NEPA Black Chamber of Commerce

August 2021

Rashida Lovely is the Director of Operations at NEPA Black Chamber of Commerce. She is owner of Newave Enterprise, a multimedia and Real Estate company. The NEPA BCC steering committee, consisting of founding business members including Lovely are; Demario Bonner - Aesthetics Apparel, Wilkes-Barre Mall; Juanita Harris - Grooming by Juanita, Exeter Pa; David Griggs - Oils & More, Scranton; and Janilela Anderson - Anisyeme Beauty Supply store, Scranton.

The Northeast Pennsylvania Black Chamber of Commerce was created to help build an educational, financial, creative and unifying foundation for all people of African descent. Founded in Scranton, the Chambers goal is to bring people and businesses together to facilitate progress within the community.  

"When we choose a place to live, its always from a position of where the most resources are and these are not resources of our own, so we're going to 'create' the resources necessary for us so that when it's time to get a loan, a bank will be available; a school will be available for our children.  Our goal is to be foundational to end coming from a disadvantaged position and become a self-sufficient, viable, community." says Lovely.

The chamber was established in 2019 as a Cooperative and is headquartered inside the Africa Freedom Mall at 1818 Jackson Street, Scranton; the commercial property, owned by Newave Enterprise, sits on a 1/3 acre of land.  Businesses inside the Africa Freedom Mall include, Newave Studios, Oils & More, a bed & Breakfast, as well as the business hub for chamber members. The purpose of the Africa Freedom mall is to provide a safe environment to shop, learn, and network with others in the diaspora! Thru here, the NEPA Black Chamber of Commerce offers mentoring, networking, professional, and entrepreneurial development to enrich members’ personal, family, and professional lives. The Mall is just one of the properties owned by Newave Enterprises, “Freedom Land” which is approximately 1.3 acres of raw land located in the downtown area of Scranton for NEPA BCC & PAC Initiatives. The next major goals are a credit union and to build a plaza, either in Scranton or Wilkes-Barre.

Currently The Nepa BCC has 13 active business members who are strictly brick & mortar, Mercantile licensed, taxpaying business owners-- there are no online businesses. Nepa PAC has about 35 members who are regular patrons that are not in business but support the activities of the chamber.  The membership service area reaches from Stroudsburg to Williamsport Pennsylvania.

Being a member of the Chamber gives you access to:

Marketing

Customer Service best practices

Online Directory

B2B Commerce

Financing Opportunities 

Credit and financing programs available to help start or grow your business with support for all business filings, a customer base, options for affordable retail space, and automatic membership into the NEPA Pan-African Coalition and all their benefits including:

• Bulk purchasing
• Mentorship Programs
• Business Assistance
• Peer-to-Peer networking

The Pan African Coalition is a sister subsidiary of the Chamber and is hosting the 1st Annual African Heritage Festival on Saturday, August 28, 2021 on South Washington Avenue & Hickory Street, Scranton. The Coalition hosts several social and community events throughout the year.

A whole Family initiative

The Africa Freedom Mall also hosts a Science Summer Program for kids at New Wave Studios, instructed by all black teachers who are real engineers working in the science fields; some work for the NSA and NASA. The summer program runs from the end of the school year to the second week of August every year.  The curriculum changes year to year but the staples are, Math, computer engineering, African history, and stem competitions with cash prizes ending with an award ceremony at completion.

The BCC focuses on the importance of the whole family unit, there are husbands, wives, and children working to redefine what it is to be us!

The NEPA Black Chamber of Commerce intends to have a strong presence at the 1st Annual Black Business Expo at Mohegan Sun Convention Center September 4, 2021.

No matter where you are in Northeast Pennsylvania, you can find a black owned business near you!

NEPA BCC verifies businesses throughout the area and has a Black Business Locater w/map for general public use (membership not required) which provides business contact information, locations, and websites at: BB LOCATE

Learn more about membership and programs at: nepapac.org and nepablackchamber.com