*The first issue of Black Enterprise Magazine is affirmed on this date in 1970. Black Enterprise is a black-owned multimedia company. Since the 1970s, its flagship product, Black Enterprise magazine, has covered African American businesses with a readership of 3.7 million.
Earl G. Graves Sr. founded the company. It publishes in print and digital, an annual listing of the largest African American companies in the country, or "B.E. 100's", first compiled and published in 1973. In 2002, the magazine launched a supplement targeting teens, called Teenpreneur. Black Enterprise also has two nationally syndicated television shows, Our World with Black Enterprise and Women of Power.
In January 2006, Graves named his eldest son, Earl G. Graves Jr., the company’s chief executive officer. He also sits on the board of directors of AutoZone, serving as lead director and chairman of the compensation committee. Black Enterprise has been profitable since its 10th issue. The company, headquartered in New York City, has 58 employees and had revenues of $22 million in 2017. Earl Graves Sr. died in April 2020.
