By Sydney Kashiwagi
Staten Island Advance, N.Y.
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) A new program called “BE NYC” will help Black-owned businesses connect with business experts, provide them with access to capital, and help them with any digital issues they might be facing.
New York
The de Blasio administration pledged to support Black-owned businesses across New York City Wednesday in an effort to close the racial wealth gap in the city.
The city unveiled the “BE NYC” initiative Wednesday, which aims to increase the number of Black-owned businesses in New York City, focusing on growing businesses in high-growth industries.
The leading partners in the BE NYC initiative include Ernst & Young, which will provide free one-on-one consulting to businesses to work on their business plans; Goldman Sachs, which will provide access to affordable financing; and Mastercard, which will help business owners to set up virtual storefronts.
“Black entrepreneurs built New York City,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “This historic public-private partnership will ensure we can come together to support them, and give them the recognition they have deserved for so long.”
BE NYC will help Black-owned businesses connect with business experts, provide them with access to capital and business education, help them with any digital issues they might be facing and will allow business owners to access the BE NYC accelerator, which will include meeting space and technical assistance focusing on launching and growing local Black-owned businesses.
“Black-owned businesses are certainly struggling, and helping them grow is part of the broader struggle for racial justice,” said J. Phillip Thompson, deputy mayor for strategic policy Initiatives and co-chair of the Racial Inclusion and Equity Taskforce. “The commitments made today will provide significant opportunity for these small business owners to grow in new economies and lay the foundation for a more equitable future.”
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