The 84th annual Walk, the state’s largest business networking event, had been scheduled for Feb. 18 and 19, but the Chamber – in conjunction with its partners Amtrak and the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel – saw no way to safely move forward with the event during the ongoing medical emergency.

“Clearly, in the current environment, it is not a good idea to host a networking event that packs together hundreds of business and government leaders on a charter train and then in a hotel for a dinner,” said Tom Bracken, president and CEO of the N.J. Chamber. “Our intent is to resume the Walk to Washington in 2022 – conditions permitting – because it is an important event for New Jersey’s business community.”

The N.J. Chamber and the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey announced today that they are partnering on an initiative in 2021 that will serve as a rallying cry to end economic inequities in New Jersey.

The initiative would include a series of receptions around the state to promote diversity and equal economic opportunity, culminating in a statewide dinner on Sept. 23, 2021.

The receptions and the dinner will honor people, organizations and companies that have successfully created or expanded diversity and equal economic opportunities across New Jersey.

“New Jersey is already one of the most diverse states in the nation,” said John Harmon, president and founder of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey. “The time is now to make it the most economically inclusive state in the nation. No issue is more important to New Jersey’s economic health than creating a system where economic opportunity is available for all.”

The two chambers will work to align their activities with related activities of the New Jersey CEO Council, the New Jersey Legislature’s Joint Committee on Economic Justice and Equal Employment Opportunity, and other businesses and chambers of commerce in the state.

“This will be a critical undertaking and something our two chambers envisioned when we signed our memorandum of understanding in August,” said Bracken. “We want to make our joint events a rallying call for diversity and equal opportunity. We will challenge businesses in every corner of the state to do their part to change the status quo.”

On Aug. 17, 2020, the chief executives of the N.J. Chamber and the AACCNJ signed a memorandum of understanding that sets a framework for the two organizations to work together to address the economic inequities that exist for black citizens and black business owners in the state. The agreement calls for the two organizations to focus their efforts chiefly on creating and enhancing education, entrepreneurship and employment opportunities. For more info on the memorandum of understanding, click here.

Every year, the N.J. Chamber charters an Amtrak train that departs Newark and whisks through New Jersey, picking up guests along the way. Those boarding include state legislators, CEOs, small business owners, entrepreneurs, and nonprofit leaders who walk the train’s aisle exchanging business cards and making connections. When the train reaches the nation’s capital, guests gather at the Marriott Wardman Park hotel for receptions and the Congressional Dinner featuring New Jersey’s governor, its two U.S. senators and New Jersey members of the House of Representatives. In 2017, NJTV News called the event “a gathering of eagles, the state’s most powerful business and political leaders riding the rails.” That same year, then-candidate for governor Phil Murphy called the event “a pulse-check for a lot of the issues and a lot of realities in the state.” 

The first dinner took place in 1937. The Chamber then began bringing its members to the nation’s capital every year except 1942 to 1945 when the dinner was held in New Jersey due to war-time travel restrictions. According to the N.J. Chamber’s archives, 2021 will be the first year there is no Walk to Washington or dinner since the tradition was inaugurated. In 2014, a blizzard forced the Chamber to postpone the Walk to Washington from February to April. 

The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce is a business advocacy organization that represents its members on a wide range of business and education issues. Based in Trenton, the organization also links the state’s local and regional chambers on issues of importance through its grassroots legislative network. For more information, visit njchamber.com