KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • HBCU GO and UNCF launched a strategic partnership on March 10 with the premiere of HBCU Voices: Executive Leaders Unfiltered, a series spotlighting HBCU presidential leadership and institutional innovation — featuring Dr. Michael Lomax, Curtis Symonds, and presidents from Benedict College and Huston-Tillotson University — bringing Black institutional excellence to a national audience of millions.
  • Executive leadership recognition continues to expand, with Vanessa Claiborne (Chaffe & Associates), Jasmyn Farris (iSeatz), and Coretta LaGarde (American Heart Association) named among 51 honorees in CityBusiness' inaugural 2026 Most Admired C-Suite Awards for leadership, integrity, and community engagement.
  • Black unemployment climbed to 7.7% in February 2026 — the highest among all racial groups and nearly double the white rate of 3.7% — while the U.S. economy shed 92,000 jobs, with federal workforce reductions disproportionately impacting Black workers.
  • Small businesses face mounting pressure as the Federal Reserve's March Beige Book documents lower-income consumers pulling back on spending, nine districts flagging tariff-driven cost increases, and five districts reporting flat or declining economic activity.
  • Brazil and South Africa signed new bilateral agreements covering trade, agriculture, energy, and strategic minerals — with bilateral trade at just $2.3 billion, both governments are working to unlock what President Lula called inexplicably underperforming commercial ties.
  • The broader takeaway: domestic conditions demand defensive positioning and operational discipline, while international corridors — particularly across the African continent — are actively building the institutional frameworks that could drive the next generation of growth for Black-led enterprises.

STORIES THAT MATTER

UNITED STATES — HBCU GO and UNCF Launch Strategic Partnership, Premiere Executive Leadership Series

On March 10, 2026, Allen Media Group's HBCU GO and UNCF announced a strategic partnership designed to broadcast the academic, cultural, and institutional achievements of historically Black colleges and universities to a national audience.

The alliance launched with the premiere of a new video content series: HBCU Voices: Executive Leaders Unfiltered.​

The premiere episode, CEO to CEO, features a 58-minute conversation between HBCU GO President Curtis Symonds — a Central State University graduate — and UNCF President & CEO Dr. Michael Lomax examining the evolving higher education landscape, the state of HBCUs, and the urgency of sustaining Black institutional excellence in a rapidly shifting national climate.​

Upcoming episodes include Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, President of Benedict College, on women in executive leadership; Dr. Melva K. Wallace, President of Huston-Tillotson University, on AI and technology positioning for HBCUs; Bill Moses of the Kresge Foundation on scalable models for institutional transformation; and Anthony Davis, President of Livingstone College, on alumni engagement and sustainable growth.​

"The strategic alliance between HBCU GO and UNCF will continue to elevate and amplify the phenomenal leadership, innovation and impact of our historically Black colleges and universities," said Byron Allen, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Allen Media Group.​

The partnership leverages UNCF's 82 years of leadership in advancing HBCUs and HBCU GO's national distribution footprint — now reaching millions of homes — to drive enrollment, attract corporate sponsorship, increase donor engagement, and strengthen the economic sustainability of HBCUs nationwide.

UNCF has raised more than $6 billion since its founding in 1944 and awards more than 11,000 scholarships totaling over $62 million annually across 37 UNCF-member HBCUs.​

For Black executives, this partnership matters beyond the content itself. HBCU GO's pivot from sports broadcasting into executive leadership programming signals a maturing media ecosystem that positions HBCU leadership as a national asset — not a niche story.

The series creates a visible pipeline connecting HBCU institutional leadership to corporate and philanthropic decision-makers. Executives looking to deepen alumni engagement or corporate sponsorship of HBCUs should watch the series and consider how their firms can participate in this expanding ecosystem.

(Sources: UNCF, March 10, 2026; RBR.com, March 9, 2026; Business Insider Markets, March 11, 2026)

UNITED STATES — New Orleans CityBusiness Honors C-Suite Leaders Including Claiborne, Farris, and LaGarde

New Orleans CityBusiness named its inaugural class of 51 Most Admired C-Suite Executives for 2026, recognizing CEOs, COOs, and CFOs who demonstrate exceptional leadership, integrity, and community engagement.

  • Jasmyn Farris, President and Chief Operating Officer of iSeatz, a loyalty technology company. Farris, an NYU Stern graduate with experience spanning Deloitte, Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group, and Burger King Corporation, has built her career at the intersection of operations, people strategy, and organizational transformation.
  • Coretta LaGarde, Executive Director of the American Heart Association's Greater New Orleans market, where she drives strategy and execution around corporate revenue, communications, and health equity. With 18 years of nonprofit and corporate engagement experience, LaGarde has led AHA's EmPOWERED to Serve initiative, which addresses health disparities in under-resourced communities.

Profiles of all honorees will be published in the May 15 issue.

For Black executives in any market, recognition within local business publications and award programs is more than accolade — it is strategic positioning. These platforms create visibility among peer networks, boards, and capital allocators who drive opportunity.

If you are operating at the C-suite level and your local business journal runs similar programs, the nomination window is the time to act.

(Source: New Orleans CityBusiness, March 10, 2026)

AFRICA — Brazil and South Africa Sign New Bilateral Agreements to Deepen Economic Ties

On March 9, 2026, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a series of bilateral agreements during a state visit in Brasília, covering tourism, commerce and investment facilitation, agriculture, defense cooperation, and strategic minerals.

The context is telling: bilateral trade between the two nations reached just $2.3 billion in 2025, a figure President Lula called inadequate. "There is no political explanation for why we don't have trade above $10 billion," Lula said — framing the agreements as an effort to unlock what both leaders view as severely underperforming commercial ties.

President Ramaphosa identified biofuels, defense, agro-processing, aerospace, energy, pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing, and the automotive industry as sectors with high potential for industrial collaboration.

He positioned South Africa as Brazil's gateway into African markets through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), while Brazil offers reciprocal access to Latin America and the Caribbean.

Major South African firms operating in Brazil include Sasol, MTN, Naspers, Standard Bank, and AngloGold Ashanti. Brazilian companies with South African operations include Petrobras, Embraer, and bus manufacturer Marcopolo, which has invested in automotive manufacturing in Gauteng.

For Black entrepreneurs and businesses across the African diaspora, the Brazil-South Africa corridor is an emerging trade channel worth watching. The SACU-MERCOSUR Preferential Trade Agreement already covers 1,500 product lines, and both governments are actively seeking to expand it.

The South Africa Investment Conference, scheduled for March 31 in Johannesburg, is an immediate entry point for those looking to explore these opportunities.

(Sources: Agência Brasil, March 9, 2026; SAnews.gov.za, March 10, 2026; The Presidency of South Africa, March 6, 2026)

AFRICA — Southern Africa Oil & Gas Conference Set for March 16–17 in Cape Town

The 5th Annual Southern Africa Oil & Gas Conference (SAOGC 2026) convenes March 16–17 at the Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town.

Organized by the South African Oil & Gas Alliance (SAOGA) in partnership with the Petroleum Agency of South Africa and the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, the conference operates under the theme: "Oil & Gas without Borders: Unlocking Southern Africa's Shared Future."

The event will bring together industry leaders, government policymakers, investors, and service providers to discuss upstream and midstream energy development across the SADC region.

Southern Africa is emerging as a critical pillar of the continent's energy future: Namibia has made significant offshore discoveries, South Africa holds an estimated 60 trillion cubic feet of offshore gas resources, and Mozambique continues to develop strategic LNG projects.