TRENTON, N.J. — “The African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (AACCNJ) will host a town hall meeting topic: “The Fierce Urgency of Now” – A Presentation on the State’s newly released Disparity Study, conducted by Mason Tillman Associates, LTD.
The Town Hall Meeting will be held at The Crowne Plaza Princeton, N.J. on Feb. 6 from 3 to 5 p.m., and is a free event. The Presentation will be led by Dr. Denise Anderson, Founder & CEO, Denise Anderson & Associates (DA&A) LLC, moderated by John E. Harmon, Sr., IOM, Founder, President & CEO, AACCNJ, and will include a Q&A session with the audience.
“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.”
The Study also documented that all ethnic groups received fewer contracts than expected given the number of New Jersey businesses owned by people of color. More than 25 percent of the businesses the Study identified as willing and able to contract with the State were owned by African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans.
“Now that the State’s commissioned study has documented the institutional discrimination our members have long experienced, we must demand that the Murphy Administration immediately 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.
“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.
“We plan to work in partnership with the State to put forth best practices that will provide the constituency of the AACCNJ, and others, with consistent access to opportunities and resources that they can leverage to strengthen their enterprises and ideals while mitigating past underperformance,” said Harmon.
“Our mutual goal henceforth is to have a more equitable participation in every area of the public sector wherein economic opportunities exist.”
“These times remind me of words that were expressed by the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy,” said Harmon.
About the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey
The 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.