Get The Scoop On The National Small Business Expo Coming Too Rochdale Village in Southeast Queens

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National Small Business Expo – New York Edition to Connect NYC, Long Island, Regional and National Business Leaders for Maximum Economic Impact

Click or Tap Here To Register

Queens, New York — Entrepreneurs, small business owners, corporate leaders, nonprofits, innovators, and economic development organizations from across New York City, Long Island, and beyond will gather for one of the region’s most anticipated business networking and empowerment events at the National Small Business Expo “New York Edition” on June 11, 2026, at the Rochdale Village Ballroom in Queens, NY, from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

The National Small Business Expo – New York Edition is designed to serve as a high-impact platform that strengthens business connections between local communities, the greater New York metropolitan region, and national business networks. 

The event will unite emerging entrepreneurs, established businesses, corporate partners, chambers of commerce, government agencies, community organizations, and industry leaders to create opportunities for growth, collaboration, procurement, innovation, and long-term economic development.

Rose Ward, Owner, NFocus Management Group, LLC

“The National Small Business Expo – New York Edition is more than an event it is a catalyst for opportunity, collaboration, and economic empowerment. This Expo creates a powerful space where entrepreneurs, corporations, nonprofits, and community leaders can come together to build meaningful relationships that strengthen businesses locally, regionally, and nationally. We are excited to help connect innovators and changemakers from New York City, Long Island, and beyond for maximum impact.” Rose Ward Owner, NFocus Management Group, LLC

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and the National Small Business Expo – New York Edition is designed to open doors, create access, and expand opportunities for entrepreneurs across diverse industries. 

By bringing together businesses from New York City, Long Island, and national markets, we are creating an environment where strategic partnerships, economic growth, supplier diversity, and innovation can thrive. This Expo represents the future of collaborative business development.” Phil Andrews, Founding President, The New York City Minority Small Business Chamber of Commerce, Inc.

Get The Scoop On The Accomplished Black Scientist's AI Platform Protecting Black Women From Medical Bias and Unnecessary Surgeries

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Scientist Renee Ayo Williams Launches
Zero-Knowledge AI Platform to
Protect Black Mothers from
Medical Bias and Unnecessary Surgeries

SAN DIEGO, CA — May 4, 2026 — Renee Ayo Williams, a clinical research scientist with over 25 years of experience, has officially launched CycleSync, a groundbreaking AI-powered health advocacy platform. Built specifically to protect Black women from medical dismissal and maternal mortality, CycleSync gives women the exact tools they need to demand better care.

The launch comes at a critical time. Black women in the United States currently die from pregnancy-related complications at three times the rate of white women. Too often, their voices are ignored.

The Chesapeake Regional Wake-Up Call
For Williams, the need for a protective shield became undeniable after a shocking lawsuit in Virginia. More than 500 former patients are currently suing Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, alleging the hospital allowed an OB-GYN to perform unnecessary and uninformed surgeries—including hysterectomies—on women for years.

"When I read about women waking up from surgery not knowing why they were operated on, it solidified my mission," says Williams, who holds a Certified Clinical Research Associate (CCRA) credential. "I am a scientist, but I am also a Black woman who has navigated this healthcare system. I built CycleSync so we have documented proof of our health, making it much harder for doctors to dismiss us or push us into procedures we do not need."

Get The Scoop On the Important Events in Southeast Queens This Weekend

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Get The Scoop On Important
Southeast Queens Events
This Weekend

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MSS Francois to Headline District 119 Toastmasters Spring Conference 2026 at LaGuardia Marriott

Help Us To continue to inform and empower our community please Donate. Get The Scoop Weekly On the Global Black Community and Southeast Queens, NY. Subscribe to Our Mailing List. Receive the Latest Events, News, Jobs, and Top Community Economic Development Stories Like this one Click Here | Reach up to 1.3 million people Promote

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MSS Francois to Headline District 119 Toastmasters Spring Conference 2026 at LaGuardia Marriott

MSS Francois to Headline District 119 Toastmasters Spring Conference 2026 at LaGuardia Marriott

EAST ELMHURST, NY — April 24, 2026 — A powerful voice in personal transformation, women’s empowerment, and purpose-driven success is set to take center stage in Queens this weekend. MSS Francois—CEO, media personality, and dynamic motivational speaker—will serve as the keynote speaker at the highly anticipated District 119 Toastmasters Spring Conference 2026, taking place Saturday, April 25 at the New York LaGuardia Airport Marriott.

Known for her bold authenticity and magnetic presence, MSS Francois has built a growing platform rooted in resilience, reinvention, and healing. Her name—MSS, meaning “Multi-talented and Super Sexy”—is more than a moniker; it reflects a philosophy of confidence, self-worth, and unapologetic personal growth that she brings to every stage she touches.

Born in Trinidad and Tobago and raised in a single-parent household, Francois migrated to the United States as a teenager and faced significant challenges, including homelessness. Through determination and vision, she transformed adversity into opportunity—earning two master’s degrees, rising into leadership roles within the finance sector, and ultimately building a thriving media and business brand.

Today, she is widely recognized as the creator and host of The Mss Francois Show, a groundbreaking series with more than 75 episodes that blend humor, emotional wellness, and real-life relationship insight. A Toastmasters Humorous Speech Champion, Francois has mastered the art of using laughter as both therapy and strategy—helping audiences break through fear, rediscover their voice, and unlock new levels of personal and professional success.

Get The Scoop On The Next Black Health & Wealth Virtual Summit Remix On April 21st - April 23rd

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Receive the Latest Events, News, Jobs, and Top Community Economic Development Stories Like this one Click Here | Reach up to 1.3 million people Promote

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FREE

The Black Health & Wealth
Virtual Summit Remix Continues to Showcase
The New Dream Team of Medical and
Entrepreneurial Powerhouses

April 21st, April 22nd and April 23rd 7 PM - 9 PM ET

Click or Tap Here For Zoom Attendance Link

The Black Health & Wealth Virtual Summit Remix isn’t just another online event — it’s a strategic gathering of culture, capital, and community.  Curator Kamau Austin shares his overview "this year’s summit is already bringing together a Dream Team of medical innovators, wealth builders, business architects, and movement leaders who are flipping the script on what health and economic empowerment looks like in Black America."

"In a period when over 1.1 million Black people have lost their jobs and Black unemployment hit over 7.2 percent, since the last election cycle, the Black Health and Wealth Virtual Summit 2.0 is a timely and relevant event to jump start an economic reset in our community," adds Austin.   This year's line up of presenters for the virtual summit are impressive to say the least and state the obvious. 

On the wealth side, financier and investor Gary Smith will break down how he has helped Black communities move from being shoppers in the mall to owners of the mall — making major corporations cut the rent check to us.  Gary also has extensive experience in helping Blacks and other entrepreneurs buy and sell viable businesses.

Financier, Business & Commercial Real Estate
Investor and business broker Gary Smith 

Tech titan and multimillionaire Chuck Starks, author of Get Rich While Black!, will share how he scaled an Inc. 500 company and turned distressed properties in our communities into high-value community assets.

Self-Made Millionaire Chuck Starks

The health and innovation lane is just as powerful. Medical researcher Renee Williams is using AI to help Black women achieve better health outcomes, proving that technology can be both culturally competent, enhancing health, and life-saving.

Medical Researcher and
AI and App Innovator Renee Williams 

Afi S. Okon, MPA, founder of the American Obesity Foundation, continues to push solutions and policy conversations around one of the most urgent health crises impacting our community.  Ms. Okon is a Solutions provider with focus on wellness and community empowerment.

Afi is the Creator of Let’s Make Healthy Our New Happy, a nationwide campaign designed to reframe health as joyful, doable and family-centered journey that meet families where they are – at home, school, places of worship and in their neighborhoods. With over a decade of expertise in nonprofit leadership and deep-rooted passion for community well-being, Ms. Okon has dedicated her career to addressing health disparities through education, advocacy and empowerment.

Pierre Clark is a Harvard-trained entrepreneur and will deliver high-level strategies on creative business development and smart investments.  He is the Founder-Editor of The Entrepreneur’s Corner™, Homefree, NuFutures Development Ventures LLC, and NuMillennium Opportunity Capital Ltd.

Pierre is also a well respected writer and publisher on entrepreneurial and business operations.

Marsha Duke is an Award Winning real estate professional and Certified Real Estate Paralegal with over 20 years of experience guiding clients through every stage of the buying and selling process. She combines legal insight, market expertise, and strategic negotiation to deliver results with clarity and confidence.

He approach is rooted in providing full circle support offering guidance, planning, and execution to help clients achieve their real estate goals.

Real Estate Pro Marsha Duke

Op-ed: New York City Parks Finds a New Way to Push SQPA out of Roy Wilkins Park

Help Us To continue to inform and empower our community please Donate. Get The Scoop Weekly On the Global Black Community and Southeast Queens, NY. Subscribe to Our Mailing List. Receive the Latest Events, News, Jobs, and Top Community Economic Development Stories Like this one Click Here | Reach up to 1.3 million people Promote

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New York City Parks Finds a New Way to Push SQPA Out of Roy Wilkins Park

Roy Wilkins Park. Photo by Tdorante10/Wikimedia Commons

By James Johnson

For more than 50 years, the Southern Queens Park Association has been the backbone of Roy Wilkins Park.

Since 1973, SQPA has provided afterschool programming and critical community services to families across Southeast Queens. It is more than a nonprofit – it is a trusted institution built by and for the community.

Today, that institution is being pushed aside.

New York City is constructing a $92 million, state-of-the-art facility in Roy Wilkins Park complete with a gym, pool, indoor track, and modern community space. These are long-overdue investments that our community deserves.

But the reality behind this investment tells a different story.

SQPA, the very organization that sustained this park through decades of neglect, will not have access to this new facility.

Originally, New York City Parks indicated that SQPA would be included. That promise has not been kept.

At this time last year, community leaders, stakeholders, and advocates were raising concerns, asking questions, and engaging in good faith about SQPA’s role in the future of Roy Wilkins Park. Several town halls were organized to get answers and ensure transparency.

The main question was simple: Why are two facilities being built in the same park?

There was a clear expectation that SQPA would be included, not sidelined.

The Souper Bowl Party Rocks Queens With Warm Food and Community Vibes

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The Souper Bowl Party Rocks
Queens with Delicious Hot Artisan
Meals and Culinary Treats

Article By Curator of the Souper Bowl Party Roni Anderson

Far Rockaway, Queens - Despite the blustery chill in the air on the last weekend of winter, it was a cozy, warm atmosphere inside the Conservation Coastal Center where many people came out for our second annual “Souper Bowl Party.”

Families and community members gathered around to enjoy a ladle of warm comfort in a bowl.

We had a variety of delicious soups this year, we had a vegetable pumpkin soup, provided by Beach Dunes Cafe restaurant, and vegetarian sandwich wraps, which were a big hit, compliments of Annie Mohan of Campaign Against Hunger.

Community member Miss Myrtle brought a vegetarian option of pasta chickpea curry soup, so yummy, and community organizer, member of the Feed My Sheep organization, and Eye For Decoration business, Aiysha Simon, decorated the space with soup-related decor, and brought her now famous super yummy broccoli cheddar cheese soup.

This year, I brought my Chicken Tortilla soup, with fresh homemade tortilla strips, I called the “Benito bowl” (a little nod to the NFL Super Bowl’s Bad Bunny performer), and I made an old favorite American-style creamy chicken and dumplings soup.. Scrumptious sweet treats were provided by TraOre Desserts.. and much-appreciated beverages were donated by newly retired EMS worker Mr. Ozzie, and photos by Rockaway’s fabulous photographer Mr. Darryl C. Madison and Qiky Kidz Rohn Boyd.