TRENTON, N.J. — The African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (AACCNJ) hosted a town hall on Feb. 7 , from 3 to 6 p.m., with over two hundred in attendance at the Crowne Plaza Princeton, Conference Center in East Windsor, N.J.
The meeting was convened to provide an open forum for discussion and included a presentation on the State’s newly released Disparity Study, conducted by Mason Tillman Associates, LTD.
The Presentation was led by Dr. Denise Anderson, Founder & CEO, Denise Anderson & Associates (DA&A) LLC, and moderated by John E. Harmon, Sr., IOM, Founder, President & CEO, AACCNJ, and included a lengthy Q&A session with the audience, which consisted of AACCNJ members, and stakeholders, elected officials, representatives from the state government, and Chambers of Commerce.
The State’s commissioned study documented institutional discrimination to African American businesses in NJ. Dr. Denise Anderson received a positive response to her statement “Disparities need to be addressed between Blacks and Whites and within minority groups. We need specific solutions for different populations based on the data and their needs. Regardless of how we are classified – lumping us as “minority” does not make us monolithic.”
Dr. Anderson’s presentation was met with a standing ovation at the conclusion. Dr. Anderson also quoted Frederick Douglass and James Baldwin in her presentation, quotes that resonated with the audience.
“Each day the AACCNJ and its members continue to fight what Dr. King called the ‘soft bigotry of low expectations,’ and we prove time and time again, that when the opportunity presents itself, we are ready,” said John E. Harmon, Sr.
Harmon set forth a call to action to those in attendance, to reach out to their local and state elected officials to voice their concerns, and to let them know they were in attendance. CEO Harmon fielded more than two dozen questions during the audience Q& A segment.
“I knew that we invited the right person to make a presentation to our constituents on the Disparity Study, Dr. Anderson’s knowledge and analysis of the data was excellent and was presented in a straightforward manner to the audience,” said Gary Mann, AACCNJ, Chairman of the Board.
“Tuesday marks two weeks since the state released the long-promised disparity study — one that showed all minority groups, as well as females, have received nowhere near their “fair share” of state contracts, based on their population size and their ability to do the work.
The 221-page report, commissioned in 2020, was filled with stunning data, including this fact: Even though Black-owned companies in the state represent 9.19% of the available construction businesses, they received only 0.14% of the dollars on construction contracts valued over $65,000 to $5.71 million. (The report estimates this potentially cost these businesses $209 million).
More stunning: These numbers didn’t surprise anyone, including state officials.
Even more stunning: The state, after releasing this report, seemingly has done little to address the issue. No focus groups, roundtable discussions, executive orders or legislative proposals have been announced.
After years of saying it needed a study to be able to do something, the state has not made any public announcements on how it will address the findings.”1
“The Study, as expected, revealed that African American businesses received little of the $ 18.5 billion the Murphy administration spent on contracts for construction, professional services and goods and services from 2015 to 2020,” said John E. Harmon, Sr.
“While expecting the worst, little did we know that the Study would document African Americans received less than one (1) percent of the $18.5 billion dollars the State awarded to contractors. African American businesses received a pittance despite the fact that we represent, 14 percent of the population, and over 10 percent of the businesses in New Jersey willing and able to contract with the State.”
“As we move forward, we ask the Governor and his administration to also hold a statewide meeting, to discuss the results of the disparity study,” said Harmon.
“The Administration needs to establish a race and gender-based program with minority and woman-owned business utilization goals to end the discriminatory practices in its award of contracts,” said Harmon. “Our mutual goal henceforth is to have a more equitable participation in every area of the public sector wherein economic opportunities exist.”
The AACCNJ has convened a Disparity Study Task Force Committee to work with the Murphy administration to outline our engagement plan with the state and develop a strategy to address disparities and underperformance among Blacks in New Jersey. The task force will be co-chaired by Dr. Denise Anderson, Denise Anderson and Associates and Ferlanda Nixon, Esq., Chief of Public Policy & External Affairs, AACCNJ. Committee Members include John E. Harmon, Sr., President CEO, AACCNJ, Gary Mann, Chairman of the Board, AACCNJ, Tammeisha Smith, Vice Chair of the Board, Stan Prater, Senior Advisor to AACCNJ President & CEO, Tanya Freeman, Esq, Chair of the Board, NY State Black Business Alliance (NYSBBA), Robert Johnson, Esq., Secretary, AACCNJ, Board of Directors, Marcus Dyer, CPA, Treasurer, AACCNJ, Board of Directors, Robert Warrington, Esq., AACCNJ Board of Directors, and Monique Nelson, Executive Chair, UWG.
About the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey
The African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (AACCNJ) performs an essential role in the economic viability of New Jersey. While providing a platform for New Jersey’s African American business leaders, to speak with a collective voice, the AACCNJ advocates and promotes economic diversity fostering a climate of business growth through major initiatives centering on education and public policy. The Chamber serves as a proactive advocacy group with a 501(c) 3 tax exemption, which is shared by the National Black Chamber of Commerce.
