Dear friends and colleagues,
Post-Katrina, entrepreneurship has boomed, but some have questioned whether African Americans, Latinos, and other minorities have been a part of this boom. The most recent official data is from 2007, and it indicates that the number of minority-owned businesses in metro New Orleans grew post-Katrina. But, at only 2 percent of all receipts, the returns to these businesses have been extremely low.
Without additional, more recent data, a clear understanding of the extent to which minorities are participating in the post-Katrina entrepreneurship boom has remained elusive. Until today…
Today, The Data Center is releasing the fifth in a series of essays we are calling The New Orleans Index at Ten Collection, highlighting changes post-Katrina. Expanding Opportunity for Minority-Owned Businesses in Metro New Orleans is contributed by Richard L. McCline of University of Georgia, M. von Nkosi of Institute for Local Innovations, Adrine Harrell-Carter of Southern University at New Orleans, and Emily Boness of University of Georgia.
This essay provides original data on the experiences and perceptions of minority business owners post-Katrina, and highlights key policies and practices that government, incubators, and entrepreneurs themselves can undertake to increase the benefits that can be realized to and from minority entrepreneurs.
To learn more, check out The New Orleans Index at Ten Collection – Expanding Opportunity for Minority-Owned Businesses in Metro New Orleans at:
Bringing you the data you need to make informed decisions,
The Data Center team
Caroline Heffernan, Allison Plyer, Nihal Shrinath, Rebecca Osakwe, Whitney Soenksen, and Vicki Mack
