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Nominated by Marshawn K. Dickson

"In 2019, Angela Majette founded Black Connect and currently serves as the organization’s national president. Black Connect is the only national 501(c)(3) membership and chapter-based organization dedicated solely to eliminating the racial wealth gap in America by increasing the number and success rate of Black-owned businesses and advancing pathways for building Black wealth, with an emphasis on American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) and low to moderate-income communities.

Angela created Black Connect’s Pro Bono Legal Services Program because as a legal analyst and small business owner, she was well aware of the void that existed both in the provision of pro bono legal services and in the non-profit space with respect to Black entrepreneurs and small business owners. Over the last 20 years, she has worked closely with dozens of entrepreneurs and business owners while collaborating with attorneys in business litigation, business formation and transactional matters and having analyzed tens of thousands of business records, contracts and litigation documents, Angela saw first-hand that many of the legal issues that business owners find themselves faced with can be avoided or minimized with proper legal guidance from inception. Small business owners also often fail to appear in legal proceedings and forego pursuing valid legal claims against others because they lack legal guidance. More often than not, business owners and entrepreneurs recognize the importance of attorney representation. However, they lack the funding to obtain the legal representation they need. The lack of funding that Black entrepreneurs face can be directly attributed to the racial wealth gap and the the lack of access to capital and other essential resources needed to sustain or grow their businesses. Angela’s goal was to create a legal services program that would help level the economic playing field for Black business owners around the country and help them avoid costly legal mistakes and build sustainable businesses.

Today, Black Connect partners with 30 law firms that have collectively provided approximately $250,000 in business-related legal services to Black entrepreneurs and small business owners. Black Connect also coordinates legal webinars and small business clinics throughout the year with partnering law firms and Angela has been featured in Forbes for her commitment to civil justice reform and achievements in providing equal access to legal representation."