Emancipation Avenue Main Street (EAMS) is a culture-based economic driver, that supports Historic Third Ward entrepreneurs in achieving their goals for equitable and sustainable community development. The goal is to catalyze commerce along Emancipation Avenue and the surrounding community, leading to the preservation and revitalization of what was once the epicenter of small business and commerce for African Americans in the City. 

The EEDC partnered with the Neighborhood Development Center to implement the Third Ward Small Business Training Program. NDC is a 26 year old program that focuses on generating economic development within underserved communities by taking entrepreneurs from side hustle to storefront. The EEDC joined the Build From Within Alliance, which connects programs across the country in order to share resources.  The entrepreneur training classes are taught in the community, by business owners, to drive economic development and job creation.  On April 4, 2019 The Emancipation Economic Development Council partnered with NDC to launch the Third Ward Small Business Training Program in an effort to help protect, preserve and revitalize the Historic Third Ward Community. To date, we have graduated about 40 entrepreneurs and small business owners. 

Community Engagement efforts are created with the term Ujima in mind in an effort “To build and maintain our community together and to make our Brother’s and sister’s problems, our problems and to solve them together.” The goals of resident engagement are to protect vulnerable residents from displacement, promote social and political integration of economically marginalized residents, and to support the social mobility of economically disadvantaged residents.