Black History isn’t solely about honoring our past. It’s also an opportunity to celebrate the new generation of game-changers making history. Because the truth is, regardless of race, age, gender or role we could all learn from these young African American trailblazers who are making their mark on the world and making money in the process.
[Related: This Day In History- First Black Student Enrolls at University of Alabama]
Maya Penn Artist –14-year-old entrepreneur, philanthropist, designer, artist, and animator. As CEO of Maya’s Ideas and 2013 award recipient of the Black Enterprise Teenpreneur of the year, she started her company in 2008 when she was 8 years old. In addition to producing short films, she create artisan crafted eco-friendly accessories and clothing. With designs sold all over the world-Denmark, Italy, Australia and more,  Maya has  been featured Forbes, Huffington Post, TIME, Essence, The Steve Harvey Show Ebony, Redbook, FOX 5 Atlanta, The NRDC, etc. Watch Maya’s latest TEDWomen Talk.
Jaylen Bledsoe– Built a $3.5 million IT company in a little over 2 years. At 12 years old, with $100, Jaylen, started Bledsoe Technologies, LLC., an information technology consulting company. He began marketing his technology services, and within two years he had 150 contractors working for him. And he has notable celebrities like Jordin Sparks and Steve Harvey as clients. Bledsoe’s message: “Don’t let your setback, cause you to sitback, prepare for your comeback.”
Moziah Bridges–The Reigning Black Enterprise Teenpreneur of the Year markets a line of handcrafted bow ties sewn from scratch. At the age of 9, he launched a $150,000 bow tie business. As a result of his appearance on Shark Tank appearance, he has been able to land Daymond John as a mentor, and went on to receive press features in Vogue and O Magazine. Moziah now has five staff members.
Christopher Gray– CEO and Founder of Scholly. Scholly is a mobile app that gives students a fast and simple way to find scholarships for college. Scholly has been featured in USA Today, Tech Crunch, Fox29 News, and selected as one of Philadelphia’s Top 20 Coolest Start Ups.
Chental-Song Bembry —Writer and illustrator of the Honey Bunch Kids, a children’s book series that tells the tale of a group of African-American middle school children who become friends after missing their bus and walking to school together in the rain. In 2011, Bembry participated in the funding-and-mentoring program of 100 Urban Entrepreneurs, a nonprofit foundation that offers $10,000 in startup grants and eight weeks of mentoring to talented young businesspeople nationwide. Check out Bembry’s 8 tips on how to publish and promote your own book.
Celebrating 10 Years of POWER! Join Black Enterprise at the Women of Power Summit hosted by State Farm, March 2 – March 5, 2015, at Fort Lauderdale Harbor Beach Marriott, Fort Lauderdale, FL. This exciting, executive leadership summit is designed to train, equip and encourage women to become industry leaders, learn career strategies, and discover proven work—life balance techniques. Register Now for your Early Bird Discount https://blackenterprise.com/wps. It’s time to Embrace your POWER. The Moment is Now!