ANDERSON — Minority-owned businesses fill an important role in communities across the country and merit the support of customers and leaders alike, speakers at the Anderson Madison County Black Chamber of Commerce’s annual banquet said.
“Having these banquets showcases some of these small minority businesses in the city and gives them an opportunity to shine,” Pearson said. “In that respect, it’s very important, but it’s a very small part of what the chamber’s mission actually is and what we’re trying to achieve here in the city of Anderson and Madison County.”
This year’s banquet held special meaning, according to Pearson, because it was the organization’s first such event since the passing of Rev. Manuel L. Hunt, one of its founders, earlier this year.
His death, Pearson said, “was a really big void in all of our lives, as well as the organization. This banquet was really the first time we did it all by ourselves without his help and his guidance. That within itself made it very special.”
During the banquet, awards were presented to 10 business leaders, whom Pearson described as “very deserving.” The honorees, she added, were recognized as “our city’s unsung heroes.”
