IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 667 
Expressing support for the designation of August as National Black Business 
Month and to honor the contributions of Black-owned businesses across 
the United States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 29, 2023 
Ms. CROCKETT (for herself, Ms. NORTON, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. 
CARSON, Mr. MULLIN, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. LANDSMAN, Mr. 
THANEDAR, Mr. MCGARVEY, Ms. SEWELL, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. 
GREEN of Texas, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Ms. BROWN, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. 
PRESSLEY, Ms. PLASKETT, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Ms. MCCLELLAN, 
Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, and Mr. MFUME) submitted the following resolu-
tion; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing support for the designation of August as National 
Black Business Month and to honor the contributions 
of Black-owned businesses across the United States. 
Whereas businesses serve as one of the main drivers of the 
United States economy and are crucial to the overall suc-
cess of the country; 
Whereas Black-owned businesses have played an instrumental 
role in advancing African-Americans’ status and pro-
moting Black culture throughout history; 
Whereas African Americans founded and developed the 
Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, also known as 
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•HRES 667 IH 
‘‘Black Wall Street’’, in the early 1900s to direct revenue 
into their own community to ensure economic stability 
due to racial discrimination at that time; 
Whereas Black Wall Street was considered one of the wealthi-
est Black communities in the United States with Black- 
owned businesses such as barber shops and salons, cloth-
ing stores, jewelers, restaurants, theaters, grocery stores, 
and medical legal offices, until the Tulsa Race Massacre 
of 1921; 
Whereas, in the 1930s to 1960s, The Negro Motorist Green 
Book was distributed across the United States that high-
lighted, among other things, Black-owned businesses in 
order to enable Black travelers to find lodgings, busi-
nesses, and gas stations amidst segregation; 
Whereas recent significant strides have been made regarding 
the growth of Black-owned businesses in the United 
States; 
Whereas, in 1971, Johnson Products Company, which sold 
hair care and cosmetic products for Black consumers, be-
came the first Black-owned company to trade on the 
American Stock Exchange; 
Whereas, in 1991, the Black Entertainment Television, or 
‘‘BET’’, became the first Black-owned company to be 
traded on the New York Stock Exchange; 
Whereas the largest industry areas for Black-owned busi-
nesses are in the areas of health care, social assistance, 
retail trade, transportation, warehousing, accommoda-
tions, and food services; 
Whereas, from 2017 to 2020, the number of Black-owned 
businesses across the country increased by over 13 per-
cent, an amount larger than overall businesses growth, 
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which increased by less than 1 percent over the same pe-
riod; 
Whereas, in 2020, Black business owners employed 1.321 
million people, and created 48,549 new jobs, adding an 
additional $1.7 billion in aggregate payroll to the United 
States economy; 
Whereas roughly 38 percent of all Black-owned businesses 
were woman-owned in 2020; 
Whereas Black-women-owned businesses represent the fastest 
growing group of entrepreneurs to come out of the pan-
demic; 
Whereas roughly 67 percent of Black-women-owned busi-
nesses are the owner’s primary source of income; 
Whereas, in May 2023, roughly 3,455,000 businesses were 
Black-owned (representing approximately 12.7 percent of 
the total businesses), with receipts of $83.6 billion; 
Whereas today there are hundreds of Black Chambers of 
Commerce established across cities in the United States; 
Whereas, despite the growth and impact of Black-owned busi-
nesses on the United States economy, Black business 
owners and entrepreneurs continue to face substantial 
barriers, such as financing and access to capital, that 
limit their ability to expand their businesses and leverage 
new entrepreneurial opportunities; 
Whereas Black-owned businesses are more likely to be denied 
loans and are more likely to pay higher interest rates 
than non-minority businesses; 
Whereas Black-owned businesses are historically smaller in 
size and scale to their non-minority business counter-
parts; 
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Whereas industries and associations have recently put forth 
renewed efforts advocating for consumers to invest in, 
and buy from, Black-owned businesses over the last 3 
years; and 
Whereas Congress permanently established the Minority 
Business Development Agency within the Department of 
Commerce as a part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure In-
vestment and Jobs Act of 2021 to promote the growth 
and competitiveness of minority-owned businesses: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) celebrates the work of Black-owned busi-
nesses and their employees for their achievements 
and advancements within the community; 
(2) recognizes that Black-owned businesses con-
tinue to face significant barriers and challenges to 
forming, growing, and expanding within the econ-
omy, both at home and abroad; 
(3) acknowledges that Congress must work with 
business and industry leaders, and also when appro-
priate, executive branch agencies, to help expand 
entry for Black-owned businesses into the market; 
and 
(4) supports the designation of ‘‘National Black 
Business Month’’. 
Æ 
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