Black is beautiful. Black is powerful. Black is now! These sentiments and more are just a taste of what was featured at this year’s Black Expo South in Columbia, SC. The Columbia Black Expo was created to promote and give exposure to minority-owned businesses, as well as educate, enlighten, and inspire the entire community, as well as the African American community of Columbia and South Carolina. The Black Expo extends well past Columbia, appearing in three other areas including Charleston, Upstate, and Jacksonville, Florida, all offering the same level of commitment and dedication to the black communities.
Each Black Expo celebrates black success with vendors, speakers, guest appearances, networking, and so much more. The 23rd annual Charleston Black Expo on March 12th featured guest appearances from Anthony Anderson, Kierra Sheard, Shelton Richards, and Roi Chip Anthony. During the Columbia Black Expo that happened on May 21st, attendees also got to enjoy the same guest appearances. The event featured a Sneaker Expo where enthusiasts, collectors, and anyone could buy, sell, or trade exclusive and rare shoes. Attendees were offered the opportunity to volunteer in a blood drive, enjoy incredible food, and network with a job fair with companies including Dominion Energy, MUSC, Breakthru Beverage, and many others. However, there was also a special presentation of the Key to the City by Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann and Councilman Ed McDowell to founder and president of the Thomas Media Group (Black Expo South and SC Black Pages) Darrin Todd Thomas in honor of Columbia Black Expo’s 25th Anniversary!
Preceding the Columbia Black Expo on Friday was the Taste of Black Columbia, which saw over 970 people. The Taste of Black Columbia was an event to showcase the culinary skills from some of the best local chefs, caterers, and restaurants the midlands have to offer. The Taste beverage sponsor Breakthru Beverage provided the spirits and libations throughout the evening. The sensational neo-soul singer/songwriter Leela James performed to a standing room only crowd to bring the event to a close.
Here at Midlands Honda, we are extremely proud to be sponsors of the 25th anniversary of the Columbia Black Expo. If you’re interested in learning more, or would like to attend the upcoming Florida Black Expo on September 22-24th, you can find all of their information here! When one of us succeeds, we all succeed!
