Empowering Through Awareness: The MBDA Impact Story Premieres

A conversation on the impact of MBDA programs supporting minority-owned businesses, and what’s at stake if they’re gone.

In a time when access to resources can define the trajectory of a small business, it’s more important than ever to understand the programs that have helped level the playing field—especially for minority-owned businesses across the country.

Community Icons Magazine is proud to present the MBDA Impact Story, a feature that brings together voices from the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (AZHCC) and the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) to discuss the purpose, reach, and future of programs designed to support underserved entrepreneurs.

From providing access to capital and federal contracts to offering technical assistance and training, these programs have had a measurable impact on business growth and community development. But with proposed changes at the federal level, many of these initiatives now face an uncertain future.

In this video, viewers hear directly from the leaders who operate these programs and the individuals whose lives and businesses they have transformed. It is a community-focused conversation rooted in facts, lived experience, and a deep commitment to equity through opportunity.

The MBDA Impact Story is now available on the Community Icons Magazine YouTube channel. It calls for awareness, reflection, and shared responsibility to ensure that valuable resources remain within reach for those who need them most.

Watch. Reflect. Share with your community.