Colorado has a long, rich history of African American owned businesses. This history is best exhibited by Denver’s Five Points community. Five Points became a central point for Black Americans moving to Denver in the 1920s. Black doctors, lawyers, dentists and entrepreneurs, established businesses in the community and Five Point became one of the first support networks for Black business owners. As Denver and the state of Colorado grew after World War II, African Americans and African American owned businesses became less concentrated in the neighborhood. Following the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, business leaders in the community saw a need to establish a formal advocacy organization.
