Leaders discussed how federal relief funding helped create local businesses, jobs

FRAMINGHAM, MA – Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman visited Nuzko Restaurant in Framingham yesterday, where they held a roundtable conversation with local Black small business owners and the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (BECMA). 

Participants celebrated the economic recovery ushered in by President Biden and Democrats, including the importance of the American Rescue Plan in saving and expanding small businesses. Under the current administration, 12 million jobs have been created and 10.5 million small business startup applications have been filed —amounting to more small businesses created in the last two years than any other two years in the history of the country. They also highlighted the challenges Black-owned businesses face moving forward, as well as the need for investments that support women in the workforce.

"I was thrilled to welcome Administrator Guzman to Framingham for a conversation with our community's small business owners," said Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5). "From day one, the Biden-Harris Administration has put equity at the heart of its small business agenda – helping new Black-owned businesses open their doors at the fastest rate in a quarter century. As Democrats continue building on the transformative success of the last two years, discussions like this are guiding our work to build an economy that truly lifts up everyone."

“Black- and minority-owned small businesses are vital to America’s continued economic recovery and small business boom. That is why the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda is ensuring that all businesses have equal access to essential SBA resources,” said SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman. “I am grateful to the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts for hosting yesterday’s event and for their hard work supporting Black entrepreneurship across Massachusetts. Thank you to Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka and Framingham Mayor Charlie Sisitsky for their strong advocacy and leadership in support of small businesses in Framingham.”

"BECMA’s work in action includes bringing together local, state and federal officials to address and take action on the challenges that Black business owners and the Black community face," said Nicole Obi, President and CEO of BECMA. "Although small businesses have been working to come back from the turbulence of the pandemic, Black business owners and entrepreneurs continue to face barriers and inequities in achieving economic success. This is why these spaces are so important in advancing efforts to close the racial wealth gap."

Clark has long been a champion for small business owners, particularly in her work to support Black and women owned small businesses. She helped secure passage of the American Rescue Plan, which provided $992 million to Massachusetts small businesses, as well as the Relief for Restaurants and Other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act, providing billions in relief to small businesses across America. She is also a leading proponent for improving economic infrastructure to help small businesses find and hire quality employees – including by ending wage discrimination, helping families access affordable child care, and lifting up historically marginalized communities.

Photos from yesterday's visit can be found HERE.

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