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project extended beyond storytelling, with partners supporting production and distribution to thousands of students across multiple counties, ensuring her legacy reached a new generation.
HONORING HISTORY AND COMMUNITY THROUGH MUSIC
BREAKING GROUND: FORT MOSE RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT ON THE CUSP OF HISTORY
It also includes The Story of Fort Mose, developed to bring greater awareness to Fort Mose Historic State Park, the site of the first legally sanctioned free Black settlement in what is now the United States. While historically significant, Fort Mose remains unfamiliar to many. The publication was designed to help close that gap by telling the story in a way that is accessible, engaging, and rooted in its broader historical context.
Estebana represents another dimension of this work. Focused on Florida’ s Black arts, culture and heritage, the publication highlights the untold stories and contributions of Black Floridians. This work is especially timely as plans for the Florida Museum of Black History continue to take shape.
These projects are often collaborative, bringing together organizations, institutions and funders who share an interest in telling the story and ensuring it reaches the right audience. In some cases, that has meant supporting writing and design. In others, it has meant enabling large-scale distribution so the publication can serve as an educational or community resource.
Jeanne Coates
THE PRIDE OF FLORIDA
FORT MOSE: AMERICA’ S FIRST
FREE BLACK TOWN
RECONSTRUCTING THE PAST AT FORT MOSE
HISTORIC STATE PARK
SPECIAL EDITION
EV LVE MAGAZINE Shining a Light on Success
INAUGURAL ISSUE
“ We’ re proud to support the community in this way,” said Jeanne Coates, Chief Operating and Sales Officer.“ These projects allow us to use what we do best, storytelling, to help elevate voices and stories that deserve to be seen and shared.”
An extension of this work is Perseverance: The Magazine That Inspires, an upcoming publication that expands this approach beyond a regional footprint. Unlike a traditional periodical, Perseverance will be produced when there is a story that warrants deeper exploration, with a focus on resilience, impact, and inspiration.
The first edition will explore the arc of Black entrepreneurship in America, from 1776 through the early 20th century, drawing from historical content originally developed decades ago and pairing it with new context and reporting. The publication will include profiles, feature articles and supporting narratives designed to connect past progress with present-day conversations. Distributed digitally to national organizations such as chambers of commerce and minority business networks, it reflects a broader reach for EVOLVE’ s storytelling approach.
Future editions are expected to follow a similar model, focusing on stories that carry both historical and contemporary relevance, stories that inform, connect and inspire.
Taken together, these special editions reflect a consistent approach: identifying stories that matter, investing in telling them well and ensuring they reach the audiences who can benefit from them most.
They also reinforce a broader belief, one that sits at the intersection of business and community. The role of a business is not only to operate within a community, but to contribute to it.
The Arc of Black Entrepreneurship in America
DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE: NEW YORK CITY’ S‘ BLACK PAGES’ 1971-76
AN ECONOMY OF THEIR OWN: THE RISE OF THE BLACK ENTREPRENEUR
For EVOLVE, that contribution is storytelling.
Through these special editions, that storytelling continues to evolve, shining a light not only on success, but on the stories that shape who we are, where we’ ve been and where we’ re going.
The Magazine That Inspires
Dr. Booker T. Washington Founder, National Business League in 1900
AN PUBLICATION
Elesha Mavrommatis is the chief content officer for Touchpoint Innovative Solutions and the managing editor of EVOLVE Magazine.
JULY 2026 | $ 10.00
CHALLENGE, OPPORTUNITY AND THE FUTURE OF
BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES
PROFILES IN PERSEVERANCE
1776-1929
DIAMOND EDITION | 49 |