{
	"type": "rich",
	"version": "1.0",
	"provider_name": "Action Network",
	"provider_url": "https://actionnetwork.org",
	
	"html": "<link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/petition/establish-equitable-city-contracting-policies?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-petition-area-establish-equitable-city-contracting-policies' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div>",
	"author_name": "BECMA",
	"author_url": "https://actionnetwork.org/groups/becma",
	"title": "Establish equitable city contracting policies",
	"thumbnail_url": "https://actionnetwork.org//images/generic_facebook.jpg",
	"description": "On Friday, February 5, 2021, GBH News and the Boston Globe shared the results of a yet-to-be-released disparity study, which was commissioned by the City of Boston in 2018. The results are disturbing, however unsurprising. The study reveals what BECMA members and community leaders have been saying for decades: The City of Boston does not value Black businesses or the Black community. The 703-page report lays out in stark detail that despite the pronouncements, public statements, executive orders, and policies, Mayor Martin J. Walsh and his administration have failed to deliver fair and equitable procurement for Black-owned businesses, as well as for other minority- and women-owned businesses. Bold leadership is required to immediately correct this systemic problem. According to the Boston Globe, the study analyzed over 47,000 contracts awarded by the City over a five-year period (2014 - 2019) worth over $2.1 billion. Of those contracts, 11% were awarded to minority- and women-owned businesses. Only 0.4% -- or $9.4 million -- reached Black businesses. This puts Boston, which only recently committed itself to defeating racism, far below its counterparts in public spending with minority- and women-owned businesses like New York City (19%), Chicago (29%), and Philadelphia (31%). We must urgently address this issue. We know that public contracts are key to stabilizing small businesses and helping them scale so they can hire more people at better wages with more comprehensive benefits. Every public dollar spent must be an investment in our collective future.",
	"url": "https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/establish-equitable-city-contracting-policies"
}