Plus, implications of the special election in New York and uplifting distressed communities.
Closing the Black employer gap In 2021, social movements for racial equity rallied many Americans to support Black-owned businesses. That year, the number of Black-owned employer businesses (businesses with more than one employee) increased by 14.3% from the prior year. Black-owned employer businesses also had notable increases in employees, revenue, and payroll. But despite these gains, the overall share of Black-owned employer businesses remained disproportionately low relative to their share of the U.S. population. Even if Black business ownership continued growing at the rate it did in 2021, Black-owned businesses would still not reach parity with their population share for another 80 years. In a new interactive report, Andre M. Perry, Manann Donoghoe, and Hannah Stephens share insights on Black-owned businesses throughout the United States, including which cities were most hospitable to Black business owners. | More research and commentary Implications of Suozzi’s win. Democrat Tom Suozzi swept to an 8-point victory in New York’s 3rd congressional district, which now-expelled Republican George Santos had carried by 9 points in 2022. William A. Galston discusses Suozzi’s strategy on the immigration issue and what Democrats should (and should not) take away from his victory. Uplifting distressed communities. Over the past few years, the United States has experienced an investment surge in strategic sectors including clean energy, semiconductors, and biomanufacturing. Those investments are poised to benefit distressed counties, Joseph Parilla and co-authors find. | The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars. | |