This nonprofit empowers Black businesses: ‘Igniting the world from Birmingham’

Torin Brazzle, 47, founder, CEO and president of IGNITE!, created the nonprofit with a single thought: It shouldn’t be so hard for Black people to succeed at business. IGNITE! connects Black- and woman-owned businesses across Alabama with the resources they need to thrive, such as legal services, financial and business advisors, brick and mortars and capital. Since its inception in 2019, IGNITE! has worked with more than 1,400 businesses to secure 94 contracts and has put over $3 million in loans and $669,000 in grants into the hands of Black businesses owners in an effort to close wealth gaps. “I was really frustrated looking at the state of our Black community and all of the obstacles that we were facing and dealing with in perpetuity. It can’t be this hard. It can’t be this hard for Black people to have a seat at the table,” Brazzle said. “IGNITE! is a message to the Black community to say let’s focus on what we can change.” In 2021, Black-owned businesses made up about 3% of all United States firms, according to a Pew Research Center study. A 2022 Brookings study found that while wealth in the Black community was increasing, so was...