Booming construction leaves states Blacks behind

Jobs are falling short of meeting equity goals

By Charles Hallman

Staff Writer

Despite established equity goals now in place for publicly funded construction projects in Minnesota, many argue that barriers still exist for Black-owned businesses and that laborers from diverse racial backgrounds experience multiple challenges in competing for contracts and getting jobs.

All construction projects should be on a solid leverage for all citizens, stated First Covenant Church Pastor Dan Collison, who also is the East Side Downtown Council executive director. His church last month hosted a construction equity forum.

There are billions and billions of dollars in construction [projects] in our region scheduled to happen in the next eight-to-10 years. People of color are being left behind added St. Thomas Law Professor Nekima Levy-Pounds, who moderated the forum. She told the small audience (the event was open to the public), I dont know how many times Ive driven through parts of the Twin Cities and seen all-White construction crews, and this is 2014.

LifeSource building construction project, 22nd Ave and West River Road in Minneapolis MSR file photo

Levy-Pounds asked, Is this a question of practices that are perhaps unethical, or is this a matter of a lack of a solid infrastructure that creates access [for Blacks and other people of color]? Rethinking the way that [government agencies] do business I think is going to be vitally important. My hope is that the ordinary citizen will see that they need to be engaged if they want things to happen.

How much of that [construction-related] money do African Americans get as laborers? asked local business owner Lennie Chism, who agreed with Levy-Pounds. I havent seen many of my people on City of Minneapolis-funded projects, he added.

What we really are talking about is that people feel that they are not participating in economic development in our country in the way that they should, said State Human Rights Commissioner Kevin Lindsay. One of the means to facilitate that is public construction projects.

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Booming construction leaves states Blacks behind