Josh Dodds, M.Ed’s Post

A VC fund dedicated to funding businesses run by Black women is not discrimination. The reason is that data show businesses run by Black women currently garner a tiny share of funding globally. This is not equitable. Hence, we need funds focused solely on funding underfunded groups in order to move towards equitable funding for all. This is one of the few ways we can end the actual discrimination happening which is against Black women. #racialequity #genderequity #VCbias

Disruptive Justice is a term I coined some years ago. It is a form of justice that focuses on the creation of an equitable society that protects human rights and human dignity by dismantling the systems of inequity that threaten them. It centers equity and strives for liberation. Only 2% of investment professionals at venture capital firms were Black women in 2022. These types of statistics are a present day example of how structural racism and sexism impact equitable distribution of resources. They are remnants of our country's unaddressed legacy of sanctioned discrimination. The Fearless Fund created a plan to address this. Anti-DEI legislation is attacking their plan. Anti-DEI legislation strives to impede any efforts to acknowledge and rectify the disparities that our country created. Weaponizing the Civil Rights Act (which was established in the wake of the American Civil War to protect the rights of persons of African descent) against efforts to create equity for Black women is an exhausting example of racial gaslighting. It keeps Black Americans trapped in the same double consciousness that W.E.B. Du Bois wrote about in 1903. It prevents our country from living up to its ideas of liberty and justice for all. Notice how I've said 'our country' multiple times. I say that intentionally. This is our collective history and our collective responsibility to fix. We have to disruptive systems to bring about lasting and sustainable change. We know what the problems are and how they started. Now, what are we going to do about it.

Just to frame up this story clearer, only 1%-3% of all Venture Capital goes to women & people of color. I’m just sayin. This fund should not be hindered. Wanna good story? “Movie Pass/Movie Crash”. Watch it. Two black entrepreneurs found it, grow it to profitability, two old white men take it over and kick them out, then run the whole thing into the ground in SPECTACULAR fashion. Oh…they’re currently on trial for securities fraud😂 Spoiler!: the original black founders bought Movie Pass from the junk heap of Bankrupcy court, dusted it off, turned it profitable again! And it’s a huge win-win-win for studios, theater owners, consumers. Data analytics for studios, increased concessions for theaters, cheaper prices for consumers https://lnkd.in/gtXutkDX

⚖️ The Legal Showdown You Can’t Ignore! ⚖️ Fearless Fund, a beacon for Black women entrepreneurs, faces a high-stakes legal battle. Despite being Black History Month, they’re under fire in Miami courts! A lawsuit alleging ‘racial exclusion’ has put their vital mission at risk. 👩🏾⚖️ With Judge Kevin Newsom, a Trump appointee, challenging their constitutional defense, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Civil rights champions are sounding the alarm: dismantling this program could devastate communities already underrepresented in venture capital. 💸 The financial toll? Staggering! Fearless Fund’s CEO already revealed a loss of nearly eight figures 😳 in potential investments. 🔥 The future of diversity in business is on the line. Stay informed. This isn’t just a story – it’s a turning point! #SupportBlackBusinesses #BlackHistoryMonth #UnlessYouWantBlackBusinessesToBeHistory #VentureCapitalCrisis #TheContractDoctor

An Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals panel halted an Atlanta venture capital fund’s small business grant program for Black women Monday, a major victory for conservative efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs in corporate America. In a 2-1 ruling, the judges said the Fearless Fund’s contest likely violates the federal Civil Rights Act of 1866 that prohibits the use of race in making contracts. The three-judge panel, consisting of two judges appointed by former President Donald Trump and another appointed by former President Barack Obama, also found Fearless Fund is unlikely to enjoy First Amendment protection and its program inflicts irreparable harm. Therefore, the appeals court panel reversed a September decision by a lower court judge and put a preliminary injunction into place. The case is one of the more prominent legal challenges on DEI programs in corporate America and today’s ruling is a setback for supporters of those initiatives. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eaucJDjt #DEI #FearlessFund #courtofappeals #Atlantaventurecapital

Black Enterprise: The report is in keeping with previous scholarship regarding the chronic underfunding of Black-owned businesses. https://lnkd.in/eq3T59D5

The time, effort and energy groups are putting into pushing back against initiatives designed to make the world more equitable and fair could be better spent... How? Imagine a seesaw (teeter tooter for my US audience) with a statuesque woman like me on one end 😉 and a kid on the other - wouldn't we have more fun if things were more balanced?? Wouldn't we be more successful at the task?? That's what initiatives supporting minority-owned businesses are trying to do - rebalance the fact that minorities are underrepresented in the organisations that provide finance and support for business. If you're going to put energy into damaging these programmes please also address and fix that inequality! Those of us who believe that equality of opportunity makes the world more interesting and fun and make organisations better places to work and more successful need to turn up the volume - otherwise we are risk of being drowned out by those afraid to rebalance power structures in business and society! Nice job David Glasgow and Kenji Yoshino at turning up the volume!

{ Save the Date} On Friday, June 21 from 10am - 11am EST, Brookings Metro, in collaboration with Path to 15|55 initiative, which endeavors to grow the percentage of Black-owned employer firms, will host an event to discuss what this proliferation of litigation means for Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurship. Senior Fellow Andre Perry will present new data that demonstrates the opportunity in bolstering Black-owned businesses to drive economic development. Then, CapEQ President and CEO Tynesia Boyea-Robinson will moderate a dynamic panel to dive deeper into these challenges and discuss how policymakers and the philanthropic sector should respond to these attacks to keep Black businesses growing in a dynamically changing legal environment. Register to watch online here: https://lnkd.in/e9wV4PzX RSVP to attend in-person here: https://lnkd.in/eaTB4Gdq **Interviews available upon request prior, during and post event.** Photo caption: Ayana Parsons, VC and co-founder of Fearless Fund with Arian Simone, general partner and co-founder of Fearless Fund. Source: Fearless Fund.

According to available data, women in the US get access to less than 3% of all venture capital awarded in the US with Black women getting an even smaller portion of that pittance at somewhere less than a full percentage point of all dollars invested. So, what do we have to do to pursue any level of parity, equity or justice in this situation? The most direct way; get more money into the hands of Black women. Full STOP. There are a lot of other interventions at play, like the improved policy frameworks that CAE are working on as shared below, but this is the fastest way. Give Black women the money to build their businesses and get out of the way. Let's be clear, the only thing being pursued here is a balancing of opportunity and access to resources. That requires an acknowledgment that all humans are worthy of safety, economic security, agency, autonomy, vibrancy and joy. Anti-racism isn't anti-white. Feminism isn't anti-male. Inclusion doesn't seek to exclude those who already have access or belonging. Equity doesn't seek to set anyone with built advantages further behind, only allow everyone a chance to catch up. We can do better, y'all. We simply have to choose to do so.

Congresswoman Nikema Williams (D-GA) has introduced the Minority Entrepreneurship Grant Program Act, aiming to create a federal grant for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to support Black-owned businesses. The proposed program, housed within the Small Business Administration, would offer grants to students seeking to start businesses, with HBCUs and other minority student institutions eligible to apply. Each grant could reach up to $250,000. The bipartisan legislation has gained support from Democratic co-sponsors Alma Adams (NC), Dwight Evans (PA), and Norma Torres (CA), along with Republican co-sponsor Brian Fitzpatrick (PA). Fitzpatrick expressed belief in the bipartisan nature of the proposal, emphasizing its potential to empower minority innovators and entrepreneurs. However, the initiative may face challenges, both politically and legally. Some Republicans may be reluctant to support the program, and the legal landscape around government-funded initiatives benefiting racial minorities has become more contentious. Recent legal rulings have challenged programs such as the Fearless Fund, which provided venture capital for minority women, and the Small Business Administration Business Development Program for minority business owners. Despite potential obstacles, Congresswoman Williams remains determined to address the pressing need for access to capital for Black and brown businesses. While the proposal may face opposition, Williams is committed to serving her constituents and supporting minority entrepreneurs. 🌐 #HBCU #Business #Entrepreneurship #GovernmentGrant https://lnkd.in/gkFp35nC