Why Are There So Few Black Economists at the Fed? (New York Times)
‘Better Business Bureau meets Consumer Reports’: Black Dollar Index ranks companies by support of Black America (USA Today).
Two Biden Priorities, Climate and Inequality, Meet on Black-Owned Farms (New York Times). Black run farms account for 2% of the nation’s farms, down 12% from 1920.
‘Better Business Bureau meets Consumer Reports’: Black Dollar Index ranks companies by support of Black America (USA Today).
Black Philadelphia renters face eviction at more than twice the rate of white renters (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Two Biden Priorities, Climate and Inequality, Meet on Black-Owned Farms (New York Times). Black run farms account for 2% of the nation’s farms, down 12% from 1920.
Stories
Coronavirus / Covid-19 / Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
What it means to return to a “pre-pandemic” economy (Marketplace)
Minority-owned small businesses hit harder during pandemic (KSHB-TV)
Jobs / Workers / Unemployment / Gig Economy
New Department of Labor statistics show racial disparities within unemployment and job loss (WWLP)
About 275,000 women left workforce in January in ‘critical’ pandemic trend, experts say (NBC News). The unemployment rate for Black women in January was 8.5%.
Raise the minimum wage—and stop subsidizing corporations that underpay their workers (Fortune)
Google CEO and HBCU leaders discuss talent pipeline for Black tech workers (News Channel)
Inequality / Systemic Racism / Economic Justice
Zuckerberg Part of $100M ‘California Black Freedom Fund’ (US News) — Five-year initiative will provide resources to Black-led organizations in the state that are seeking to eradicate systemic racism.
How urban revitalization was used to break up a Black business district in North Carolina (Times News)
Why the Richmond Fed has zero Black Ph.D. economists (Virginia Business) — Bank working to improve talent pipeline, mentorship opportunities
Black Business
Black Business General / Interesting Businesses Stories
Tale of survival: Documentary tells story of extraordinary Black community in Tulsa (Albuquerque Journal)
‘Better Business Bureau meets Consumer Reports’: Black Dollar Index ranks companies by support of Black America (USA Today).
Why Minority-Owned Businesses Struggle to Survive Amid Pandemic (Investopedia)
6 Effective Ways To Team Up With Local Businesses (Forbes)
The cities with the most minority-owned startups (SCNOW)
St. Louis program seeks Black and Latinx entrepreneurs to invest in and elevate their business (KSDK)
‘It’s not just a fad’: Black-owned businesses lack support months after George Floyd movement (Global News)
Orlando attraction features ‘bright futures’ for Black History Month (Click Orlando) — Wall Crawl hopes to highlight amazing women who are struggling to stay afloat
Why Black-owned businesses are struggling to stay afloat (CNBC)
Will Support for Black-Owned Businesses Continue in 2021? (5280)
Local historian relaunches Detroit tour company after battling COVID-19, losing mom in 2020 (WXYZ)
Ellicott City woman provides local, global jobs while creating beauty products for Black women (Capital Gazette)
Big Business / Corporate
Honoring the legacy of Black-owned businesses in the U.S. (Google). Google announces a new shopping feature that will make it easier to find Black owned businesses.
Black CEO Ranks Dwindle With Ken Frasier’s Exit (Bloomberg)
There are no Black execs at the top of Britain’s biggest companies (Philadelphia Tribune)
‘We need to see ourselves’: Md. woman uses business to uplift Black women entrepreneurs (WJLA)
Economics
Black Economics
Why Are There So Few Black Economists at the Fed? (New York Times)
Why the Richmond Fed has zero Black Ph.D. economists (Virginia Business) — Bank working to improve talent pipeline, mentorship opportunities
There’s a ‘credit gap’ between Black and white Americans, and it’s holding Black Americans back from building wealth (Business Insider)
Black households were concentrated in distressed areas of Northern cities years before the federal government created color-coded maps to indicate investment risk. (NBER)
The Economist Placing Value on Black Women’s Overlooked Work (NY Times) — Community activism by Black and other marginalized women goes under looked.
MLK Lecture connects King’s legacy with economic responsibilities today (Emory)
‘The second way’ to close the wealth gap (American Banker) — Here’s what banks and government can do to stimulate small-business growth.
The Importance Of Social Capital, According To One Black Female Founder (Forbes)
Industry Stories
Sports / Media / Entertainment
A 50th anniversary conversation with Earl “Butch” Graves Jr. of Black Enterprise (The Business Journals) – Sponsored conversation by JPMorgan Chase
Orlando Magic’s Esu Ma’at shares how NBA team recruits Black executives (Orlando Business Journal)
From James Brown to Joe Armstrong, Black-owned WJBE promotes the ‘unity’ in community (Knoxville News)
Alcohol / Marijuana / CBD / Gambling
Portland distillery gets a boost from Beyoncé (KGW)
Get to know Nayana Ferguson, the first Black woman to operate a tequila brand (Face 2 Face Africa)
Pot Push to Put Social Justice in the Spotlight: Cannabis Weekly (Bloomberg)
Ice Cube reveals Joe Biden’s administration wants to meet about his Contract with Black America (Fox News)
Harris and Yellen to meet with Black business leaders (Yahoo News)
HR / Personnel / Human Capital
Google CEO and HBCU leaders discuss talent pipeline for Black tech workers(CNN) – Not as easy as everyone thinks. If only people would do just like I did, they would be successful.
Farming / Agriculture / Food / Restaurants
Two Biden Priorities, Climate and Inequality, Meet on Black-Owned Farms (New York Times). Black run farms account for 2% of the nation’s farms, down 12% from 1920.
What is the future of Boston’s Black-owned restaurants? (Boston Globe) –
Restaurants are a major sector of Black-owned businesses lost to the pandemic.
This TikToker is on a mission to make Black food history more accessible (Today)
Transportation / Logistics / Trade
A Black woman will be the world’s top trade official for the first time (CNN)
People and Careers
Career / Professions / Entrepreneurship / Businesses You Can Start
Black-Owned Plant Shop Sees Business Bloom During Pandemic (WTTW) – Chicago
Black Women Entrepreneurs, Not Banks, Helped Me Keep My Company Going During the Pandemic (Entrepreneur)
Marcus Samuelsson Speaks out on Being a Black Cook in America (5280)
Black Entrepreneurship: The Opportunity Gap Explained (Forbes)
People / Motivation / Leadership / Success Stories / Ideas
Black leaders offer several key steps to help close the racial wealth gap (CNBC)
Good Morning America asked influential Black Americans to nominate Black people making history in 2021. (ABC News)
Meet Marques Brownlee – YouTuber & Tech Geek. (BlackEconomics.co.uk) – Another profile of Brownlee. You have to watch him in action on You Tube.
Black Celebrities Who Uplift Communities and Give Back in a Big Way (People)
Black History Month: African Heritage Entrepreneurs in Gilded Age Newport – Andrew J. Tabb (WUN) — Tabb’s accomplishments represent the essence of African heritage “Creative Survival” during a time of enslavement
Legendary hotel magnate Herman Roberts provided first class entertainment, housing (Chicago Crusader)
Good News
First Black-Owned Company to Receive 2021 AIA Architecture Firm Award (Boston Real Estate Times)
All Other
Caribbean / Africa / International
There are no Black execs at the top of Britain’s biggest companies (CNN)
The Unfortunate Truths Of Fundraising While Black in Britain (Forbes)
Coca-Cola’s South African bottler to increase black ownership stake to 20% (Reuters) – Employees will increase ownership under Black Empowerment scheme to reverse decades of exclusion under apartheid.
Travel / History
Black Women Who Have Run for President (History). Eleven Black women have run for president since 1968.
100 years after the Tulsa Massacre, entrepreneurs revive spirit of ‘Black Wall Street’ (USA Today)
The Plan to Build a Capital for Black Capitalism (New Yorker)
The National Guardian Life Insurance Company Black History Project, Part 1: The Founders (Madison365) – Madison, Wisconsin
William Grose, pioneer, worked the Underground Railroad and founded Seattle’s Black Central District (KUOW)
Black-owned businesses boosted by tourism authority (Royal Gazette)
Lawmakers hear plan to reconnect historic Black neighborhood (AP News)
Great Migration transformed Toledo as blacks from South sought better life (Toledo Blade)
Classic / Old stories but good stories
Who’s Donald Sterling? (Vox) — Or how to get rich by descriminating in Real Estate
The Country Needs To Do Much More About Unemployment (Forbes)
As a Black woman, Tubman on the $20 does nothing for me (Milford Daily News)
My history is Black history (Allied News) — too often is the poverty that has plagued Black people for centuries in America and Africa depicted, says Carolina.
Other / Interesting
12 Virtual Ways to Celebrate Black History Month From Home (House Beautiful)