Photo Credit: Tom Jenz
In Milwaukee’s inner city, Black owned businesses have been taking a hit for the last several years as the community’s infrastructure had deteriorated. Cracked and potholed streets. Garbage in the alleys. Boarded up buildings and houses. Even reckless driving. All leading to loss of customers.
Then the pandemic invaded. The economic fallout from COVID-19 has been heart breaking. Estimates from the private, nonpartisan National Bureau of Economic Research show that Black businesses have suffered the most. According to Forbes Magazine, nearly half of Black-owned businesses closed during the Covid year.
However, Milwaukee Alderwoman Milele Coggs is making an effort. She said, “This year we hosted the MKE Business Now Entrepreneurship Summit virtually and included a variety of workshops and information to connect entrepreneurs with crucial resources. We now have these workshops and the business owner panel discussion available online for those who were not able to attend, and I encourage all entrepreneurs to take advantage of this opportunity to access this information.”
