08/23/2026
is National Black Business Month, a time to celebrate the entrepreneurs, innovators and visionaries whose ideas, businesses and leadership strengthen our communities and create opportunities for generations to come.
For The Society, Incorporated Washington, DC Chapter, that spirit of creativity and possibility is deeply connected to our own story. Founded in Washington, DC in 1983, by a group of Black professional women, our Founding Chapter helped establish what would become a national organization dedicated to supporting young people in the arts. Today, we continue that legacy by creating opportunities for youth across instrumental, literary, performing, vocal and visual arts.
And we are proud to see that investment taking shape.
This April, several talented young people shared their gifts at our annual Tea. Since then, they have continued to thrive:
Connor Littlejohn, founder of .by.connor, is beginning his freshman year at Morehouse College as a Stamps Scholar, bringing his creativity and entrepreneurial spirit into the next chapter of his journey.
denson Storee Denson, a gifted pianist, continued developing his craft this summer at the Oberlin Summer Organ Academy at Oberlin College.
Kayla Nelson, DC Youth Poet Laureate, brought the power of her voice to a national audience when she opened the plenary session at the United Philanthropy Forum Conference this summer.
Their journeys remind us that creativity doesn’t exist in isolation. The arts cultivate discipline, confidence, communication, imagination and the courage to turn an idea into something meaningful. Those same qualities fuel entrepreneurship and help build strong communities.
Supporting Black businesses means investing in more than what exists today. It means creating the conditions for the next generation of Black creators, entrepreneurs and leaders to thrive.
