Ramiro Cavazos

Supporting and Strengthening Minority-Owned Businesses During (and After) the Pandemic

Eugene Cornelius, Jr., Susan Au Allen, Ron Busby, Ramiro Cavazos

Susan R. Allen, Ron Busby, and Ramon Calveras led a critical panel discussing the disproportionate pandemic impact on Black, Hispanic, and Asian-owned businesses, where severe capital gaps and procurement barriers forced a 41% loss in Black enterprises and exacerbated economic divisions within the Asian community. The advocates rejected the "minority" label in favor of recognizing these groups as the new mainstream, proposing specific policy interventions such as unbundling federal contracts, reinstating prompt payment laws, and partnering with fintech firms to bridge the historic wealth gap. Moving beyond rhetoric, the panel outlined a concrete agenda to submit a policy white paper to the Treasury Department and encourage institutional mergers, aiming to permanently recalibrate the economy and secure equitable market access for millions of minority entrepreneurs.