SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) - It's been one year since a stay-at-home order was announced across the Bay Area and the rollercoaster of closings and reopenings has been tough for business owners, to say the least.
Black business owners have felt the highs and lows but more help is on the way.
“We have been pushing trying to keep things as normal as possible,” Cathy Adams said.
Cathy Adams is the president of the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce.
“Even though it may seem like it’s not changing, I feel that it is,” Adams said.
Nationwide, 40% of Black businesses have closed over the last year, even still, Adams has chosen to stay positive and take action.
She was a part of a large conversation with Vice President Kamala Harris last month and out of that chat came extra PPP assistance to businesses with only one employee, previously, that type of federal help was not being offered.
“I feel with the partnerships we got we're gonna continue to advocate for our businesses,” Adams said.
During the summer of 2020, the chamber was able to raise one point $1-million in grant money that was given to more than 200 businesses.
She's hoping to raise another million dollars this year.
“The community showed up. We work with the multicultural chambers of commerce. We've been utilizing our resources, they support our businesses, we support theirs and I think it’s working, we just all gotta pull together,” Adams said.
Adams believes the future is bright for Black-owned businesses but she is calling on all owners to reach out to the chamber if they need assistance.
“We may not know where you are. We have a pulse on our 300+ businesses but if there's others out there, you gotta reach out and make phone calls and you've gotta ask for help,” Adams said.
The Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce is putting out a new survey on its website later this week.
They're hoping to get a better idea of the real needs of business owners in Oakland.
from KRON4 https://ift.tt/2OVCDuF
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