources and capacity, but also the conviction, to build and command a global economic future.
“We are honored to partner with the National Business League for this historical celebration,” said Lamar Tyler, co-founder of Traffic Sales and Profit, whose company uses digital marketing strategies and sustainable systems to empower Black entrepreneurs worldwide to scale into multimillion-dollar enterprises. “Our slogan at TSP is ‘We Are the Ones,’ which serves as a bold declaration and a reality check that we are the only ones able to save us. That is why my wife, Ronnie, and I created TSP because entrepreneurship and creating sustainable, competitive businesses is our path forward. Supporting this conference is proof that we, as a community, are capable and prepared to lead, build, and empower ourselves through enterprise development, digital innovation, and strategic ownership.”
Sixty-one years after the end of the civil rights era, data trends confirm the urgency of this moment, as Black Americans remain at the bottom of America’s economic hierarchy. Since the economic shutdowns of 2020, BBEs have experienced disproportionate closures, severe capital shortages, and diminishing access to institutional support across both the public and private sectors. At the same time, corporate America has quietly withdrawn billions in pledged equity commitments — a wake-up call that true enterprise freedom for Black people, culturally, educationally, socially, politically, and spiritually, cannot exist without economic independence. That was Booker T. Washington’s mandate in 1900, and it remains the Blackprint today. TSP’s presenting sponsorship of the NBL’s 125th Anniversary aligns with the League’s newly launched “Black Economic Freedom Movement” and its “Digitize 1 Million Black Businesses by 2028” campaign — a bold, 21st-century roadmap to economic sovereignty that integrates digitalization, artificial intelligence, automation, and quantum technology to build a global digital infrastructure connecting, certifying, and empowering one million BBEs. More than a campaign, it is a movement to reclaim power, rebuild institutions, and reimagine the future — from the ground up.
“Booker T. Washington believed Black people could — and must — do for themselves. That belief is alive and unshakable,” said Dr. Ken L. Harris, 16th President and CEO of the National Business League. “For the past 61 years, Indigenous and Aboriginal Black Americans have been lured into the failed experiment of economic inclusion — begging for a seat at someone else’s table, only to discover there was no plate, no fork, no spoon, and no meal. In this post–civil rights, post-DEI era, the NBL and NABB are leading a new age — the Economic Sovereignty Era. That is why it is monumental for a Black Business Enterprise like Traffic Sales & Profit to step forward as Presenting Sponsor with a $100,000 investment and partnership. This is not charity. This is economic self-determination in action — and the future of the Pan-African diaspora depends on it.”
Another major highlight of the conference will be a keynote address by Kenneth B. Morris, Jr., the 3rd great-grandson of Frederick Douglass and 2nd great-grandson of Booker T. Washington. As co-founder and president of the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, Morris carries forth a dual legacy of abolition, education, and economic justice, honoring the past while shaping a liberated future.
“My family’s legacy is rooted in freedom, education, and self-reliance,” said Kenneth B. Morris Jr. “To speak at this historic convening of global Black enterprise is both a personal and ancestral honor. We must continue to build an economic foundation for our people that future generations can stand upon.”
The 125th National Business League Conference will unite more than 100 national Black business organizations, including the All Black National Convention, led by acclaimed speaker, educator, and author Dr. Boyce Watkins, founder of The Black Business School. Watkins, widely recognized for his influential work The 10 Commandments of Black Economic Power, will join leaders from across the nation for this landmark gathering in Atlanta—a bold declaration that the future of Black economic power will be forged by those with the vision, resolve, and courage to claim it. Marking a symbolic return home, the conference takes place just miles from Piedmont Park, where Booker T. Washington delivered his historic Atlanta Exposition Speech 130 years ago in 1895. As history meets innovation, the National Business League calls upon all who believe in the transformative power of economic freedom, liberation, and sovereignty to join this defining moment, where strategy converges with legacy and global leaders unite to chart the course for the next century of Black Business Enterprise (BBEs).
“Booker T. Washington taught us that economic power is the ultimate form of freedom,” said Dr. Boyce Watkins, founder of The Black Business School. “Today, we stand on the shoulders of giants, not to ask for permission, but to claim what is rightfully ours — the right to own, build, and control the institutions that will sustain our people for the next 125 years and beyond.”
ABOUT THE NATIONAL BUSINESS LEAGUE
Founded on August 23, 1900, by the legendary Booker T. Washington, the National Business League (NBL) — headquartered in Tuskegee, Alabama — is the nation’s first and largest trade association dedicated to advancing the economic sovereignty of an estimated 3.6 million aboriginal and indigenous Black Business Enterprises (BBEs) across the United States, with chapters in all 50 states and internationally. One hundred and twenty-five years ago, the National Negro Business League held its inaugural conference in Boston, Massachusetts, to strengthen the economic conditions of Black Americans during the oppressive post-Reconstruction era — a period marked by the rise of Jim Crow segregation and systematic disenfranchisement. In 1966, the organization was renamed the National Business League. Today, it stands at the forefront of a global movement, reigniting Washington’s vision of self-reliance, self-determination, and economic independence — reimagined for the 21st century and beyond. For more information, visit: www.nationalbusinessleague.org and follow their impact on social media: @TheNationalBusinessLeague.
ABOUT TRAFFIC SALES AND PROFIT
Traffic Sales & Profit (TSP) is the premier learning community for African American entrepreneurs, connecting over 48,000 members in the U.S. and worldwide. From brick-and-mortar to e-commerce, TSP delivers proven systems, digital marketing, and automation strategies to help businesses hit their first six figures, scale to seven, and push toward eight. Through signature programs and live events, TSP equips entrepreneurs with the tools, training, and community needed for sustainable growth. TSP also partners with corporations to deliver executive keynotes, team workshops, and supplier development programs that reach and serve the African American marketplace with cultural fluency and measurable ROI. Additionally, TSP works with government and municipalities to bring entrepreneurship accelerators, procurement readiness initiatives, and “train the trainer” programs to local communities—helping grow small businesses, create jobs, and strengthen the tax base. Founded by award-winning, 4X Inc. 5000 (2021-2024) honorees Lamar and Ronnie Tyler, TSP is recognized for closing the wealth gap through entrepreneurship. For more information, log on to www.TrafficSalesAndProfit.com and follow their impact on social media: @TrafficSalesAndProfit.
125TH MEDIA CONTACTS:
June Ings Public Relations
Marie June & Associates, Inc.
Phone: (313) 600-3344
Email: [email protected]
Candace Ledbetter Chief PR & Visibility Strategist
CNBetter Media
Phone: (770) 709-1509
Email: [email protected]
SOURCE The National Business League
