Vice President Biden is currently traveling the country, on Wednesday he stopped in Charlotte, NC, and hosted the Black Economic Summit.
During Biden’s trip to Charlotte, he met with small business owners, workers, and other citizens who are struggling, of those including members of the African American community who face an unemployment rate of 13%. He was joined by Chris Paul, Oklahoma City Thunder All-star point guard and President of the National Basketball Players Association.
In North Carolina as a whole, small businesses have been devastated, with 74% having been impacted negatively by the COVID-19 pandemic. 12% of businesses have permanently closed and another 11% have reduced the number of employees. The impact of Black businesses is even greater, with a harder road to recovery.
A recently released survey from Goldman Sachs details 43% of Black small business owners to reveal their businesses’ cash reserves will be depleted without actions from Congress. The lack of action from Congress would also cause a layoff and cut of wages this month.
While Biden tackled North Carolina, running mate Senator Kamala Harris was on location in Michigan, where she visited both Detroit and Flint to speak with Black small business owners. During his visit to flint, Sen. Harris made unannounced visits to three Black-owned small businesses in Flint: MagnifiClips, Comma Bookstore, and Bedrock Apparel. While in Detroit, Sen. Harris helps a “Shop Talk” event with Black men leaders at a Black-owned barbershop to discuss voting and the fight for racial justice.
“Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris are hitting key battleground states this week — reaching voters where they are as they reinforce their commitment to Build Back Better, by supporting and uplifting communities across this country,” said Kamau Marshall, Director of Strategic Communications for the Biden campaign. “Biden and Harris recognize that Black-owned businesses operate as staples of their respective communities, and that the current administration is not prioritizing the success of Black entrepreneurs.
“A Biden-Harris administration would reverse that narrative by doing the work to ensure that Black business owners in this country are provided the same opportunities for economic advancement and wealth accumulation as other groups, so they can not only recover from the current economic crisis, but come back stronger than before.”
In addition to their visits to North Carolina and Michigan, the campaign launched the small business and entrepreneurs advisory council aimed to mobilize small business owners and entrepreneurs to vote for the Biden-Harris ticket. The leaders are working together to share the plan of Biden and Harris, which is targeted to build through investment in small businesses, entrepreneurs, and jobs that will reignite America’s economy.
