Lifting up unheralded Black businesses on Black Friday

Marshawn Wolley, president and CEO of Black Onyx Management, talks with Sterling Davis, manager of business development for United Way, about Call to Auction on Nov.17, 2023, at United Way’s Indianapolis office.

Call to Auction. The name is a play on words.  

Call to action.  

Today, more than 244,000 households in Central Indiana are living in, or are one emergency away from, poverty. We have to take action now to address that, said Sterling Davis, manager of business development for United Way.  

United Way is hosting an online auction – Call to Auction: Your Chance to Purchase with a Purpose – this holiday season, during which people can bid on one-of-a-kind gifts and experiences. Money raised from the event will go toward United Way’s mission of alleviating poverty in the region. 

This year, Black Onyx Management partnered with United Way to sponsor the event, which will feature local Black-owned businesses on Black Friday. Marshawn Wolley, president and CEO of Black Onyx Managment, selected a number of businesses from the Indianapolis Urban League’s Entrepreneurship Center to be part of the auction.  

“The effort is really about lifting up Black businesses that are maybe unheralded in our community,” Wolley said. “It’s an opportunity to reach out to businesses that are doing great work – they're living out their dream – and giving them the opportunity to be exposed to the resources and the networks that United Way brings to bear.” 

A list of Black-owned businesses featured on Black Friday during Call to Auction can be found on United Way’s blog. And people can shop the auction Nov. 24 through Dec. 4. 

Davis recently sat down with Wolley to talk about the partnership.  

(This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.) 

Sterling Davis: Tell us about Black Onyx Management and its impact on our community.  

Marshawn Wolley: Black Onyx Management is a Black-owned applied research firm and management consultancy. We’re a benefit corporation, and within our corporate charter, we say we’re going to empower Black and marginalized communities.  

We also advance equity in society. We do that by using public policy, philanthropy, research, training and economic development to work on projects that build equity, and build the capacity for equity, in organizations.  

Davis: At United Way, our goal is to reduce the number of households that are in, or are one emergency away from, poverty in Central Indiana. Black people in Indiana are disproportionately impacted by poverty. Talk to us about how entrepreneurship can play a role in addressing that.  

Wolley: We’re always looking for strategies. Because unfortunately, as you alluded to, Black people are at the bottom of the best statistics and they’re at the top of the worst statistics.  

When we think about the potential for entrepreneurship, particularly micro-enterprises, it’s a way for people to augment their income. African Americans in Marion County, for example, have the lowest median income of all the different racial groups. When you think about having a job but then also having a side hustle, micro-enterprises are a business that can support a family or augment income. I think that helps with wealth creation in our community.  

Davis: Tell us about the value you see in the partnership between United Way and Black Onyx Management.  

Wolley: United Way has been a champion on poverty alleviation and being innovative in that space. We like to think that we’re innovative, as well. Having the opportunity to leverage the social capital of United Way and Black Onyx Management to support businesses that are developing, coming out of the Indianapolis Urban League’s Entrepreneurship Center, is a good synergy that allows folks to really learn about these wonderful businesses that are out here, that are living their dream of being a business owner. I just think it’s a great collaboration.  

Davis: You started teaming up with the Indianapolis Urban League’s Entrepreneurship Center. Can you tell us a little bit about that?  

Wolley: We’re very pleased to have the opportunity within our economic development division to be working with the Indianapolis Urban League’s Entrepreneurship Center. It’s under the leadership of Kimberly Simmons, and we support training and providing additional resources and speakers to help businesses that are going through a 10-week program.  

It’s wonderful to see them come in and learn about the business life cycle and what it means to be in entrepreneurship. And then by the end they’re developing business plans and really trying to figure out how to move their business to the next level. 

Davis: You had the opportunity to select some Black-owned businesses whose products and services are included in Call to Auction. Tell us about some of them.  

Wolley: One of those businesses is Clarence Walton with Strength Factory. At Strength Factory, they help people lead healthier lifestyles; he’s a personal trainer.  

One of the things I appreciated about Clarence is his interest in having both a business and a nonprofit that helps people. When you think about Black businesses, they’re often trying to help people, and Clarence was a great example of that.  

On the not-so-healthy side, but on really more of the delicious side: Gip Got Tips. They are amazing, and I like barbecue myself. I thought that this would be a good business to lift up. When I’m having friends come to the city, having those spots you can go to that are unique to a community is key. This is one of them that I’m hoping folks get a chance to learn more about.   

Shop Call to Auction: Your Chance to Purchase with a Purpose Nov. 24 through Dec. 4 by clicking the button below.