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Thinking about entrepreneurship? Work in the industry first, learn both front and back of house, build connections, and use free local programs to strengthen your business plan. #Entrepreneurship #FoodBusiness #SmallBusinessTips #BusinessPlanning

A new way to connect with a community began as one idea—but administration, support, and shared effort helped bring it to life. #CommunityBuilding #Teamwork #Communication #Collaboration

What would it look like to bank with an institution built by and for our community?

On this episode of Tracey’s Keepin’ It Real, host Tracey Williams-Dillard sits down with Benson B. Webb Jr., vice president, co-founder and branch manager of Arise Community Credit Union, and Minnesota attorney and Arise member Joshua Franklin. Arise opened on Juneteenth 2025 as Minnesota’s first Black credit union, with roots in North Minneapolis.

Webb shares how growing up in Selma, Alabama, led him to finance, and how the killings of George Floyd and Philando Castile pushed the community to build an institution where Black Minnesotans would be heard. He and Franklin break down the difference between being a bank customer and a credit union member, and how Arise is working to earn the trust of a community that has been taken advantage of by financial institutions for generations.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
Why Arise opened on Juneteenth and who it serves
The difference between a customer and a member
How Arise lowered one member’s loan rate from 22% to 8%
Credit builder loans for people who need a second chance
Shared branching and free one-on-one financial coaching
Why paying yourself first builds financial peace
Webb’s goal of growing Arise into a $2 billion institution

Arise Community Credit Union is located at 227 Colfax Ave. N., Suite 30A, Minneapolis. Learn more or open an account at ariseccu.org.

Read the full story at spokesman-recorder.com: [LINK]

Subscribe for more episodes of Tracey’s Keepin’ It Real, where MSR CEO and Publisher Tracey Williams-Dillard has honest conversations with the people shaping our community.

What was Iraqi Freedom? Because I certainly didn’t feel any freedom. That’s a retired Army colonel, talking about coming home from Baghdad. And today is Veterans Day. So we’re starting with her.

This week on News Observer Weekly, Marcus and Nia break down the five stories that mattered most to our readers — from Observer Group Newspapers, publishers of the Bakersfield News Observer, the Los Angeles News Observer and Valley’s News Observer, serving Kern County, Los Angeles, and the San Fernando and Antelope valleys.

ONE THING THIS WEEK
It’s Veterans Day. Call a veteran in your life. If you or a veteran you know is
struggling, the Veterans Crisis Line is free and confidential 24/7: dial 988,
then press 1, or text 838255.

PUBLISH A LEGAL NOTICE
Need to publish a fictitious business name, name change, probate or summons in
Kern or Los Angeles County? File online at https://legal.ognsc.com — upload your
paperwork, review the notice, see a flat price before you pay. Kern notices run
in the Bakersfield News Observer; L.A. County notices run in the Los Angeles News
Observer. Deadline: Friday 5 p.m. Pacific for the next week’s paper.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Cold open
0:39 Veterans Day: After the Uniform Comes Off: A Veteran’s Journey From Baghdad to Healing
3:14 Election 2026: Poll: Black Voters Gave Democrats Their Strongest Support in the 2026 Midterms, With Grocery Bills and Rent Driving the Vote
5:42 Sacramento: Becerra, Legislative Leaders Put Affordability First, but Details Remain Open
7:17 From the Observer: publish a legal notice
8:09 Commentary: World Day of Remembrance for Traffic Victims Matters Because Every Life Matters
9:47 State Capitol: Political Playback: California Capitol News You Might Have Missed
11:53 What to do this week

THE FULL STORIES
After the Uniform Comes Off: A Veteran’s Journey From Baghdad to Healing

After the Uniform Comes Off: A Veteran’s Journey From Baghdad to Healing

2. Poll: Black Voters Gave Democrats Their Strongest Support in the 2026 Midterms, With Grocery Bills and Rent Driving the Vote

Poll: Black Voters Gave Democrats Their Strongest Support in the 2026 Midterms, With Grocery Bills and Rent Driving the Vote

3. Becerra, Legislative Leaders Put Affordability First, but Details Remain Open

Sacramento: Becerra, Legislative Leaders Put Affordability First, but Details Remain Open

4. World Day of Remembrance for Traffic Victims Matters Because Every Life Matters

World Day of Remembrance for Traffic Victims Matters Because Every Life Matters 

5. Political Playback: California Capitol News You Might Have Missed

Political Playback: California Capitol News You Might Have Missed       

If you are in crisis, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is free and available 24 hours a day, by call or text. Veterans: dial 988, then press 1.

Read everything at ognsc.com
Subscribe for the top five, every week.

#BlackPress #Bakersfield #LosAngeles #SanFernandoValley #AntelopeValley #BlackNews