{"id":51727,"date":"2025-11-25T15:36:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T15:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/51727\/"},"modified":"2025-11-25T15:36:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T15:36:14","slug":"supporting-m-wbes-is-socially-and-economically-responsible-public-advocate-says-in-new-dei-report-brooklyn-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/51727\/","title":{"rendered":"Supporting M\/WBEs is \u2018socially and economically responsible,\u2019 Public Advocate says in new DEI report \u2022 Brooklyn Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"M\/WBE\t\t\t<\/p>\n

In a new report, NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams called for stronger support of Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (M\/WBEs). <\/p>\n

Photo by Gabriele Holtermann<\/p>\n

Days before Brooklyn\u2019s commercial sectors fill with Small Business Saturday shoppers, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams urged the city to rethink its position on how it supports minority entrepreneurs \u2014 and to do so at a moment when many institutions nationwide are scaling back on DEI<\/a> initiatives.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a new report titled \u201cDiverse Entrepreneurial Inclusion,\u201d Williams outlined structural gaps in city contracting and argues that Minority and Women-Owned Businesses Enterprises (M\/WBE) continue to be disadvantaged, despite years of promises and programming.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Williams framed the report within the city\u2019s long-standing identity as a homefor diverse entrepreneurs.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIn New York City, we have long strived to celebrate diversity, recognizing it as a strength for not only our culture, but our economy,\u201d he said. \u201cSmall businesses built by immigrants, minorities, and women are at the core of our economic identity in this city \u2013 but too many systemic barriers still prevent these ventures from growing their bottom line and our economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The borough is home to 792 minority-owned businesses and 442 women-owned businesses, with 607 enterprises falling into both categories, according to the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.<\/a>\u00a0 <\/p>\n

And while national backlash against Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) practices<\/a> continues to grow, Williams argued that narratives around DEI have been manipulated.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of the same critics who attack DEI principles are currently fanning the flames of hysteria about the incoming administration and its economic agenda, claiming it will harm businesses. But as this report demonstrates, the truth is that this can be a new era for business in New York City \u2013 strengthening the small and diverse businesses we are fortunate to have today, and supporting the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report concluded that \u201csupporting diverse entrepreneurs is both socially and economically responsible.\u201d Williams also acknowledged that in one of the world\u2019s leading economic capitals, small business commerce must be embraced.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Local barriers carry local consequences\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Public Advocate\u2019s office found that M\/WBE\u2019s receive only about 5% of city contracts \u2014 a figure that has remained stubbornly low. Those contracts also tend to be \u201clow in value,\u201d limiting potential for growth and stability.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many Brooklyn business owners have long voiced concerns over the city\u2019s procurement process. The report says that many M\/WBE\u2019s \u201cface a competitive disadvantage when pursuing city contracts compared to larger, longer-established and often national or international corporations.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report also found \u201cseveral instances in which emergency waivers were used to bypass processes which would have afforded M\/WBEs a shot at contracts, including on migrant services, NYC Solves, and NYC Reads.\u201d<\/p>\n

In some cases, the report notes, awarding contracts outside the M\/WBE pool contributes to problems such as \u201clow quality or culturally insufficient food in shelters,\u201d an issue that hit close to home for communities hosting temporary shelters across the borough.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani prepares a new city administration, Williams outlines a series of recommendations, including restoring the budget for the Department of Small Business Services,<\/a> improving procurement efficiency and increasing transparency in how contracts are awarded.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Williams also called for the recruitment and support of M\/WBE businesses, stronger statewide reforms and continuing Adams-administration initiatives like the creation of a Chief Business Diversity Officer.<\/p>\n

\"NYCNYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams speaks during the Brooklyn state of the borough address at CUNY City Tech on Wednesday, March 13, 2024.File photo by Paul Frangipane
\nWhy this matters for Brooklyn<\/p>\n

Many Brooklyn neighborhoods, such as DUMBO, Williamsburg, Park Slope and Carroll Gardens, are pillars of local commerce. Many hire from within their communities, reinvest earnings locally and tend to create products that reflect the cultural identities of the neighborhoods they serve.<\/p>\n

With Williams\u2019 report, he hopes it will \u201curge New Yorkers to seek out and support M\/WBEs.\u201d These businesses, he noted, contribute to a \u201cmore vibrant, equitable, and resilient local economy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis weekend, between Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, New Yorkers will spend a lot of money \u2013 let\u2019s work to spend it in our communities, seeking out and supporting M\/WBEs as we decide, with our dollars, the kind of economy we want to build. We can build economic power by exercising the economic power we have already fought for and gained,\u201d he continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In a new report, NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams called for stronger support of Minority and Women-owned Business…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51728,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,4223,100,99,28754,28755,28756,28757,28758,28759,8073,21933,28760,28761,9,24,63,1260,28762,28763,14951,28764],"class_list":{"0":"post-51727","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brooklyn","8":"tag-brooklyn","9":"tag-brooklyn-chamber-of-commerce","10":"tag-brooklyn-headlines","11":"tag-brooklyn-news","12":"tag-brooklyn-small-businesses","13":"tag-business-equity","14":"tag-city-contracting-reform","15":"tag-dei-report","16":"tag-diversity-and-inclusion","17":"tag-entrepreneur-support","18":"tag-jumaane-williams","19":"tag-local-economy","20":"tag-m-wbe","21":"tag-minority-owned-businesses","22":"tag-new-york","23":"tag-new-york-city","24":"tag-nyc","25":"tag-nyc-politics","26":"tag-nyc-procurement","27":"tag-nyc-public-advocate","28":"tag-small-business-saturday","29":"tag-women-owned-businesses"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51727"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51727\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}