at a Juneteenth celebration at the Riverdale Sunday Market, which is held every Sunday throughout the year at 4545 Independent Avenue by Riverdale Temple in the Riverdale section of The Bronx, on June 19, 2022.
Photo by Miriam Quiñones
Among many citywide events marking Juneteenth this year, the Riverdale Sunday Market was the venue for a local Juneteenth celebration in the Northwest Bronx, and was hosted by District 11 City Councilman Eric Dinowitz. Held every Sunday throughout the year, at 4545 Independent Avenue by the Riverdale temple, the market took on a special theme on June 19 in celebration of what is now a national holiday.
Juneteenth, which falls annually on June 19, marks the anniversary of the day federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to announce that all enslaved people were free. Coming two and half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, it is recognized as the effective end of slavery in the United States. It is widely considered the longest-running African American holiday and had long been celebrated every year among the Black community. On June 17, 2021, Juneteenth was officially designated as a federal holiday by President Joe Biden.
Photo by Miriam Quiñones
At the Riverdale market Juneteenth celebration, which took place between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., residents gathered to mark the importance of the holiday and to celebrate the diversity of the neighborhood.
Black-owned business owner, Melvin Walker, was just one of the participants at the event and was seen selling his book, “Finally, Mel’s Barbershop: The Melvin Walker story,” at one of the stands. A recognition among the White community of the need to advance and support Black-owned businesses began to receive greater traction in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.
Individuals and corporations alike began publicly pledging support for Black-owned businesses and though the move appears to be less visible than in 2020, it remains as one of the more constructive ways to practice allyship in the quest to achieve greater equality in the United States, while other less practical measures adopted around the time, such as placing black squares on social media profiles in apparent acts of solidarity with the Black community, have largely faded from public consciousness.
Photo by Miriam Quiñones
According to NYC Small Business Administration (SBA), while the Black community makes up 22 percent of New York City’s population (1.9 million), just 3.5 percent of NYC businesses are owned by Black entrepreneurs. A statement on the SBS website reads, “The forces that drive this disparity are essential to understand, as the City of New York works to build a stronger and fairer city by creating opportunity for all, safeguarding the American dream, and addressing the racial wealth gap.” In September 2019, the City launched Black Entrepreneurs NYC (BE NYC), described as a groundbreaking model for a major American city to help create equity of opportunity by advancing Black entrepreneurship.
An August 2020 report on the BE NYC program found that one of the top challenges faced by Black business owners was lack of access to capital from lenders. Of the 230 survey respondents who provided feedback for the compilation of the report and who said they had approached small business lenders or banks for loans to start their business, more than two-thirds were denied funding. “Lower assets, lower credit scores, and outright discrimination in lending lead many entrepreneurs to rely on personal savings when financing their business,” an extract from the report read.
Photo by Miriam Quiñones
A lack of background [knowledge] on how to run a business and a lack of reliable resources to help were cited as the next most significant challenges. According to the report, less than 40 percent of respondents said they had excellent or very good access to mentors and supporters, even though access to mentorship and guidance is regarded as being even more important as a business scales up. In fact, each of the business owners with revenues of $500,000 or more a year said they had had access to a mentor.
Finding customers was also a challenge, according to the report, primarily for entrepreneurs with businesses already in operation. Counterintuitively, while business owners who were already up and running ranked marketing and customer acquisition as being very challenging, aspiring entrepreneurs ranked it as the factor they anticipated would be the least challenging, indicating that business owners were not thinking about their market, customer base, and acquisition strategy early enough.
In addition, Black entrepreneurs also expressed that they lacked access to affordable workspace. More than half of respondents cited this as one of their top challenges. Respondents said that the spaces that do exist are not conveniently located or are cost-prohibitive, driving 38 percent of respondents to operate their business from their home, limiting their growth.
The same August 2020 report found that while nationally, the number of active business owners fell by 22 percent from February to April 2020, amid the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, Black businesses experienced the most acute decline, with a 41 percent drop. In New York State, Black business ownership fell by 70 percent. The report also found that this was due to a variety of factors including geography, industry concentration, and financial health and access.
Photo by Miriam Quiñones
Data from counties nationwide showed Black-owned firms were more likely to be located in COVID-19 hot spots, which meant they were more likely to face larger direct (longer forced closures, COVID-19 symptoms) and indirect (social distancing, fewer customers) effects of the pandemic.
Black-owned businesses were also largely concentrated in hardest hit industries like retail, restaurants, and other service industries. Lastly, with less financial cushioning and weaker banking relationships, fewer Black-owned firms entered the pandemic in strong financial positions, with only a small proportion operating at a profit, having a high credit score, and using retained earnings to fund the business.
Photo by Miriam Quiñones
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a federal loan program reported to support 84 percent of the nation’s small business payroll, largely did not reach the hardest hit areas most impacted by Black business closures. For example, only 7 percent of firms in The Bronx, and 11.3 percent of firms in Queens received funds through the PPP.
During National Small Business Week 2022, which culminated in the Little Yemen section of The Bronx, as reported, Commissioner Kevin D. Kim, among others, outlined some of the ways in which SBS can help small, minority-owned and women-owned business entrepreneurs (M/WOBEs) overcome some of these barriers.
Photo by Miriam Quiñones
Kim highlighted how there was $1.2 billion available in government contracts that were given to M/WOBEs last year, and said he wanted local Bronx communities to partake in that also. “At SBS, we are committed to bringing resources out to you,” he said, adding that the mayor was keen on ensuring those who were historically denied services received them in the future. The commissioner added, “Look at us as your first stop to operate, to grow your businesses. If you’re looking for capital financing, if you’re looking for commercial lease assistance, we are there for you.”
As reported, on Juneteenth 2020, former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, announced that Juneteenth would become an official City and school holiday. He also announced additional steps the City was taking to address disparities and structural racism that he said had been exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the creation of a new commission to understand the effects of structural and institutional racism in New York City.
The Racial Justice and Reconciliation Commission (RRC) was established to promote social learning, collective introspection, and policy action. In addition, the Commission was launched to create a historical record of racial discrimination, with an emphasis on housing, criminal justice, environmental racism and public health disparity.
Photo by Miriam Quiñones
As also reported, Mayor Eric Adams designated Juneteenth a paid New York City holiday for the first time this year. In a statement on April 11, he said, “As the second Black mayor of New York City, I know that I stand on the shoulders of countless heroes and sheroes who put their lives on the line to secure a more perfect union. Now is the time for me to do a small part and recognize one of our nation’s greatest wrongs.”
Adams continued, “Juneteenth is a time for reflection, assessment, and self-improvement. People across the country of all races, nationalities, and religions unite on this day to truthfully acknowledge the stain of slavery and celebrate the countless contributions of Black Americans. It’s time for our city to finally do what’s right and officially designate Juneteenth as a city holiday. This decision is long overdue, which is why it will immediately take effect this year.”
Photo by Miriam Quiñones
At the Riverdale event, the councilman and his staff handed out post-its on which people could write what freedom meant to them. Some wrote that is was “worth fighting for.” Others wrote that freedom “must be for all,” it “needs to be shared,” that it is “our path to equality” and that it “must be constantly renewed.”
Young and old turned out to enjoy the day while local vendors sold their produce as usual. Bronx Community Board 7 member, Lowell Green, and resident, Robert Ackerson, of “Art for Aid” manned their pop-up charity shop, using the catchphrase, “Your junk is our joy!” The two recycle and sell art and jewelry to aid others.
Photo by Miriam Quinoñes
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson also made an appearance at the event, having hosted an initial Juneteenth flag raising ceremony at the Veterans’ Memorial Hall at 851 Grand Concourse, ahead of the holiday, on June 16. Gibson was later honored in Brooklyn on Saturday, June 18, by The Black Institute and Black Leadership Action Coalition during a Juneteenth Gala, which commemorated the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans “while celebrating and paying tribute to leaders who have dedicated their careers to improving Black communities and other communities of color.”
According to the organizations, The Black Institute, founded in 2010, has become a thought leader on urgent issues impacting Black, Brown and minority communities in New York and across the country. According to The Black Institute, “Recognizing the factors that prevent upward mobility for these under-resourced and under-served families, the Institute addresses fundamental inequities in city contracting that disproportionately impact Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE) from accessing capital and contracting dollars.”
The organization’s representatives said it has also played a leading role in raising Black voices in the fight for quality education, economic justice, immigrant rights, and environmental justice in New York and beyond. At its core, according to its representatives, the organization is working to build a society and economy where all people and businesses are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.
The Black Leadership Action Coalition represents the political action arm of The Black Institute and works to turn the Institute’s advocacy and research into policy and legislation.
Last year, Norwood News reported on the consecration of the ancient burial ground in Van Cortlandt Park which coincided with Juneteenth. In 2020, as reported, the holiday took on even more special significance for the Black community in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests, and later with a host of other celebratory events.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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