Grassroots movements have been known to change history, but can they correct history too? Enter: For(bes) The Culture—a hub for elite leaders of color who are breaking down barriers and impacting culture globally to connect, collaborate and change. Beginning as a grassroots movement several years ago, Forbes brought the impactful movement in-house in 2020.

Today, For(bes) The Culture provides a platform that fosters professional development, social consciousness, civic engagement, intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship through community service projects, social and cultural outings, personal and professional workshops and seminars, mentoring, tutoring and networking. With over 2.6k members spanning 30 countries, For(bes) The Culture is on a mission to create equitable pathways for Black and Brown professionals.

In 2020, as racial injustice was brought further to the forefront and Black-owned businesses navigated their way through the new normal, For(bes) The Culture sought to solve a critical issue—the decades of forgotten and omitted Black business success. Thus came the idea for The State of Black Entrepreneurship, an ongoing project that launched in March 2021 and aims to accurately define, rectify and create Black history.

The State of Black Entrepreneurship project is multifaceted, incorporating historical research that unveils decades of overlooked Black business successes, plus new quantitative data and multimedia storytelling that illustrates how Black entrepreneurship stands today—and where it’s headed. The project exemplifies how Forbes and For(bes) The Culture uses their brand voice to compel change—and ensure equity—as the world builds back in this pivotal year. Key elements of the project include Beyond Black History, Culture X: The Forgotten and a Barometer Check on Black Entrepreneurship.

To build buzz around the release, The State of Black Entrepreneurship was released after Black History month to rally entrepreneurs, executives, celebrities and fellow changemakers to join the movement to honor Black history year-round. The initial release garnered nearly 100k impressions.

And since its reveal, it’s already unearthed primary historical sources (documents) on important Black business titans forgotten by history. More results are still coming in, but early indicators show growth of the For(bes) The Culture community—including a 13.3% increase in Instagram following.

The program has also successfully become a newsroom-wide initiative at Forbes—including reporters and editors from every editorial beat—and has attracted collaborations with high-profile entrepreneurs like Vivica Fox and Brandon Marshall. Through inclusive and multimedia storytelling, The State of Black Entrepreneurship is well on its way to rectifying Black history and bringing Black success to the forefront.