google-site-verification=cXrcMGa94PjI5BEhkIFIyc9eZiIwZzNJc4mTXSXtGRM Black businesses face an uphill battle after an overturned racism ruling - 360WISE MEDIA
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Black businesses face an uphill battle after an overturned racism ruling

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Black owned business thegrio.com

 

Earlier this month, a federal judge dealt one other blow to the federal government’s efforts to shut the racial equity gap and higher serve Black and Brown communities.

The latest setback was Judge Mark Pittman’s ruling ordering the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) to now not take race or ethnicity into consideration when providing services to small businesses within the US.

“This is not one attack, but a series of attacks on the measures the federal government has put in place to address it,” Patrice Willoughby, senior vice chairman for global policy and impact on the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), told Grio.

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Using the identical constitutional argument that the U.S. Supreme Court used to strike down race-conscious affirmative motion in college admissions last yr, Pittman, appointed by former President Donald Trump to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, concluded that MBDA qualified by identifying themselves as “disadvantaged persons,” business owners violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

In other words, the judge argued that the agency violated the constitutional rights of white business owners.

“While the agency’s work may help reduce opportunity gaps facing MBEs (minority business owners), two wrongs do not make a right,” Pittman wrote in his ruling.

Elected officials and supporters are condemning the federal court’s ruling, blaming a movement led by conservatives and supported by Republican-appointed judges that’s undermining decades-long efforts to right historic wrongs which have affected Black and brown communities. Advocates fear that the MBDA ruling could further exacerbate existing racial disparities in property and wealth.

“We really should see this as a response to Black economic progress,” said Willoughby, former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus. “It is very clear that because discrimination still exists, these programs are still needed.”

The mission of the Minority Business Development Agency is to advertise the expansion and competitiveness of minority-owned businesses within the United States. MBDA provides minority business owners with access to capital, contracts and advisory services. Ironically, the agency was founded by Republican President Richard Nixon in 1969. Under Democrat Joe Biden, it became a everlasting agency under federal law, expanding its reach nationwide.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told the Grio that Biden is “very proud” of signing MBDA’s everlasting government status into law.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks with reporters during her day by day news conference within the Brady Press Briefing Room on the White House on March 27, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“Over the last three years, 16 million applications have started under this administration, which is important,” a Biden spokesman said. “There was definitely a boost… with minority-owned businesses starting their small businesses.”

Now that MBDA will probably be legally required to make its programs available to white business owners, experts fear it should feed into already existing patterns of implicit or explicit racial bias and further widen the racial wealth gap.

“Basically, people will do business with people they like,” Willoughby explained. “They want to increase the visibility of who can benefit underground, so that there is no oversight, no regulation, and no broader assistance when it comes to DEI.”

Samantha Tweedy, chief executive of the Black Economic Alliance, said the judge’s ruling “results in the MBDA being unable to support diverse business owners navigating an economic system that research shows is permeated by racial bias.”

“We know this is the goal of many who want to reclaim the paths of economic progress open to the Black community,” said Tweedy, who called on Congress and the White House to “step in to protect the vital role of MBDA.” ”

So far, “reversal racism” rulings that roll back race-specific programs intended to deal with racial disparities have hit college campuses, businesses and even Black farmers. These cases were largely brought by conservative activists, including millionaire Edward Blum, who championed the affirmative motion case before the Supreme Court. Blum can also be behind an ongoing lawsuit against the Black women-owned Fearless Fund, arguing that its program to extend funding for Black women entrepreneurs is discriminatory against white women-owned businesses.

“You remove the legal framework that allows them to challenge discrimination,” Willoughby explained of the growing variety of legal challenges against DEI. She said success within the courts “emboldens opponents of equality” and turns back the clock on racial progress.

“Basically (they) are trying to return America to what these opponents called the good old days, but in reality it was a white supremacist framework,” Willoughby noted, “to which black businesses and people of color really had very limited access to the benefits of this country that other people enjoyed.”

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According to the February 2024 report Brookings InstitutionWhile Black-owned businesses experienced continued growth from 2017 to 2021, the variety of Black-owned employer businesses stays disproportionate to the variety of Black people living within the United States. In 2021, Black Americans made up just 2.7% of employers, despite making up 14.4% of the population. Closing this loophole, the report argues, would stimulate the U.S. economy and create 1000’s of additional jobs.

Looking ahead to the fight against legal failures in DEI-related programs, Willoughby told the Grio that policymakers, researchers and litigants might want to increase data collection and advocacy efforts. Proponents of DEI programs might want to make “a better case in the courts” and “a stronger case for the existence of any remedy where race is linked to disadvantage.”

“Collecting data, documenting discrimination and proving that disadvantage is directly related to race” will turn out to be rather more vital, she said.

The current legal failures also reflect the indisputable fact that decisions have consequences. In addition to Trump nominating Pittman as a judge, three Supreme Court justices who joined the bulk to finish race-based affirmative motion.

“Now this court, which is hostile to issues related to race and racist measures, will continue to operate for the next decade,” Willoughby said.

“Voting is tied to Black progress,” she added. “Even if you feel disconnected, you still need to check who has your interests at heart and vote with your wallet to identify candidates who will strengthen your participation in the economic system.”


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Gerren Keith Gaynor is a White House correspondent and managing editor of theGrio’s Politics section. He lives in Washington

 

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com

Business and Finance

Show your mom the money on Mother’s Day

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Mother’s Day is just a number of days away. If you have not done so yet (and you recognize you must), you’ll buy a pleasant gift together with a bouquet of flowers, sweets and cards to precise in at some point all your love for the person lots of us take as a right for many of the remainder of our lives. days a yr. That’s okay. Most will appreciate the gifts and love you only the same. That said, cards are eventually discarded (or stored in the depths of attics and basements), candy is eaten (mostly by you, probably not), and flowers wither and die. (Please tell me you didn’t buy the plastic ones.)

When it involves gifts, mom will probably be delighted with the clothes, shoes, jewelry and that night out to that fancy restaurant you might have planned for her. (You’re probably not going to let her cook, are you?) But your mother has probably spent her entire life investing in you. Mother’s Day is an excellent opportunity to provide back and take into consideration gifts that is not going to only honor her on at the present time, but will literally enrich her life. Here are a few of my gift suggestions that may help mom construct wealth for Mother’s Day:

Pay her bills.

You’ve been billing her most of your life (she was right, you own the energy company). Or will you pay all of her bills – including rent, mortgage, utilities and even bank card payments – for May? If it’s an excessive amount of so that you can handle alone, recruit your siblings and other individuals who love your mom as if she were their very own to chip in. You may select your largest monthly bill and pay it. You may select a bank card and repay the entire balance. Everything you’ll be able to imagine and what your budget allows. Which gift do you think that can be more memorable for her six months from now?

Pay for a consultation with an authorized financial advisor.

It’s likely that while she was focusing all her energy and planning on supporting you, your mother was neglecting herself, including her funds and particularly retirement planning. Making an appointment with and paying for a financial advisor is an excellent approach to let her know that you simply want her to focus on taking good care of herself for a change.

Husbands, show her the money.

And insurance policies, wills, deeds, credit reports and tax returns. Don’t stop at anything, but additionally show her where they’re in case she needs them in an emergency. Few things are sadder than a grieving widow hit by a bankruptcy because she doesn’t know where her insurance policies and other key documents are, tips on how to take care of tax issues, and even tips on how to access her bank accounts. Every day, women who left such things to their husbands are caught when he suddenly dies. The most significant act of affection is keeping her protected, knowing that if she were to suddenly lose you, not only would you handle her, but she knows exactly where to look to access those resources, including account numbers, passwords, insurance policies, and other vital documents after they need them. needs it the most.

By the way, none of those gifts will prevent from trouble. Mom still deserves flowers, sweets, somewhat shopping, wine, dinner and customarily being treated like the queen she is on Mother’s Day. But helping her construct wealth and gain some financial security is a priceless gift—one you may surely appreciate receiving from your children at some point. Establishing a lifetime of wealth as a Mother’s Day tradition could repay big for you tomorrow.


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Solvency schedule for social security funds extended until 2035 –

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The projected schedule for Social Security is is extended for one yr, extending the deadline for possible cuts in this system until 2035 resulting from the nice performance of the American market. Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley described the forecast from the Social Security Board of Trustees’ 2024 report as “good news,” but O’Malley also wants Congress to make sure that program advantages may be paid “by foreseeable future.”

As reported in a press release accompanying the report, O’Malley said: “This yr’s report is nice news for the thousands and thousands of Americans who rely upon Social Security, including the roughly 50 percent of seniors for whom Social Security is the difference between poverty and a lifetime of dignity – any potential profit reduction events have been postponed from 2034 to 2035.

More persons are paying National Insurance contributions due to strong economic policies which have delivered impressive wage growth, historic job creation and a consistently low unemployment rate. As long as Americans across the country proceed to work, Social Security can – and can – proceed to pay advantages,” O’Malley said. “Congress can and may take motion to increase the financial health of the trust fund for the foreseeable future, because it has done prior to now on a bipartisan basis. Eliminating the shortfall will provide peace of mind for greater than 70 million Social Security beneficiaries, the 180 million employees and their families who pay into Social Security, and the nation as an entire.

The The issue of financing Social Security is a priority dates back to 1983, when the Reagan administration implemented a series of reforms within the financing of Social Security, including a rise in payroll taxes, taxing advantages for high-income beneficiaries, and raising the retirement age from 65 to 67. As noted within the evaluation of the problems currently facing the 2023 program, it was expected that the child boomer generation would reach retirement age and would increase social security spending; To address this problem, Brookings suggests increasing revenues or reducing advantages, or a mixture of each.

IN a press release reacting to the reportPresident Joe Biden pointed to his plan helping extend Medicare’s solvency by a decade and expressed a desire to stop Republicans from cutting profit programs.

“For so long as I’m president, I’ll strengthen Social Security and Medicare and protect them from Republican attempts to chop the advantages Americans have earned. Since I took office, my economic plan and robust recovery from the pandemic have helped extend Medicare’s solvency by a decade, and today’s report shows a full five years of additional solvency. My plan would permanently extend Medicare’s solvency by asking the rich to pay their justifiable share and lowering the price of prescribed drugs.

According to reports, Biden’s Republican counterparts, Donald Trump, have spent he tried to eliminate most of his term Medicare and Social Security advantages for Americans with disabilities and low incomes. Republicans in Congress have expressed a desire to pass tax cuts, increase defense spending and balance the federal budget, which Vox says is unimaginable without cuts to Social Security and Medicare spending. Eric Levitz writes: “No matter what word salads Trump serves on cable news, one reality remains clear: The party can either oppose any tax increases or protect Americans’ benefits, but it cannot do both. It’s possible that a united Republican government would resist the temptation to cut Social Security in 2025. But let the fox guard the hen house long enough and your chickens will be eaten.”


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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IRS Promises Changes in Auditing Practices Targeting Black Taxpayers

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Taxpayers, Audit, IRS


May 2Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced steps it’s going to take to eliminate wide disparities in audit rates amongst black taxpayers and other filers.

University researchers and the Treasury Department conducted a study that found that IRS data-driven algorithms chosen black taxpayers for audits 4.7 times more often than taxpayers of other races. Other findings showed that the agency disproportionately scrutinized Earned Income Tax Credit claimants – targeting low- and moderate-income staff and families – with 21% being black taxpayers.

They were also the main focus of 43% of credit audits.

IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel, who has served since 2023, testified on the matter before Congress in September 2023 and wrote to the Senate Finance Committee that the IRS would make changes.

“We took quick initial motion to dramatically reduce the variety of these audits. We have also made changes to the choice criteria for these audits,” he said, adding that discriminatory audits “reduce confidence in our tax system.”

The agency can also be maintaining a tally of the profits of more wealthy people and huge firms. According to Fox 21 News, because of additional funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, The IRS could also be cracking down on “noncompliant taxpayers who use them to hide or manipulate their income to avoid taxes.”

For millionaires, the control rate was over 70% between 2010 and 2019, and the speed for big corporations dropped by over 50%. The agency estimates the tax gap is $683 billion, made up of taxpayers underreporting income, underpaying or just not filing returns.

Thanks to a joint effort between Werfel and President Joe Biden, the Inflation Reduction Act helped improve taxpayer services and reduced audits for people making lower than $400,000 a yr. “We are reviewing compliance efforts to enhance our commitment to fair, equitable and effective tax administration and to be accountable to the taxpayers we serve,” in keeping with the IRS’s annual update.

“There will be no new wave of audits for middle- and low-income taxpayers; this is not in our plans in any way, shape or form,” Werfel continued.

The recent audit targets shall be high-net-worth entrepreneurs with income exceeding $10 million, large corporations with assets exceeding $250 million, high-net-worth corporations and taxpayers with access to corporate aircraft reminiscent of private jets for private use, and complicated partnerships with assets exceeding $10 million.


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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