Worcester Business Journal Special Editions

4 Worcester Business Journal B randale Randolph, a black business owner in Framingham, has unique insight and experience on the issues of racial injustice and police reform now seizing the country. Randolph owns the 1854 Cycling Co., a small business designing and building technologically advanced bicycles. He's also the brother of a man who was killed in 2005 by the Los Angeles Police Department in a raid that took place before cell phone cameras were ubiquitous and such instances could become national news. "at barely made a blip," Randolph said of his brother's death. Randolph, who was born in Louisiana and grew up in Los Angeles, hesitated when asked his thoughts about the Black Lives Matter movement sweeping the country following the killing of black Minneapolis resident George Floyd by police in Minneapolis in May, along with other prominent cases and videos of such deaths before and aer. Randolph lived in Los Angeles during rioting following the 1992 acquittal of police officers in the beating of a black man, Rodney King. He's written about his brother's killing, strongly questioning the police's portrayal of the incident. e police said they were serving a narcotics search warrant and Brayland Randolph pointed a gun at them. "God and I still aren't on good terms – not bad ones, either," he wrote. "We are cordial. God and I are at peace under a mutual understanding that when we meet face-to-face, I will have a litany of questions. He knows because he made me this way." Randolph still feels injustice today. He's the owner of a company featured in Ebony magazine, Bloomberg and other publications for a mission including employing people who were formerly incarcerated. But he said he's been rejected twice for Paycheck Protection Program loans, a $669-billion program created by Congress to keep small businesses afloat during the coronavirus pandemic. It makes him struggle to know how much to speak out. "Even with this article, I'm not sure if I should do it or not," Randolph said. "Even talking this way, it could lose me millions of dollars, literally." A small minority At such a perilous time, the Worcester County business community is hampered by an uncomfortable problem: In the homogenous world of business leadership in Worcester County, top officials at the area's largest and best-known institutions are almost entirely white. ere are no black leaders among the area's publicly traded companies. None lead the area's hospitals or colleges. For the last three years for its e Boardroom Gap investigation, the Worcester Business Journal has reviewed 75 of the largest and best-known institutions in Central Massachusetts to gauge gender diversity among top executives and board members. ose reviews have consistently reached the same conclusion: Positions of power – and highest pay – overwhelmingly go to men, and especially white men. Only one of the leaders of those business organizations – YMCA of Central Massachusetts President and CEO David Connell — is black. A few other black leaders in Central Massachusetts lead organizations not featured on e Boardroom Gap list, including Lou Brady, the president and CEO of Family Health Center of Worcester. Both Connell and Brady were appointed to their positions in 2019. "It's important that our voices are heard," Brady said of black business leaders. "It helps to expand the reality and the understanding of our white colleagues." It's just as rare in Worcester County to find a black-owned business. Less than 1% of the Worcester County businesses with employees are black-owned, despite black residents making up 6% of the population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In Worcester city, 1.4% of businesses with employees are black-owned, despite the city's population being 13.1% black, according to the census. at lack of diversity isn't unique to this region. Of Massachusetts businesses with employees, 1.4% are black-owned vs. a 8.9% statewide black population percentage. Nationally, 2.2% of businesses with employees are black- owned vs. 13.4% of the total population. Only four Fortune 500 companies are led by a black executive. Black-owned businesses with employees tend to be smaller, too: In Worcester County, the black-owned firms average 16 employees per business Black businesses matter BY GRANT WELKER Worcester Business Journal News Editor Black-owned companies – which are key to hiring minority employees, injecting wealth into disadvantaged communities, and advocating for social justice issues – make up less than 1% of Worcester County businesses, even as black people comprise 6% of the population Brandale Randolph, the founder and owner of the 1854 Cycling Co. in Framingham PHOTO/MATTHEW WRIGHT Black business ownership The number of employer firms owned by a black professional is far below that of the percent black population both locally and nationally. Notes: Residents' race are those who identified as black or African American only, not those identifying as two or more races. Businesses identified the U.S. Census Annual Business Survey are only those who have employees, not just the owner, and don't include subsidiaries. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Worcester city Worcester County Massachusetts United States Black-owned businesses 48 122 1,893 124,004 % black- owned businesses 1.4% 0.8% 1.4% 2.2% % black residents of total population 13.1% 6.0% 8.9% 13.4% Total businesses 3,421 14,837 138,829 5,744,643

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