The Last Stand for Black-Owned Businesses Is in Blue Cities

The Federal Government Is Rolling Back DEI. Who Will Stand Up Now?

Across America, the DEI rug is being pulled out from under our feet. Diversity, equity, and inclusion—once seen as tools of progress—are now targets. That’s not an exaggeration. Black-owned businesses that gained access to government contracts through fair set-aside programs are now being tossed out. Not because they failed to perform. Not because they lacked capacity. But simply because they are Black-owned.

And somehow, there’s barely a whimper.

A Catch-22—or Something Worse?

Here’s the bitter irony: Black-owned businesses were only offered a seat at the table because they had long been shut out. Now, they’re being pushed back out the door—for the same reason they were let in. Is this a classic Catch-22? Or just racism with a new coat of paint?

Either way, the result is the same. Generational Black businesses are being dismantled. Reputations are being dragged. And the old lie—that Black means less capable—is being sold again as truth.

The Dangerous Narrative of Inferiority

We’ve all heard it: Black businesses don’t deliver. Their service is worse. Their quality is lacking. It’s a lie. A dangerous one. But it’s a lie that sticks.

Let a Black-owned firm miss one deadline, and suddenly they’re proof that all DEI programs are failures. Meanwhile, white-led firms with a history of mediocrity are given grace, excuses, and second chances.

That’s why the old saying—Black folks have to work twice as hard to get half as far—isn’t just folklore. It’s a lived reality. But it’s not because Black businesses are less. It’s because the system demands more just to break even.

Blue Cities Are the Last Line of Defense

Here’s the truth: cities like New Orleans, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, Houston, and others that still control their own contracting budgets are the last safe harbor for Black-owned businesses. But it’s not enough to talk about equity—we need intentionality.

Local leaders must be bold. They must ensure Black-owned firms with proven excellence get the contracts, the access, and the room to grow. Anything less is complicity.

This is not about handouts. This is about hiring companies that consistently deliver, who’ve built their businesses through grit, skill, and community reinvestment—despite being locked out of government work for decades.

Related: Strategies for Blue Cities in Red States

Excellence Is Not Optional. It’s Essential.

We also must speak truth to our own community: in this hostile environment, excellence is the only option. Every contract matters. Every deliverable must shine. Because Black-owned businesses are being watched under a microscope. A tiny crack becomes a crater. A small mistake becomes a scandal.

Unfair? Yes. But this is the battlefield we’re on.

The answer isn’t to give up. The answer is to outperform, outlast, and outmaneuver the system that wants us to fail. We’ve done it before. We’ll do it again.

This Is a Two-Way Street

Politicians must be intentional in their support of Black-owned firms. But Black-owned businesses must also be relentless in their pursuit of quality and accountability. This moment calls for both vision and vigilance.

We can’t afford to stumble. Because our missteps will be weaponized. Our wins? They’ll be ignored unless we make them loud.

Final Thoughts: We’re Not Inferior. We’re Invisible—Until We Refuse to Be.

The lie about Black-owned business inferiority lives on because we let others tell our story. No more. It’s time to highlight Black excellence in service, delivery, innovation, and reliability.

We build with less. We thrive despite. And we succeed when no one expects us to.

Now is the time for cities to choose: equity or erasure? Progress or pretense?

Black-owned businesses are not a risk. They are the proof that progress works—if we’re brave enough to back it up.