Decades of documented racial biases in contracting, hiring, and financing means that for generations, businesses owned by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) have struggle to compete in an environment that has historically and continues to favor white men.

 

This disparity feeds the economic and social instability of our communities and stymies the economy of the city as whole, yet recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings have limited the extent to which government can use its influence and contracting power to remedy this bias.

 

But we are not giving up. The Collaborative Community Initiative works at the intersection of community and data to help businesses, advocates, and elected officials ensure that any policies and programs created to help BIPOC business owners are effective and informed.

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Learn more about economic disparity in New Orleans: