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wbjournal.com | September 28, 2020 | Worcester Business Journal 11 African Americans' entrance into that society." Among those lingering effects today, in Worcester County, less than 1% of all businesses are Black-owned, despite Black people comprising 6% of the county's population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. ose Black- owned businesses on average have fewer employees and smaller payrolls than the average for all Worcester County businesses. In a 2019 survey of Americans, the Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C. found most people – 63% – believe slavery still impacts the position of Black people in American society a great deal or a fair amount. Among Black Amer- icans, the rate was 84%, compared to 58% among white respondents. Slavery in Massachusetts Slavery existed in Massachusetts from the earliest Colonial days. Enslaved peo- ple were first brought by boat in 1638 into Boston, and Massachusetts was the first colony to legalize slavery in 1641, according to the Massachusetts Histor- ical Society. Between 1755 and 1764, enslaved people made up 2.2% of the Massachusetts population, concentrated in industrial and coastal communities, according to the history of the abolition- ist movement from the Massachusetts state government. "New Englanders essentially craed a Central Mass. ties to slavery When slavery was legal in America, a number of Central Massachusetts companies had ties to either slave labor or slavery. Company Location Ties to slavery Crompton Loom Works Worcester Made machinery to process slave-grown cotton Draper Corp. Hopedale Made machinery to process slave-grown cotton. Asa H. Waters & Co. Millbury Made handguns that are believed to have been used to enforce slavery. Whitin Machine Works Northbridge Made machinery to process slave-grown cotton. Crown and Eagle Mills Uxbridge Imported cotton from South Carolina. Amasa Wood Millbury Produced shoes for slave owners. Ruggles, Nourse, Worcester Made plows and other farm equipment Mason & Co. for the South. The Crompton & Knowles Loom Works company was among the many in the Blackstone Valley servicing the textile industry, which was growing due to the proliferation of slave-grown cotton. Sources: Slavery researchers Seth Rockman, Jared Hardesty and Kevin Klyberg Continued on Page 12 PHOTO | COURTESY OF WORCESTER HISTORICAL MUSEUM RETHINKING THE OPEN FLOOR PLAN? MORTGAGE & EQUITY LOANS BY SCU Membership to SCU requires a one-time dividend-earning deposit of $5.00 in a prime share account. Equal Housing Oppor tunit y. Equal Oppor tunit y Employer. Federally insured by NCUA. NMLS #616673. banking | lending | local Let's Talk. 888.599.2265 | southbridgecu.com We've got you.