Joseph L. Searles was an incredibly rich man. Not only did he become the first Black broker on the NYSE, he also played professional football for the New York Giants. He was financially secure and could’ve stopped there, but he didn’t.
Deeply interested in urban development and revitalization, Searles quickly used his finance know-how to transform the quality of Black business ventures in his local community and the spaces in which they existed.
He made it his mission to grow Black businesses. In 1969, Searles hosted the first minority franchising fair in the country in his position as New York City’s Economic Development Administration.
Searles lived a life dedicated to serving the financial needs of Black people. He understood that breaking barriers on Wall Street wouldn’t be enough to help us prosper.
Instead, he devoted his life to making sure that our lives would improve and our dreams could be achieved, too.