BLACKPRINT Business & Wealth Expo Final Preparations

Rochester, NY - With the vendor and presenter application deadline of Friday, November 20th approaching and final confirmations coming in, Community Justice Initiative (CJI) is announcing its final preparations for the BLACKPRINT Business & Wealth Expo, the region's largest marketplace of Black-owned businesses, taking place Saturday, November 21, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Rochester Central Library, 115 South Avenue, Rochester, NY. The event is free and open to the public of all ages.

This updated release confirms the full program the public can expect:

• A vendor marketplace of Black-owned businesses from Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse and across Upstate New York

• Live business presentations and demonstrations (10–15 minutes each) from confirmed presenters including Yolanda Charmaine Smilez, Shalonda Jones, Septimus Scott, and Rodd Mc of Whitfield Wealth Group

• The Youth Entrepreneur Shark Tank: young business owners, some as young as 9, pitching their ventures live to a panel of distinguished community judges who decide, on stage and out loud, whether to INVEST in the business or MENTOR the young entrepreneur

• A community raffle with prizes

  
  

"Every path to success begins with a child who believes they can, and an adult who tells them they will," said Diallo Payne, Co-Builder of Community Justice Initiative. "The BLACKPRINT Expo puts those adults in the same room as our young entrepreneurs, and puts the whole Black economy of Western New York on display under one roof."

The expo carries the tradition of Rochester's 1853 Colored National Convention, where Frederick Douglass and Rochester's own Austin Steward gathered our people to build permanent institutions, 173 years forward into a live marketplace of cooperative economics.

Vendor and presenter application details, vendor terms and the two-page event packet are attached to this release. Applications remain open through Friday, November 20 until space is filled.

EVENT DETAILS:

• What: BLACKPRINT Business & Wealth Expo, featuring the Youth Entrepreneur Shark Tank

• When: Saturday, November 21, 2026 | 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM

• Where: Rochester Central Library, 115 South Avenue, Rochester, NY 14604

• Admission: Free and open to the public

• Media: All outlets welcome. Interview and b-roll access available on site.