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When we don& #39;t ask the right questions, we celebrate the wrong things.
In today& #39;s episode of "Disaggregate the Data!" we look at the latest minority/women business spending data per @EcoGrowthEngine
Shelby County is majority black - but did black businesses benefit most?
In today& #39;s episode of "Disaggregate the Data!" we look at the latest minority/women business spending data per @EcoGrowthEngine
Shelby County is majority black - but did black businesses benefit most?
Like other econ growth agencies, @EcoGrowthEngine, aka EDGE, requires companies that receive tax abatements (PILOTs) to do a certain amount of business with minority and women owned businesses (MWBEs) and locally owned small businesses (LOSBs).
A glossary
MWBEs: Businesses owned by all your people of color and by white women.
MBE: Businesses owned by people of color, including women of color.
WBE: Businesses owned only by white women.
LOSB: Smaller businesses owned by white men.
MWBEs: Businesses owned by all your people of color and by white women.
MBE: Businesses owned by people of color, including women of color.
WBE: Businesses owned only by white women.
LOSB: Smaller businesses owned by white men.
The good news is that @EcoGrowthEngine expected PILOT recipients to spend $316M with LOSB and MWBE between 2011-2019, but they far, far exceeded that, spending $426M.
Yay!
Yay?
Yay!
Yay?
The devil is in the details and this is why we must disaggregate the data.
Look just at the number of companies PILOT recipients did business with and it appears to be evenly split among LOSB (120 companies), MBE (133) and WBE (132).
But look further.
Look just at the number of companies PILOT recipients did business with and it appears to be evenly split among LOSB (120 companies), MBE (133) and WBE (132).
But look further.
Look at the actual dollar amount spent. A total of $426M was spent with LOSBs, MBEs and WBEs, but it was women-owned businesses that made out like bandits.
(EDGE& #39;s donut chart is off, but I& #39;ll show a corrected one in the next tweet.)
(EDGE& #39;s donut chart is off, but I& #39;ll show a corrected one in the next tweet.)
Put the dollar amounts in @EcoGrowthEngine (also known as EDGE) data into a donut chart and you& #39;ll get this.
LOSB: $64.6M - just over 15%
MBE (Black, Asian, Hispanic, Native): $142.9M - just over 33%
WBE: $219.3M - about 51%
LOSB: $64.6M - just over 15%
MBE (Black, Asian, Hispanic, Native): $142.9M - just over 33%
WBE: $219.3M - about 51%
But let& #39;s go deeper on the MBE to look specifically for black businesses, and go deeper on the WBE to look just at businesses owned by white women.
And remember Shelby County is 54% Black only, 35% white only and about 10% Asian, Native and other.
And remember Shelby County is 54% Black only, 35% white only and about 10% Asian, Native and other.
But before we go there, consider these words on equity and proportionate representation from Dr. Martin Luther The King. He& #39;s talking about jobs, specifically, but I think it applies to this MWBE spending issue too.
Shelby County, which is where @EcoGrowthEngine awards PILOTs is:
54% Black only
35% White only
about 7% Hispanic
and the rest Asian, Native, etc.
So white women make up around 18% of the county& #39;s population.
54% Black only
35% White only
about 7% Hispanic
and the rest Asian, Native, etc.
So white women make up around 18% of the county& #39;s population.
$321M: The 2011-2019 PILOT recipient spending with Black-owned businesses and white-women owned businesses
$209M or 65%: White women
$112M or 35%: Black folks
(Total MWBE spending is $362M)
$209M or 65%: White women
$112M or 35%: Black folks
(Total MWBE spending is $362M)
If a county is 54% Black, it is logical to assume that 54% of total MWBE spending would be with Black owned businesses.
But only 31% of total MWBE spending is with Black-owned businesses.
But only 31% of total MWBE spending is with Black-owned businesses.
If a county is 18% white women, it is logical to assume that 18% of total MWBE spending would be with white women-owned businesses.
But 58% of total MWBE spending is with white women-owned businesses.
But 58% of total MWBE spending is with white women-owned businesses.
What& #39;s next isn& #39;t a perfect apples to apples, but here& #39;s what MWBE spending looks like - white women are yellow, Black folks are blue.
And here& #39;s what Shelby County population looks like:
Again, white women are yellow, Black folks are blue.
Again, white women are yellow, Black folks are blue.
Now to be sure, the MWBE spending is just a tiny fraction of all the PILOT spending that happens in Shelby County. These pie charts represent how the crumbs are shared among historically marginalized groups (some more marginalized than others).
If we were closer to equity, the blue slice on the left would be about the size of the blue slice on the right.
MWBE spending isn& #39;t the same thing as affirmative action, but in both cases, white women stay winning. And black folks are not.
MWBE spending isn& #39;t the same thing as affirmative action, but in both cases, white women stay winning. And black folks are not.
In conclusion, always disaggregate the data.
What looks like good news is good for white women, but illustrates how black businesses are still excluded from the county& #39;s growth.
Also, public policy doesn& #39;t have to be explicitly racist to have a racist outcome.
What looks like good news is good for white women, but illustrates how black businesses are still excluded from the county& #39;s growth.
Also, public policy doesn& #39;t have to be explicitly racist to have a racist outcome.
Oh, and here& #39;s a link to the @EcoGrowthEngine report that includes the data referenced above: http://www.growth-engine.org/news/edge-pilot-recipients-continue-to-outperform-spending-commitments-with-minority-and-women-owned-businesses/">https://www.growth-engine.org/news/edge...
