Economic Sovereignty Campaign Rebuilds the Tuskegee Machine for the 21st Century
TUSKEGEE, Ala., Feb. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The National Business League (NBL), the nation’s first and largest Black business federation founded in 1900 by Booker T. Washington, today announced the formal reorganization and expansion of its national and international operations in the State of Alabama, establishing the region as its central hub for economic development, innovation, and global engagement.
Anchored in Tuskegee and Montgomery, the initiative revitalizes Booker T. Washington’s historic “Tuskegee Machine” as a modern engine for enterprise, investment, and institutional leadership across the Southern Black Belt and the global African Diaspora.
The statewide relaunch will include chapter activations and institutional partnerships in Montgomery, Tuskegee, Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, Selma, Tuscaloosa, and Talladega, in collaboration with leading Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including Tuskegee University, Alabama State University, Selma University, Miles College, Oakwood University, Alabama A&M University, Stillman College, and Talladega College.
“This is a strategic return to origin and a leap forward in capacity,” said Dr. Ken L. Harris, 16th President and CEO of the National Business League. “We are building permanent infrastructure for economic sovereignty and global unification.”
The Alabama operations hub will support:
- National headquarters and administrative operations
- AI and digital enterprise centers
- Global trade and economic diplomacy programs
- Workforce and supplier development initiatives
- Real estate development and infrastructure investment platforms
- HBCU and community enterprise pipelines
The initiative will coordinate federal, state, private, philanthropic, and international partnerships to drive sustainable development across rural and urban Black Belt communities, strengthen regional supply chains, and expand global market access for Black-owned enterprises.
This expansion positions Alabama as a command center for Black enterprise in the United States and abroad, reinforcing the NBL’s long-term strategy to institutionalize ownership, innovation, and economic sovereignty throughout the Pan-African world.
About the National Business League
Founded in 1900 by Booker T. Washington in Tuskegee, Alabama, the National Business League is the nation’s first and largest federation for Black-owned businesses. For more than 126 years, the NBL has advanced entrepreneurship, supplier development, capital access, workforce advancement, and international trade. The organization maintains national headquarters in Tuskegee, Alabama, with regional offices in Detroit, Michigan; Atlanta, Georgia; Washington, D.C.; and Africa.
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![[NBL Archives: In August 1913, during the National Negro Business League’s annual conference in Philadelphia—where she served as a keynote speaker and as a devoted member and supporter of the League—Madam C.J. Walker is pictured alongside Booker T. Washington at the dedication of the Senate Avenue YMCA in Indianapolis on July 8, 1913. Walker, one of the nation’s first self-made women millionaires, contributed $1,000 toward the project, while Washington delivered the keynote address.]](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2902767/Screenshot_2025_08_13_at_11_09_57_PM.jpg "[NBL Archives: In August 1913, during the National Negro Business League’s annual conference in Philadelphia—where she served as a keynote speaker and as a devoted member and supporter of the League—Madam C.J. Walker is pictured alongside Booker T. Washington at the dedication of the Senate Avenue YMCA in Indianapolis on July 8, 1913. Walker, one of the nation’s first self-made women millionaires, contributed $1,000 toward the project, while Washington delivered the keynote address.]")
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SOURCE The National Business League
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