Today marks the final day of Black History Month. We want to recognize our leaders who step up every day of the year to amplify and diversify our chorus of business voices. Our friends at Los Angeles Business Journal summed up the significance of these equity-minded efforts in three words: “BLACK BUSINESS MATTERS.”
- In 2021, Black-owned businesses were started at the fastest clip in 26 years.
- The number of Black business owners was 28% higher in the third quarter of 2021 than pre-pandemic. (The number of white business owners was 5% higher and the number of Latino business owners was 19% higher.)
- A GoDaddy study found Black owners accounted for 26% of all websites created for new businesses since the pandemic began, compared to 15% before.
But we can do more to cultivate Black entrepreneurship beyond the scope of microbusinesses.
The U.S. population is 14% Black, while just 2% of business owners who employ other people are Black. BizFed’s massive alliance of business networks is uniquely resourced to move the needle. We can mentor up-and-coming business leaders from a broader range of communities and professional backgrounds; create more opportunities that connect students with the resources they need to tap into their full potential; and continue advocating loudly for policies that advance equity.
It is a multifaceted, multiyear effort that goes beyond celebrating Black History Month.
We thank the BizFed leaders and staffers below for using their voices, platforms, and lived experiences to help us identify ways of investing resources that truly make a difference.
- ALAN CALDWELL: BizFed Secretary – Marathon Petroleum
- ANGELA GIBSON: BizFed Advocacy Co-Chair – Greater LA African American Chamber
- SCHENAE ROURK: BizFed Advocacy Co-Chair – National Association of Women Business Owners
- SONYA KAY BLAKE: BizFed Anti-Poverty, Education, & Economic Mobility Co-Chair – Valley Economic Alliance
- CAMERON ONUMAH: BizFed Arts, Entertainment, & Sports Co-Chair – Amazon
- WANDA LOVE: BizFed Responsible Governance Co-Chair – Gardena Valley Chamber
- SHARON EVANS: BizFed Goods Movement, Mobility, & Transportation Co-Chair – Business Resource Group
- DE’ANDRE VALENCIA: BizFed Land Use/Housing/Development/Real Estate/CEQA Co-Chair – Building Industry Association of Southern California, Los Angeles/Ventura Chapter
- GIL IVEY: Past BizFed Chair & BizFed Institute Advisory Board Member – Metropolitan Water District
- MC Townsend: Past BizFed Chair – Regional Black Chamber SFV
- KEVIN HARBOUR: BizFed Institute President
- ALYSIA RIVERS: BizFed Membership & Grants Manager
- TASIA KIEFFER: BizFed Development & Special Projects Coordinator
- CHRIS WILSON: BizFed Senior Policy Manager
- MICHAEL LAWSON: BizFed Institute Officer – Los Angeles Urban League
- ROBERT SAUSEDO: BizFed Institute Officer – Community Build
Onward together!
