Fertile Ground LIVE

Join us for Building Power in Uncertain Times, a half-day convening curated for Black entrepreneurs, cultural stewards, and community builders navigating today’s rapidly shifting social, economic, and environmental landscapes.

Anchored in collective action, innovation, and healing, this event supports entrepreneurs in reclaiming control of their businesses and communities amidst policy rollbacks, financial and federal instability.

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• Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2025
• Time: 1:30 PM – 7:00 PM
• Location: Hyatt Place (5225 S. Harper Avenue Chicago, IL 60615)
• Admission Includes: Workshops, lunch, elevated bites and a hosted happy hour
• Opportunities to sponsor an entrepreneur and pay it forward
• Fee: $75 gen admission; $60 early bird special; $50 RUNWAY (entrepreneurs if you need help covering your cost, let us know -- see FAQs below.)

• Lunch & Welcome Circle
• Wellness grounding session
• Interactive Workshop: Powerbuilding amid policy & financial shifts
• Tech Session: AI + Innovation for Black-owned businesses
• Panel Discussion: Rewriting the Black Wealth Playbook
• Happy Hour & Networking

Each voice brings a unique frequency to the conversation – echoes of innovation, re-imagination, healing, and power-building.

Hosted by Melody Short, Community Experience Manager,

Grounding as Reclamation: Restoring Ourselves to Honor the Path Forward

Facilitator: Aya-Nikole Cook, Founder,

A grounding wellness session that honors the deep resilience required in these times and prepares participants for focused, collective work.

Powerbuilding at the Local Level: Business Resilience Amid Policy Rollbacks & Financial Shifts

Facilitators: Tomme Faust, Power Building Strategist, and Keena Pierre, Chicago Fund Manager, RUNWAY

This interactive session is rooted in real-world problem-solving, mapping power, and developing local strategies to help Black entrepreneurs build resilience amid rollbacks in DEI, funding access and federal support.

The Future is Now: Technology & AI for Black-Owned Businesses

Presenter: Bosko Kante, Founder, & Co-Founder,

As the business world continues to evolve, Black entrepreneurs must adapt to stay competitive. Technology is no longer optional but a critical tool for future-proofing businesses and ensuring sustainability in a rapidly changing landscape. This session is designed to demystify the complex world of Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation, and digital tools, helping entrepreneurs understand how to integrate these innovations into their operations.

Rewriting the Black Wealth Playbook: Cooperative Economics, Real Estate & Financial Healing

Moderator: Naima McQueen, Director of Education & Training,

Traditional funding models often isolate Black entrepreneurs and reinforce generational wealth gaps. This dynamic panel brings together visionary leaders who are rewriting the rules—by blending financial healing, cooperative economics, shared ownership, and alternative capital strategies to build real and lasting wealth within Black communities.

Panelists will share lived experiences and lessons from building Black-led real estate cooperatives, shared commercial spaces, investment collectives, and other community-rooted ventures. Together, they will unpack the opportunities and challenges of practicing collective economics, navigating trust, and designing wealth frameworks that center healing and liberation.

Panelist: Andrea Yarborough, Worker - Owner, ;

Panelist: Tonika Johnson, Co-Founder & Founder,

Panelist: Bernard Loyd, Founder & President,

Host or Publisher RUNWAY