Beyoncé’s Black Parade Route will give 100 Charlotte businesses a seat at luncheon

Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour won’t be her only tour stop in Charlotte.

She’ll perform Aug. 9 at Bank of America Stadium, but also is making Charlotte one of the luncheon stops along the Black Parade Route that helps small businesses affected by the pandemic.

Beyoncé has committed $1 million to support businesses through her nonprofit BeyGOOD Foundation, and in partnership with the National Minority Supplier Development Council.

“It’s more than just a check that people will receive because we have heard from them, we have listened, we have stayed in contact to understand what are your needs. And we know that small businesses support and are a backbone of their economy,” Ivy McGregor, BeyGOOD Foundation’s executive director, recently told CBS Mornings.

Beyoncé’s support of Black-owned small businesses

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter started the Black Parade Route to highlight and support Black-owned small businesses in the U.S. and around the world.

“These were businesses that intended to stay open, to keep the grocery stores open, to help those communities, so she gave grants to over 900 small businesses of over $10,000 and then elevated them socially,” McGregor said.

Along with Charlotte, this year’s Black Parade Route small business luncheon stops will be held in London, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston, New Orleans and two more international cities to be named, according to BeyGOOD.

The luncheons are held the day before the tour stops to give entrepreneurs an “inspirational afternoon, with networking opportunities and the potential to be a grant recipient from $100,000 funds allocated to each luncheon.” In each city, 100 Black entrepreneurs will be chosen to attend the Black Parade Route luncheons.

McGregor was mum about whether Beyoncé will attend the luncheons.

Another $1 million will be dispersed among 10 colleges along the tour route through the foundation’s Renaissance Scholarship Fund. Each school will receive $100,000 to give to students.

Founded in 2013, BeyGood Foundation promotes economic equity and education in marginalized and under-resourced areas, according to a news release.

This story was originally published May 1, 2023 at 7:00 AM.