Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • Home
    • About Us
    • Digital Subscription
    • Advertisement
    • Contact Us
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    The Tennessee TribuneThe Tennessee Tribune
    Advertise With Us
    • Home
      • COVID-19 Resource Center
        • Dr. Henry Louis Gates’ PSA Radio
      • Featured
    • News
      • State
      • Local
      • National/International News
      • Global
      • Business
        • Commentary
        • Finance
        • Local Business
      • Investigative Stories
        • Affordable Housing
        • DCS Investigation
        • Gentrification
    • Editorial
      • National Politics
      • Local News
      • Local Editorial
      • Political Editorial
      • Editorial Cartoons
      • Cycle of Shame
    • Community
      • History
      • Tennessee
        • Chattanooga
        • Clarksville
        • Knoxville
        • Memphis
      • Public Notices
      • Women
        • Let’s Talk with Ms. June
    • Education
      • College
        • American Baptist College
        • Belmont University
        • Fisk
        • HBCU
        • Meharry
        • MTSU
        • University of Tennessee
        • TSU
        • Vanderbilt
      • Elementary
      • High School
    • Lifestyle
      • Art
      • Auto
      • Tribune Travel
      • Entertainment
        • 5 Questions With
        • Books
        • Events
        • Film Review
        • Local Entertainment
      • Family
      • Food
        • Drinks
      • Health & Wellness
      • Home & Garden
      • Featured Books
    • Religion
      • National Religion
      • Local Religion
      • Obituaries
        • National Obituaries
        • Local Obituaries
      • Faith Commentary
    • Sports
      • MLB
        • Sounds
      • NBA
      • NCAA
      • NFL
        • Predators
        • Titans
      • NHL
      • Other Sports
      • Golf
      • Professional Sports
      • Sports Commentary
      • Metro Sports
    • Media
      • Video
      • Photo Galleries
      • Take 10
      • Trending With The Tribune
    • Classified
    • Obituaries
      • Local Obituaries
      • National Obituaries
    The Tennessee TribuneThe Tennessee Tribune
    Health & Wellness

    Coronavirus Hitting Black Business Owners Hardest

    Article submittedBy Article submittedJuly 30, 2020No Comments4 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telegram Pinterest Tumblr Reddit Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
    Advertisement

    By Lauren Leatherby 

    The coronavirus pandemic will shutter many small businesses. And early evidence shows it is disproportionately hurting Black-owned small businesses.

    More than 40 percent of Black business owners reported they weren’t working in April, when businesses were feeling the worst of the pandemic’s economic consequences. Only 17 percent of white small business owners said the same, according to an analysis of government data by Robert Fairlie of the University of California, Santa Cruz.

    Many small businesses are struggling during the pandemic because they lack easy access to loans and cannot easily move their businesses online. Black-owned businesses tend to have fewer employees than other small businesses. They are also more likely to be in industries like restaurants or retail that lockdowns have hit especially hard, said Ken Harris, president of the National Business League, an organization founded by Booker T. Washington in 1900.

    “Most lack the capacity, scale and technical assistance needed to survive a pandemic,” Harris said.

    Black-owned businesses also appear to be benefiting less from federal stimulus programs. Only 12 percent of Black and Hispanic business owners polled between April 30 and May 12 received the funding they had requested. About one quarter received some funding. By contrast, half of all small businesses reported receiving from a single part of the stimulus packages — the Paycheck Protection Program — according to a census survey.

    “Black businesses often don’t have a traditional banking partner,” Mr. Harris said. Without such a partner, many had trouble applying for assistance.

    The disproportionate struggles facing Black small business owners come as their communities are already bearing the brunt of public health crises. Black people are more than twice as likely as other Americans to die of the coronavirus and much more likely to be victims of police violence.

    Juliet Anderson owns two businesses, a salon and a children’s party place, on the same block in the Bronx. Both have been closed for three months, she said, and neither has received financial assistance. Bills are piling up.

    “It’s been a consistent rollercoaster trying to get help,” Anderson said. “As far as I know, most of the people that are in our area have gotten nothing or the bare minimum, and they’re still waiting. It’s a heightened frustration. We don’t know if we’re even going to be able to make it.”

    Only 2 percent of a $20 million city-wide small business loan program went to businesses in the Bronx, the New York City borough with the highest share of Black people, according to a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Small Business Services, while 57 percent went to Manhattan businesses.

    The agency’s commissioner, Jonnel Doris, said in a statement, “This is an unprecedented time that calls for creative solutions, and we will continue to do everything we can to help each small business owner who needs it to get back on their feet.”

    “It’s unfortunate that the businesses that need the funding, help and assistance the most are not receiving it,” said Qudus Abdul-Wahab, the owner of Sleek Layers, a hair salon in the Bronx. “It’s like the Titanic. Where was the water coming up first? It was coming from the bottom. The people on the bottom were drowning first.”

    Black entrepreneurs, especially women, have been starting businesses at a higher rate than the rest of the population in recent years. But Black-owned businesses seem to be struggling in part because they entered the lockdown in less secure shape than many other companies. As of 2019, the overwhelming majority of businesses in majority Black and Hispanic neighborhoods did not have enough cash on hand to pay for two weeks’ worth of bills.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Article submitted

    Related Posts

    I upended my life to take care of mama. It was one of the best decisions I ever made

    January 9, 2025

    Studies suggest shingles vaccines may reduce dementia risk

    October 17, 2024

    Addressing rising suicide rates among Black youth

    July 25, 2024

    Nashville General expanding access to incentive program

    July 18, 2024

    Survey reveals racism’s toll on health care

    July 11, 2024

    Biden Slams Trump’s Dangerous Policies, Defends Social Security and Medicare

    July 2, 2024

    Comments are closed.

    Business

    FUNdraising Good Times Survival through partnerships, collaborations, and mergers

    May 14, 2025

    Target Boycotts and its Effect on Both Sides of the Black Dollar

    May 6, 2025

    FedEx to Launch FedEx Easy Returns at 3,000 Locations Across the US, Supported by Blue Yonder

    May 2, 2025
    1 2 3 … 382 Next
    Education
    Education

    From Stratford to Harvard: GEAR UP Student Earns Full Scholarship to Ivy League School

    By Tribune StaffMay 14, 2025

    Once Isioma Ikhile opened the application portal on her phone and saw the news, she…

    Austin Peay State University graduates 1,400 students at Spring 2025 commencement

    May 14, 2025

    MTSU College of Media and Entertainment adds 4 alums to prestigious ‘Wall of Fame’

    May 14, 2025

    TSU Honors New Generation of Leaders at Spring Commencement Celebration

    May 8, 2025
    The Tennessee Tribune
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • About Us
    • Digital Subscription
    • Store
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact
    © 2025 The Tennessee Tribune - Site Designed by No Regret Media.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Our Spring Sale Has Started

    You can see how this popup was set up in our step-by-step guide: https://wppopupmaker.com/guides/auto-opening-announcement-popups/