The National Negro Business League and the Economic Life of Black Entrepreneurs.

This article examines the economic experiences of African American entrepreneurs between 1900 and 1920 through the records of the National Negro Business League (NNBL), an organization founded by Booker T. Washington to support Black business owners. During this "golden age" of Black business, the NNBL provided a platform for diverse Black entrepreneurs—including women—to share strategies for navigating racial discrimination and economic exclusion within American capitalism. The League's annual conventions reveal how members developed creative survival tactics, challenged gender norms by integrating women into the business sphere, and fostered alternative narratives of success beyond mainstream corporate models. Although most Black-owned businesses remained small and faced systemic barriers, their collective efforts contributed to a vibrant, though often overlooked, commercial sector integral to the broader U.S. economy.