A National Attack on Black Contractors

I have watched over the years the plight of black businesses—many of them closing their doors. Up until the mid-90s, black firms were making some progress. During that timeframe, many of us felt that a ten percent goal was low. What we did not know at the time was that our white counterparts had begun to focus on those contracts. Then, the bottom fell out with the attack by the white construction associations because of their view of “unfair practices” in administering the “set-a-side” programs. That view is debatable and the jury is still out on the merits of that position. If there were some legitimate concerns about the program, the results of striking down the programs have been devastating for our businesses.

This calculated and well-funded strategy which was legally maneuvered across the nation has had catastrophic impact. From 1997 we went from receiving 10 percent of public-funded projects to less than 1 percent by 2004. That trend has been consistent for the past 12 years.

There are so many factors to consider and examine when discussing this dire situation. To be thorough, “Black Papers” must be developed on such areas as: elected officials, historical economic strategies, “fronting”, public administrators, and many others. Stay tuned…