Atlanta Black Chambers Leadership

Markela Taylor

Governmental Affairs Chair
Author & Entrepreneur

From the small business owner to the black business advocate, Kela Taylor’s entrepreneurial journey hasn’t been business as usual.  

For the last decade, her tenacious grind and ambitious resilience have pioneered one successful venture after another. Today, her mission is to amplify black enterprises through passionate civic engagement and social justice. In addition to pinning her own expose’, “My Dream Business My Worst Nightmare: Modern Day Oppression in Black Entrepreneurship,” Kela is a council member for the Small Business Majority and Governmental Affairs Committee Chair for the Atlanta Black Chambers.

Fun facts about her.
She is a dog mom. Big dogs need love too.

What is her role within the Atlanta Black Chambers, and what led her to become involved in this organization?
Her role within the Atlanta Black Chambers is past present chair of the Young Entrepreneurs Collaborative, and current chair of the governmental affairs committee. She kicks herself every time she thinks about not joining the Atlanta Black Chambers sooner than when she did this organization is community lead and community oriented. Everyone has a voice in the Atlanta Black Chambers.

How does her mission align with the Atlanta Black Chambers works to support Black-owned businesses in the Atlanta area?
We hear about the injustices that happens in Socio economic classes, and we don’t realize that it can happen to us until it actually does. It happened to her. Instead fighting the laws, to make a difference, she chose to get more present to CHANGE the laws of a broken system. She is a firm believer in “we’re stronger together.” With the Atlanta Black Chambers mission to advance black businesses, she knew that she could not only lift her voice would be the audacious voice to lift others.

What are some of the key challenges facing Black-owned businesses in the current economic and social climate, and as an exemplary leader of the Atlanta Black Chambers, how she addresses these challenges?
Her objective is to address three key challenges that black on businesses face in the current, an economic, social climate, and that is address the lack of access to capital, address the opportunity gaps in STEM, address food insecurities within HBCUs, and to address, oppressive guidelines and underwriting tactics in contracting and Procurement, as well as homeownership.

Her three success stories or achievements via her contributions to the Atlanta Black Chambers.
It is important that we as members be an asset to organizations like ABC that creates platforms to advance us. She is proud to work alongside Dr Diane Adoma, who has acknowledged me as a top 100 woman in Atlanta. As chair of the Young , Entrepreneurs Collaborative, she is proud to have brought membership and wealth building workshops to First Citizens Bank for our Young Entrepreneurs. Lastly, and most importantly, she is proud to be a continued vessel to the ABC community through my acts of Civic Engagement and collaboration efforts with other organizations and elected officials. The work is is an ongoing journey.

What are her goals for the future of the Atlanta Black Chambers, and how does she envision the organization evolving to meet the needs of its members and the wider community?
Her four goals for the future of the Atlanta Black Chambers is to increase the percentage of small businesses to IPO status, increase the percentages of civic engagement, change, underwriting guidelines, and homeownership that keeps Black people oppressed, and bring better awareness to Black people about the future of the US digital currency. This organization continues to evolve to meet the needs of its members in the water community via the community. It starts with us.

Life’s Motto / Powerful Quote.
He who brings the obligation shall bring the remedy, HJR 192.