Alastair Pike/AFP via Getty Images

Why the founders of Crowns & Hops are running a brewing company with a mission

Aug 24, 2020
"This absolutely is about racial equity," said Teo Hunter, COO of Crowns & Hops Brewing Co.
Teo Hunter, left, and Beny Ashburn, the founders of Crowns & Hops Brewing. Said Hunter: "Our goal was always to give something beautiful, something that was indicative of Black and brown excellence, to the community."
Courtesy Beny Ashburn

Retailers pledge 15% of shelf space to Black-owned businesses

Aug 19, 2020
The 15 Percent Pledge is pushing retailers to devote more shelf space to Black-owned businesses.
A Sephora store in Santa Monica, California, in March. The beauty chain is participating in the 15 Percent Pledge.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

The Economy Reimagined, Part 1: Dealing with Inequality

Amid the wreckage of 2020, are there opportunities to fix what was already broken, including the system of human relationships we call the economy?
Pictured: Hundreds of people wait in line for hours at a downtown Brooklyn office for their EBT Food Stamp cards on May 12, 2020 in New York City.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

One reason why Black-owned businesses have fared worse in the pandemic: weaker banking relationships

Aug 4, 2020
That leaves them restricted access to capital, according to a study by the New York Fed.
A beauty product booth at a Black-owned business expo in Florida. The number of Black business owners in the U.S. fell more than 40% between February and April, according to a New York Fed study.
Octavio Jones/Getty Images

Shifting the Black hair care industry back into Black hands

Jul 28, 2020
Maggie Anderson has dedicated herself to Black economic empowerment by buying from Black-owned businesses. But it isn't easy.
Maggie Anderson
Courtesy of Maggie Anderson

Lists of Black-owned restaurants are circulating. Here's what that means for one baker.

Jun 16, 2020
Rita Magalde, owner of a Utah bakery specializing in baklava, says the increase in business feels like a miracle.
Rita Magalde with some of her sweet treats. Her business boomed during the holiday season.
Carlos Linares/Photo courtesy of Rita Magalde

For public good, not for profit.

Why eliminating racial inequities is key for the post-COVID-19 economy

"Going back to normal would be disastrous for Black Americans," says Andre M. Perry of the Brookings Institution.
"There's built-in inequality in the systems that we use to distribute resources to build wealth," Andre M. Perry says.
Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images

Minority-owned businesses struggle to access emergency loans

Apr 28, 2020
Many of their lenders were excluded from the Paycheck Protection Program.
There's criticism that smaller and minority-owned businesses didn't get their fair share from the first round of the Paycheck Protection Program funding.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images