WAITE PARK -- Black owned businesses and black leaders in the St. Cloud metro area will be celebrated next weekend.

The Higher Works Collaborative is hosting its 3rd annual "Black Business Expo". It will be held next Friday from 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and next Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the Waite Park Event Center.

Spokesman Buddy King says they have 32 local businesses signed up.

I work with the Initiative Foundation Enterprise Academy and over the last three years, we have prepared businesses of black and brown communities and got them ready with the resources that they need to be successful.  One of the things we're trying to do is showcase these businesses.

The Higher Works Collaborative will also have its 3rd annual "Black Excellence Banquet and Awards" ceremony.

It is a black-tie event meaning you wear your best and bring your best.  We're really trying to set a standard as far as here is black excellence and this is what excellence looks like.

That will be next Saturday night at the Waite Park Event Center. The event will have music from Billy Steele and the Band along with a dinner and a guest speaker.

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The Higher Works Collaborative is a nonprofit organization that focuses on improving the lives and lifestyles of historically black communities through education, transportation, employment, housing, health and wellness, and the arts.

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