"Black Business Month just passed and if I'm being honest, it feels much different from previous years-and not in a good way. I noticed fewer in-person celebrations, fewer marketing campaigns and social media posts championing the impact that Black businesses have had on America, and utter silence from those who once rallied unrelenting support behind BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and underrepresented founders."
"These changes felt like they happened almost overnight when President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), claiming that it fosters illegal preferences and discrimination. Once this happened, DEI officially became a slur and weaponized, which caused thousands of companies to walk back on the commitments that were made. So how have Black-owned businesses fared in 2025 because of these swift policy changes? Not great."
"One of the main issues that we just can't seem to shake is that when most people think of DEI, they automatically associate it with being Black or having to do solely with race. They may not even recognize that they're doing this, but they are. This limited viewpoint and lack of understanding around what DEI is and isn't, caused many companies to react in fear and pull back investments and other resources that Black businesses relied on to operate and scale."
During Black Business Month there were noticeably fewer in-person celebrations, marketing campaigns, and social media posts recognizing Black businesses, alongside silence from former supporters of BIPOC and underrepresented founders. A presidential executive order directed federal agencies to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), labeling it as fostering illegal preferences and discrimination. Corporations responded by reversing DEI commitments, conflating DEI with race and reacting in fear. Companies pulled investments and resources that Black-owned businesses used to operate and scale. Prominent Black-owned businesses have closed, founders report new hardships, and Black unemployment has reached an all-time high.
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