The TRiiBE is a media sponsor of this year’s Legacy Awards. The Legacy Awards is part of a three-day weekend celebration on “centering Black excellence in business, culture and community and providing support to young Chicagoland entrepreneurs.”
For a decade, young entrepreneurs have been honored for their impact as “the builders of today who are igniting the changemakers of tomorrow” through the Legacy Awards.
By honoring Black entrepreneurial titans, the Legacy Awards Weekend seeks to continue and inspire the next generation of business leaders. Legacy Awards Weekend is a creation of the non-profit WDB Cares, whose mission is to support businesses through “economic empowerment, access to capital and strategic support.”
This year’s awards weekend will honor West Side-native filmmaker Robert Townsend, Brown Sugar Bakery founder Stephanie Hart and fashion entrepreneur Lavelle Sykes.
To uplift its mission, WDB Cares also presents the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Emerging business leaders under the age of 25 participate in a pitch competition to compete for $25,000 in cash and prizes, including $5,000 in direct funding and more than $10,000 in professional services such as accounting, legal and marketing support. Three entrepreneurs are selected to compete for first, second and third place for their share of the prizes as part of the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Adebayo Kuye is one of three emerging entrepreneurs chosen to compete for this year’s award. Kuye is the 23-year-old founder of the coaching/consulting company Minority Mind Network, which helps children and young adults to achieve their goals through mentorship, networking and educational media.
As a third-generation counselor, Kuye said he understands the importance of regulating emotions and the impact that can happen in creating opportunities for oneself. Kuye, a graduate of the all-boys Catholic high school St. Rita of Cascia in Ashburn, is passionate about teaching the significance of emotional intelligence.
“I believe that the best leaders are also the best followers, and I’m looking forward to being able to learn through whatever capacity from the leaders at the organization, whether it’s first, second or third place, we get to get some coaching from established business owners that really will help push my business forward,” Kuye said about being a finalist for the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Eternity Sledge is the 23-year-old founder of the nonprofit Mirkat Impact, which aims to equip the youth with valuable life skills, create thriving communities and eliminate intentional deaths.
She applied for the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the first time last year but wasn’t selected.
Sledge said she was inspired to create the organization after experiencing the death of a cousin by gun violence in 2023. The nonprofit is named in her cousin’s honor.
“Our goal is to equip at-risk youth with life skills development, mental health advocacy and pathway discovery,” Sledge explained. “Our overall vision is we want our community to have individuals who are thriving and have intentional deaths eliminated, both homicides and suicide, and then we want every person to be able to shape the life that they envision.”
Mirkat’s signature program, the Pearl’s Pathways Program, is named for her grandmother, who she explained taught her the worth of having wisdom and strength through “discipleship.”
The third finalist for this year’s award is Corey Phillips. At 22 years old, Phillips has established himself as a keynote speaker who talks about closing the financial education gap with his business, Social Storm LLC. He also builds partnerships with entities such as the city of Chicago and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Phillips also attends North Central College in suburban Naperville.
“When I came to college, I wanted to be able to teach other young people how to save and manage money, because a lot of people don’t understand it, [since] it’s typically a foreign language for most people,” Phillips said. “So I want to be able to impact my communities, especially the South and West sides of Chicago, and help rebuild them economically, be able to build stable businesses and be able to invest in our young people, showcasing that we can do great things.”
The three entrepreneurs will pitch in front of the crowd during the Legacy Awards Gala on March 14.
In addition to its Young Entrepreneur Award, WDB Cares provides support to emerging business leaders through its 20 for 20 Young Entrepreneur Program. The program is an eight-week accelerator that provides 20 young professionals under the age of 30 with mentorship, $5,000 in direct capital and over $15,000 in professional services.
The three-day Legacy Awards Weekend kicks off with the Legacy Talks Business Mixer on Friday, March 13, followed by the Legacy Awards Gala and the Black Restaurant Showcase on March 14 at the Old Post Office. The weekend will conclude with the Legacy Takeover Brunch on March 15 at Kitchen + Kocktails.
Tickets for the Legacy Awards Weekend can be purchased here.
