By David Maynard, Chairman of the Association of Black Business and Professionals

There is an old saying, “When white folks catch a cold, black folks catch pneumonia.” The saying is about the disparity between the two communities when national calamities occur. This axiom manifests itself in the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on a variety of levels. On a humanitarian front per the Center for Disease Control statistics, while the number of Blacks diagnosed with COVID-19 is comparable to Whites, the rate of hospitalization is 2.9x higher and the rate of death is 1.9x higher for Blacks.
From an economic perspective, Black businesses are exhibiting similar negative disparities. A report by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that 41% of Black-owned businesses have closed permanently due to the pandemic, compared to just 17% of White-owned businesses. This gives rise to the need for an injection of capital specifically tailored to Black businesses that have been negatively impacted by the COVID- 19 pandemic to help maintain operations and employment.
In 2015, the Baker-Polito administration launched the Urban Agenda Grant Program to promote “economic vitality” in urban neighborhoods and the administration recently announced continued funding of the program as part of economic recovery due to the pandemic. Per a recent press release from the Baker-Polito administration, the program is designed to recognize “that urban centers face unique economic and quality of life challenges, and that the path to success lies in tapping into the unique local assets that they already possess, rather than in one-size-fits-all directives from government.” The Association of Black Business and Professionals (ABBP), in collaboration with MassHire and the City of Springfield, has been awarded $100,000 to implement programs to directly address disparities in pandemic recovery assistance in Black communities. This pandemic recovery program targets the McKnight, Upper Hill, Pine Point, Bay and Boston Road neighborhoods of Springfield which have some of the highest populations of Black residents. Additionally, these neighborhoods have been among the hardest hit by the pandemic.
In addition to the business grant funds for Black businesses ($70,000 in total), the program also provides funds to help disadvantaged Black and Brown students through internship stipends ($10,000 in total).
The ABBP is a Springfield, MA based non-profit organization with the mission to promote and sustain Black businesses, professionals, programs and initiatives in the areas and markets that we serve through networking, advocacy, and education. The organization hosts the largest listing of Black businesses in the Greater Springfield/ Greater Hartford area in the region on its website. Additionally, the organization holds educational workshops tailored towards Black professionals and business-owners monthly as well as other events to improve the Black business and professional community.
For more information and instructions on how to apply, please visit www.abbpofma.org. ■