The Juneteenth Educational Workshop on the theme “Slavery’s Connectivity to Current Socio-Economic Disparities in New Jersey,” was held at the Hillside Community Center in Hillside, New Jersey on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.
The program, which was addressed by Dr. John Harmon, the Founder & CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce, New Jersey (AACCNJ), Dr. Denise Anderson, a Public Health Consultant and Dr. Denise Wallace of the William Paterson College, New Jersey, was hosted by Hillside City Mayor, Dahlia Vertreese.
In her detailed presentation, backed by statistics, Dr. Anderson established that a huge disparity in access to contracts exists between Women and Black and Brown owned businesses on one side and white owned companies on the other side, and advanced recommendations for closing of the yawning gap.
Harmon, on his part, stressed that in the last two decades plus, AACCNJ has been doing a lot to advocate change concerning the prevailing disparities.
He also said that they are working hard to position members of the Chamber for contracts and for more equitable access to businesses and funding opportunities, and urged African American business owners to join the Chamber to be able to benefit from the many advantages it offers.
There was a call for collective action to get the authorities to redress the disparities, especially as they concern women, black and minorities’ owned businesses, in the interest of equity.
Earlier, on Monday, Dr. Wallace had delivered a virtual lecture on the “Power of Slavery,” which also received popular acclaim for the exposition of the facts of the disadvantages and disparities that have remained even long after the official declaration of the end of slavery.
The highly informative program was organized by the Township of Hillside, New Jersey, the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc and the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.
