Sen. Landrieu Meets with Leaders on How to Close the Racial Wealth Gap

Press Release

U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu, Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, hosted a summit titled, "Closing the Wealth Gap through the African-American Entrepreneurial Ecosystem" today. Other Members of Congress in attendance included: Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-Pa), Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY), and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC).

The summit focused on issues that impact African-Americans who own small businesses and who are interested in becoming entrepreneurs. Specific issues included: access to capital; preservation and transferal of wealth; contracting; credit unions; private-public partnerships in government as well as historically black colleges and universities; and the access to information gap.

"Improving the African-American Entrepreneurial Ecosystem is about making America stronger. When we find strategic solutions to fix all parts of the economy, then the entire economy improves," said Senator Landrieu. "An entrepreneurial ecosystem is defined as "a system formed by the interaction of a community with their environment' and I look forward to finding legislative solutions to fix the racial wealth gap that hinders the African-American Entrepreneurial Ecosystem. I am determined to help eliminate this disparity."

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