Young Entrepreneurs Expo in Freeport seeks to give children of color lessons in running their own businesses

Young Entrepreneurs Expo in Freeport seeks to give children of color lessons in running their own businesses

Young entrepreneurs are set to showcase their handmade products at an upcoming expo in Freeport.
Chase Bermudez-Sullivan, 14, says she always had a passion for drawing and her talent really started to take off during the start of the pandemic.
She sold her first painting in 2021 for $60 at a community art sale.
The Young Entrepreneurs Expo will be a chance for Chase and other children of color to learn how to run their own business.
"This world is very hard to live in as a person of color too," Chase says. "I have to try harder. I need to be seen, and I have a talent - and it's not very common for people to have talents and be able to show them off."
At least two dozen vendors as young as 6 years old will have their products featured at the expo that is being put on by Q.B. Generational Change, a nonprofit that focuses on entrepreneurship and youth mentorship.
Organizer Belinda Watkins says young people of color are overlooked as entrepreneurs and face challenges due to lack of funding and support.
"We have other programs that will allow them to have financial literacy to know what to do with the money because that's important too," Watkins says. "So the main goal is to just be themselves, be creative and there are alternatives than the streets."
The Young Entrepreneurs Expo is being held Dec. 3 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Freeport Recreation Center
Admission to the event is free.