{"id":290898,"date":"2026-07-31T10:00:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T14:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/?p=290898"},"modified":"2026-07-31T12:54:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T16:54:11","slug":"a-place-at-the-table-what-black-immigrant-entrepreneurs-teach-us-about-the-american-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncrc.org\/a-place-at-the-table-what-black-immigrant-entrepreneurs-teach-us-about-the-american-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"A Place At The Table: What Black Immigrant Entrepreneurs Teach Us About The American Dream"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many immigrants, home is not simply a place they leave behind. It\u2019s something they carry with them and, sometimes, find in familiar foods, shared traditions and communities thousands of miles away.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By 2000, Columbus, Ohio was home to more than <\/span>11,000<\/span><\/a> African-born residents as a result of a wave of immigration that had occurred in the 1990s. Joanne Mapis was one of them, carrying the tastes and traditions of home with her as she began building a life in a new city.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe closest thing we had to African food was Jamaican food,\u201d Mapis said. \u201cThat was the only thing that reminded you of home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This absence became impossible to ignore when she began to organize her first African food festival in 2019. Despite trying to bring together members of Columbus\u2019 growing African immigrant population, the event only featured a handful of African food vendors willing to set up a table. Instead of accepting that reality, Joanne decided to change it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She launched Columbus\u2019 first African food truck, laying the foundation for what would become <\/span>Fork in Nigeria<\/span><\/a>, a restaurant introducing Nigerian cuisines to new audiences in the area while creating a place for immigrants to reconnect with home. Today, she proudly says that there are over ten African food trucks across the city.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019ve realized in America is that sometimes you become an entrepreneur out of necessity,\u201d Mapis said. \u201cIf you look at the businesses around our cities, many of them are immigrant-owned because they saw gaps and wanted to create opportunities for themselves.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Her story reflects a broader reality shared by many Black immigrant entrepreneurs across the country. The American Immigration Council reports that they <\/span>contribute trillions of dollars<\/span><\/a> to local economies through job creation and innovation, employing almost 8 million American workers and generating $1.3 trillion in total sales in 2017.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet, long before they even begin serving their customers, many of them are navigating barriers that are different from the average business owner in America. They are learning about unfamiliar financial systems, building their credit histories from scratch, overcoming racial stereotypes, and increasingly navigating uncertainty around immigration policies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Black-owned businesses more generally continue to face persistent barriers to accessing the necessary capital to start and maintain their operations. They are less likely to receive the full amount of funding they need and, according to a 2016 Federal Reserve Small Business Report, are <\/span>more likely<\/span><\/a> to be denied access to credit more often than White-owned businesses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Black immigrants, those realities often have a devastating compounding effect, creating challenges that are shaped by both race and the struggles that come with building a business in a new country. Joanne says one of the biggest obstacles she faced wasn\u2019t finding customers but finding someone who was willing to invest in her vision.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI practically wiped out our savings to finance this business,\u201d Mapis said. \u201cIf you don\u2019t have a creditworthy history, not even a personal history but a business one, nobody wants to finance you.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These concerns have become even more urgent following recent federal administrative changes affecting eligibility for Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. Earlier this year, the <\/span>SBA banned foreign nationals<\/span><\/a> (including green card holders) and non-citizens from accessing SBA-guaranteed small business loans. However, these consequences extend well beyond just SBA loan applications.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SBA loan guarantees can make banks and community lenders more willing to provide financing to newer or nontraditional businesses by reducing the financial risk associated with those loans.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBanks don\u2019t like taking risks because they make money by people repaying funds. CDFIs will take some risks, but they don\u2019t want to take all the risks.\u201d said Daniella Djiogan, NCRC\u2019s director of small business support services. \u201cThe SBA mitigates risk for some financial institutions, which makes CDFIs more comfortable lending.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Without that added protection, some entrepreneurs may struggle to secure affordable financing altogether, pushing them toward predatory lending schemes. For business owners who are already struggling to stay afloat, taking on loans with abnormally high-interest rates or hidden payments can create even more financial pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mapis also worries that conversations surrounding immigration have made the work around inclusion more difficult but she hopes that future Black immigrant entrepreneurs won\u2019t have to spend as much energy proving that they belong before they are even given the opportunity to succeed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want an immigrant to feel equally safe and seen,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen you go looking for something, I want it to be based on your capacity.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To her, running Fork in Nigeria isn\u2019t simply about selling meals. It is a place where immigrant families can celebrate their heritages, where friends can be introduced to Nigerian cuisine and where children born in the United States can connect with their cultural heritage.<\/span><\/p>\n

America has long celebrated the courage it takes to be able to start something from nothing. Every day, Black immigrant entrepreneurs embody that ideal by rebuilding their lives, investing in their neighborhoods and creating opportunities not only for themselves but for their communities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Their businesses preserve culture, create jobs and strengthen local communities. In cities across the country, they remind us that the American dream has never been about where someone begins. It has always been about whether they\u2019re given a fair chance to build something new.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Oyindoubra Akika is an Intern with NCRC’s Strategic Programs & Development division.<\/em><\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of Joanne Mapis\/Fork in Nigeria.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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