DATE: 04.20.2025
LOCATE: Little Rock, AR, USA

Greetings,

What took place in Little Rock, Arkansas, this past weekend may have snuck by you discreetly. It is not a story about a job fair—it is the emergence of a national prototype redefining college and career access in America with HBCUs and beyond.

The 5th Annual National HBCU Black Wall Street Career Fest, held April 17–18, 2026, marked the first time in U.S. history that a “career festival”—not a traditional job fair—was hosted on the campus of a historically Black college, Arkansas Baptist College, in an eco-socio-cultural manner.  This new formula or ‘CPR’ career positioning resource was developed by Professor Edmond W. Davis. Here are a few links from Yahoo News and Newbreak regarding a narrative. Davis wants to give his narrative:

Recognized in 2025 by Sarah Huckabee Sanders as an official day in the state of Arkansas and acknowledged by U.S. Representative French Hill, this event is more than symbolic—it is structural. It is what we call a CPR (Career Positioning Resource), designed to breathe life into workforce pathways for students, entrepreneurs, and communities across all demographics, yet engineered for HBCU students.

Blending the cultural energy of Essence Festival of Culture with the innovation ecosystem of AfroTech Conference, the National HBCU Black Wall Street Career Fest brought together participants from 15 states, with over 300 attendees across two days. More than 60% of local students served come from low-income backgrounds, and over 63% of attendees were emerging workforce-aged (19–42)—a direct pipeline into America’s future economy.

This is not transactional. It is transformational.

And while the name “Black Wall Street” has made this one of the most talked-about and, at times, controversial career events in the country, let me be clear: the mission, the movement, and the funding behind this work will not be canceled. It is expanding.

This is not a job fair asking, “Who’s hiring?” This is a national model asking, “Who are you becoming?”

We invite your platform to cover what is quickly becoming America’s newest and most updated disruptive workforce development model—rooted in HBCU legacy, powered by AI, and driven by economic equity for all attendees.

Sincerely,

Support Staff

National HBCU Black Wall Street Career Fest
501.773.2039
www.hbcubws.org
[email protected]
@HBCUBWSCareerFest