Joseph Bui for Houston Landing

Houston has plenty of resources for small-business owners, particularly those owned by women and people of color, but it’s not always easy to find everything that’s available if you don’t know where to look. Angelica Perez put together a guide to six funding resources that can help if you’re beginning the journey to launch your own company.

➕ This explainer is the first in a broader series called the Small Business Guide, where we’ll break down different resources and tips for starting a small business in Texas. If you would like your organization added to this list, please email angelica@houstonlanding.org.

Verizon’s Small Business Digital Ready: This free online curriculum from Verizon offers coaching, courses and mentoring for small businesses. The program aims to help businesses in the digital economy and can be taken at your own pace. The application period for grants has closed, but you can start taking the courses now and become eligible once applications reopen in the spring.

Brookfield Properties’ Partner to Empower: This program offers funding for local minority-owned retailers to build out a store or a kiosk, and an opportunity to learn more about business planning and funding. The four-week virtual workshop, which is led by industry experts and offers networking opportunities, lets in 40 to 45 applicants three times a year and is currently accepting applications.

LiftFund: This nonprofit organization provides loans to women-owned and minority-owned small businesses, particularly with owners who traditionally don’t have access to a bank or a credit union. Loans are available for commercial real estate purchases, equipment, inventory and more, and they range from $500 to $500,000.

You can check out all six resources at the button below.

Antranik Tavitian / Houston Landing

In November, the U.S. Army withdrew convictions of 110 Black soldiers of the all-Black 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment after what was called the Houston Riot of 1917. The “incident,” which took place during the Jim Crow era, culminated months of racial torment against members of the 24th — including the brutal arrest and assault of two Black soldiers by white police officers.

Following the assaults, and amid rumors of further threats to soldiers, a group of more than 100 Black soldiers seized weapons and marched from their encampment on the eastern edge of present-day Memorial Park, into the city. Clashes erupted and the violence killed 19 white people, including four Houston policemen and four soldiers. 

The Army’s historic decision comes over a century after the fact, and following the tireless efforts of dozens of descendants, private attorneys, civil rights activists, and students and professors at South Texas College of Law Houston.

So, after 106 years, why a reckoning now? Monique Welch explains.

Misinformation and false narratives: Experts say that research shows early false narratives were placed into the historical record and ultimately buried the truth about the incident. In addition to the proliferation of misinformation, researchers like historian John Haymond said there were other major hurdles over the years that delayed justice, including the passage of time. 

Internal resistance from the military: Another major hurdle to justice was internal resistance from military leaders, as critics argued if the Army granted clemency in this case, it would open up a floodgate of other clemency appeals that would inundate the Army.