Saturday, March 24, the African-American International Chamber of Commerce and the New American Chamber of Commerce will be hosting their Business, Real Estate & Wealth Expo at the Sheraton Brooklyn Hotel.
The expo will start off with activist and author Jill Flowers as the guest speaker. Flowers will be holding her presentation at the VIP Welcome Breakfast at 8:30 a.m., as she discusses female empowerment. Flowers is also the co-founder of the Abolish the N Word Project, which aims to inspire the population nationwide to cease the use of the “N” word in everyday speech.
At 10 a.m., there will be free seminars and workshops that will feature topics such as funding, real estate and entrepreneurship. There will then be a networking luncheon from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., the remaining seminars will be taking place.
“At the conference, we aim to empower and inform our community about the benefits of homeownership, benefits of joining our chamber of commerce and entrepreneurship,” said co-organizer Brian Figeroux, an attorney. “We encourage all people of color to attend the conference.”
He continued, “We want to provide an opportunity that can help people of color have that ‘American dream,’ owning a home and a business. It’s unfortunate that since we were brought to the states, we are always at a disadvantage, whether it’s homeownership or the law. But there are still people who succeed regardless. We want to help our people succeed. The chamber of commerce is hosting this event to encourage networking and empowerment.”
Figeroux is the CEO of the New American Chamber of Commerce and the vice president of the African-American International Chamber of Commerce. Both chambers of commerce are nonprofit Brooklyn-based organizations that aim to assist entrepreneurs. Figeroux is also the CEO of Figeroux & Associates.
The Figeroux & Associates firm started in 1997. The firm represents victims who have been injured, including by police misconduct, accidents and medical malpractice.
Figeroux is also a real estate broker with his Equity Smart Realty Inc. Since August 1999, Equity Smart Realty Inc. has catered to U.S. residents and foreign investors in the selling and buying of properties. “The name of our real estate office was once called Unify Unity Inc. to represent the unity, but because of the gentrification that is currently happening, we changed it to Equity Smart Realty Inc.,” said Figeroux. “We want the people in our communities to be smart when they are considering selling their properties. There are a lot of Black property owners who are selling their properties and not knowing its true worth. We advise homeowners to speak with a representative before making any final decisions. We want to empower our community. The answer to gentrification is sustained homeownership.”
For details, visit www.nacc.nyc or call 718-722-9217.