Vice President Kamala Harris Offers Leg Up For Small Businesses in North Carolina
I actually had a ‘fan out’ moment when I got to talk to the second most powerful person in our country — Vice President Kamala Harris. What I learned after my initial nervousness is she is such a cool, down-to-earth, yet smart woman who wants the best for the citizens of this country.
Vice President Harris was in the Carolinas (Durham, to be exact) to announce tens of millions of dollars that will be available to historically underserved entrepreneurs in North Carolina. It’s all a part of the Biden Administration’s strategy (The American Rescue Plan) to invest in American small businesses. Harris is particularly passionate about small businesses run by minority women. The woman she calls her ‘second mother’ ran a nursery school.
A White House news release says the Biden-Harris Administration is wrapping up their tour on investing in America by awarding $32 million to women and minority-led businesses. An additional $60 million is coming from the private sector. With these funds, 10 businesses in Durham’s Historic Black Wall Street will be able to get up and running or scale their businesses. Harris stresses that it is important not just to provide loans to these businesses, but to offer the capital most entrepreneurs don’t often have.
In the end, entrepreneurs – including Black-, Hispanic-, veteran- and women-led businesses, as well as those in rural areas – will have a better shot a building and sustaining a business. Harris says under their leadership, applications for new small businesses have grown their strongest over the last three years. And Black business ownership has grown at the fastest pace in 30 years.
To learn more about getting a small business loan, visit sba.gov.
Janine “JD” Davis: JD The Diva is the spicy, bold, and highly energetic radio and TV personality you hear hosting the midday shift (10 am till 3 pm) each weekday at V 101.9. An award-winning 30-year radio and news journalist, Janine brings her unique style of delivering entertainment, news, and inspiration to the airwaves. From her quick-witted ‘dirt’ on celebrities to the live Facebook mix show featuring JD and her best dance moves to JD’s Inspirational Moments where she shares personal battles and triumphs, JD keeps listeners engaged and entertained. When she’s not on air, you can find JD getting involved in the community and embracing Black-owned businesses and stories online. She enjoys writing about small Black-owned businesses, our HBCUs as a grad herself, and all things supporting women.