About two-thirds of all businesses in Detroit are black-owned. But many feel that minorities have been left out of the economic upswing taking place in the greater downtown area.
Perhaps, suggests a recently published article in the Detroit News, that disparity is shrinking.
Ian Thibodeau of the News writes about several minority, women business owners who've opened storefronts downtown, including Detroit Is the New Black owner Roslyn Karamoko.
That said, caveats do remain. Thibodeau spoke with House of Pure Vin co-owner Regina Gaines and CEO of the Michigan Black Chamber of Commerce Ken Harris, both of whom expressed cautious optimism at these recent developments.
"Gaines opened as one of the only retailers on her side of the street," writes Thibodeau. "In 2014, when she started negotiating with Bedrock for the space, Gaines said some African-Americans didn't feel included in the downtown boom.
"Her business challenges that narrative, she said. She feels now that some of the tension has subsided since 2014, though there's still plenty of room for better minority representation downtown.
"Harris says, 'We're finding African-Americans wanting now to be part of the benefits from the resurgence of business in the city.'"