In the Big D, you can feel the entrepreneurial spirit through the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce, the first Black organization of its kind in the nation. African American impact across Dallas society is as diverse as the citizens and rich economy that supports a Black population of 1.2 million+ residents. Dallas' roots are deeply intertwined with African American history and culture as one of the largest Black settlements in the country, beginning in the antebellum period through the end of the Civil War.