A thriving Black-owned small business economy is key to economic justice

June 18, 2021

The federal recognition of the Juneteenth holiday this year has special importance for Black small business owners across the country. It marks the day enslaved people in Texas were finally told of their freedom, two years after the emancipation proclamation. It is not lost on us that we recognize this day of reflection and celebration during the year that also marks the 100th anniversary of the brutal massacre and white riots that burned down a thriving Black business and residential district in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

On the alarming rise of hate crimes against the Asian-American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, including attacks on Asian-owned businesses, Main Street Alliance leadership had this to say:

“The member businesses of the Main Street Alliance and our fellow small business owners throughout the country are deeply disturbed and saddened by the increasing hateful rhetoric and violence aimed at our Asian neighbors and small business members. This swell of hate and fear permeating our national dialogue is dangerous, as we saw just yesterday with a deadly attack in Atlanta. We believe it must be met head-on with clear statements of principle from local business owners because we are leaders in our communities. And we urge federal agencies to swiftly implement the White House’s Memorandum Condemning and Combating Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islands in the United States.