She showed up for us, we’re showing up for her; 100 black business owners honor Melissa Hortman and her family

It was just five months ago, when Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman did what she does every year. She showed up at the third annual Black Entrepreneurs Day at the Minnesota State Capitol, hosted by Sheletta Brundidge and ShelettaMakesMeLaugh.com.

“It’s important that we show up for her and her family to show her profound impact,” said Yolanda Pierson, a black entrepreneur who will be among a crowd on Friday, June 27, when Hortman, her husband Mark, and their dog Gilbert lie in state, nearly two weeks after they were killed by a gunman inside their Brooklyn Park home.  

 “Tomorrow at the memorial, we will be 100 strong to make sure Melissa’s family and colleagues know that we support and love her,” said Brundidge

Brundidge says Hortman not only attended her Black Entrepreneurs Day at the Capitol event, but she also met one-on-one with black business owners and followed up with them afterwards. “It didn’t matter whether they lived in Brooklyn Park or Bemidji.”

Pierson of Pierson & Sons Trucking in Minneapolis was one of those entrepreneurs. The company specializes in heavy excavating, concrete and asphalt transport, paving, and demolition.

Pierson met with Hortman to talk about prevailing wages, a concept that was hurting her small business.

In Minnesota, trucking companies that work on state-funded projects, like all the summer road construction projects, must pay a higher wage to workers, which can be considerably higher than the standard rate and cut businesses like Pierson’s out of the process. Hortman listened to Pierson about the issue at Black Entrepreneurs Day at the Capitol in February.

“She was interested in understanding the law. It was meant to help small businesses, but in our case, it was hurting us,” Pierson said.

After the meeting, Pierson says Hortman followed up with her.

“She called me back. She went above and beyond to navigate the space.” This care and consideration are why Pierson will be at the memorial at the Minnesota State Capitol to pay her respects.

At a time when politics have divided so many, Pierson says Hortman breached the divide.

“In the meeting we had, she had both Republicans and Democrats present,” Pierson recalled. “It’s important to humanize the work they do for us and remember her legacy.”