Why Biden shouldn’t be taking Black voter support for granted
Business
As Biden scrambles to reassure Black, Latino voters, some ask if the wealth gap can be fixed on November 15, 2023 at 11:00 am Business News | The Hill
The Biden administration is touting economic programs geared toward minority-owned businesses as Black and Hispanic voters show increasing disaffection toward Democrats following a year of higher consumer prices and soaring rents.
Recent polling indicates that Black, Hispanic and voters of other backgrounds may be turning away from President Biden.
A New York Times/Siena Poll released earlier this month found that 22 percent of Black voters in six key battleground states would choose former President Trump in next year’s election over Biden.
While that number still favors Biden in absolute terms, it’s a huge increase for Republicans over the historical baseline.
Trump won only 12 percent of the vote from Black Americans in 2020 and just 8 percent in 2016, according to the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at Cornell University, citing exit polling data from CNN and CBS News.
The Times/Siena poll had 42 percent of Hispanic voters in swing states leaning toward Trump and 50 percent leaning toward Biden. The 2020 breakdown for Hispanic voters, according to the Roper Center, was 65 percent for Biden and 32 percent for Trump.
Fifty-one percent of voters from other nonwhite racial backgrounds now favor Trump, while just 39 percent favor Biden, the poll found.
Speaking at the Congressional Black Caucus legislative forum in Washington in September, former U.S. Senate candidate for Alabama and nonprofit executive Brandaun Dean asked a panel of wealthy business people led by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) whether the very concept of Black capitalism was a myth.
“Do you believe that Black wealth has a sympathetic effect in Black communities, Black networks and in Black spaces? And is Black capitalism as much a myth as it would seem to be to those who have inherited their power?” he said, addressing a crowd of hundreds gathered in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
Bishop Henry C. Williams, of Oakland, testifies during the Reparations Task Force meeting in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, March 29, 2023. Williams said he hopes to build a Black Wall Street in Oakland with all Black-owned businesses. (Hector Amezcua/The Sacramento Bee via AP, File)
Funding is being pushed by the Biden administration
Now, new moves to fund businesses and entrepreneurs in communities of color are gaining momentum.
Community development lending programs, small business grants, initiatives on minority depository institutions (MDIs), and lines of credit for “inclusive entrepreneurship” are all getting the hard sell from the Treasury Department as support for Democrats among minority voting blocs shows signs of faltering.
Last month, the administration announced a $3 billion commitment from a group of companies and philanthropies for money lending institutions “working to make historic investments in underserved communities.”
“The new private sector commitments announced today will maximize the Biden-Harris Administration’s investments in expanding access to capital in low-income, rural, and other underserved communities, which increase long-term productivity and economic growth,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.
The Treasury has also been publicizing federal grants worth $75 million for legal, accounting and financial advisory services for small businesses, as well as private credit lines worth $80 million for entrepreneurs of color.
“Entrepreneurs of color represent the fastest growing segment of the small business market, yet they have the least access to capital, are more likely to be denied credit, are more likely to pay high interest rates, and are less likely to apply for loans out of fear of being denied,” reads a write-up of one of the programs from Hyphen, a public-private administrator set up to spend money apportioned by several key pieces of Biden administration legislation focused on refurbishing the economy.
An October report from the Treasury analyzing foreclosure rates on homes and credit delinquency among Black and Hispanic Americans, as well as other economic factors, declared that the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic was “the most equitable in recent history.”
But doubts about an equitable and benevolent role for the government in supporting the private sector within marginalized communities are still firmly held by many entrepreneurs.
“[While] the government can inspire and create policies that make the game more fair, the reality is that the government can’t close the racial wealth gap by itself,” Cedric Nash, an author, real estate investor and founder of the Black Wealth Summit, told The Hill in an interview this month.
White House Intergovernmental Affairs director Julie Chavez Rodriguez stands outside the White House on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, in Washington. The granddaughter of Cesar Chavez and a bronze bust of the late Latino labor activist have both had prominent places in President Biden’s White House. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Public access to private capital makes a difference for minority business owners
Small business owners from nonwhite backgrounds say the kinds of investment programs being pushed by the Biden Treasury make a difference, because requirements for capital from private lenders can be too demanding.
“Early on, it was really hard,” Trent Griffin-Braaf, founder of the New York state-based transportation company Tech Valley Hospitality Shuttle, told The Hill.
Griffin-Braaf received funding from Pursuit, a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) certified by the U.S. Treasury.
“Going to the banks, I had a business plan, I had decent credit, but I still couldn’t get anywhere, so I just self-funded it. It was at least over a year before I was able to get a line of credit from a bank. A year after that, I was able to get a micro-loan from our chamber [of commerce],” he said, adding that he had a better experience with a CDFI than with banks.
“The Pursuit loan came for about $50,000 just weeks before Covid, and that money really just helped us get through the first months of the pandemic operationally,” he said. “Getting it felt like the world in the moment.”
Entrepreneur Jamahl Grace, who runs a small candle-making company based in Loudoun County, Va., told The Hill that even the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) — a government agency designed to support small businesses and help early-stage entrepreneurs — has some serious barriers to entry when it comes to securing financing.
“We looked into the SBA for a business loan, but we were just too young a business. We didn’t meet the criteria of how established you had to be. That created some barriers for us,” he said in an interview. “They said we needed to be in business for a certain number of years in order to qualify, and that made it very challenging.”
Economy still a hurdle for current administration
Biden’s handling of the economy has also been a weak spot in approval polls for months, as inflation rose last year to a 40-year high before subsiding gradually this year.
The consumer price index (CPI) eased further Tuesday to a 3.2-percent annual increase, with 70 percent of price increases — not counting food and energy — now concentrated in housing costs, according to the Labor Department.
August polling from Gallup found that while 42 percent of Americans approved of the job Biden was doing overall, just 37 percent signed off on his handling of the economy. An AP-NORC poll put that number even lower, at 36 percent, in August.
A report from Arizona State University in September found that value created in the U.S. economy by the Latino workforce totaled $3.2 trillion in 2021, up from $2.8 trillion in 2020, and is growing “two and a half times faster than the non-Latino equivalent.”
Jaqueline Benitez pushes her cart down an aisle as she shops for groceries at a supermarket in Bellflower, Calif., on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Allison Dinner)
Skepticism about government support for the economy
Wariness about how effective the Biden administration can actually be in shoring up economically distressed segments of the population is also a common theme in communities of color.
“Whenever we leave it to the government to fix things, they never seem to really fix it. Because we have a system that’s designed for bipartisanship, I don’t think we’ll ever get a fair chance in that system,” Nash, the Black Wealth Summit founder, told The Hill, endorsing the role that financial assets can play in achieving financial independence and self-sufficiency.
“It’s really about the execution of taking the income that we make and the capital that we have available to us and converting that into assets that appreciate and do the work of generating income for us,” Nash said.
Other voices in the Black community take an even more skeptical view, not only toward the government but toward traditional conceptions of private enterprise within the public sphere, as well.
Atonn Muhammad, entertainment executive and CEO of the Real Hip Hop Network, addressing the panel at the Congressional Black Caucus legislative forum in September, asked whether the idea of Black wealth creation in America wasn’t better situated within the framework of a sovereign wealth fund, akin to those of several Gulf Arab nations.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) flashes the Wakanda Forever sign. Waters lead a panel of wealthy business people at the Congressional Black Caucus legislative forum.
“Why don’t we all combine forces? You’ve got the Robert Smiths of the world,” he said, referring to the prominent African American billionaire who sat on the panel.
“You’ve got the Jay Z’s and the Beyoncés, and when you look at the model of places like the United Arab Emirates, which have started sovereign wealth funds, in 20 years they’ve gone from a desert to an oasis of capitalism,” he said.
Earlier this year, the IRS confirmed a study out of Stanford University that found that Black taxpayers were three to five times more likely to be audited than other racial groups, likely a consequence of enforcement protocols associated with the earned income tax credit.
Business, Administration, Energy & Environment, News, Policy, Technology, 2024 presidential race, Biden administration, Black Americans, Black voters, Economy, Hispanic voters, pandemic recovery, Treasury Department The Biden administration is touting economic programs geared toward minority-owned businesses as Black and Hispanic voters show increasing disaffection toward Democrats following a year of higher consumer prices and soaring rents. Recent polling indicates that Black, Hispanic and voters of other backgrounds may be turning away from President Biden. A New York Times/Siena Poll released…
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Sustainability is often spoken about as if it belongs only to scientists, policy experts, or environmental activists. On the Roselyn Omaka Show, Otto Cannon makes the case that it belongs to everyone. His message is both urgent and deeply human: sustainability is not just about the environment, but about creating a world where people, planet, and profit exist in balance.
Cannon’s mission is striking in its scale. He wants to build what he calls a global army of 10 million sustainability leaders—people across industries and communities who choose to think beyond short-term gains and take responsibility for the future they are helping shape.
My biggest mission is to raise a 10 million global army of sustainability leaders.
Otto’s understanding of this work did not begin in a conference room. It began in childhood, shaped by a father who taught him to see the world’s problems as personal assignments. That early influence instilled in him the belief that real leadership means stepping forward, identifying what is broken, and dedicating yourself to fixing it.
That mindset later became deeply personal. In one of the interview’s most emotional moments, Cannon shares how the death of his dog after swallowing a plastic bottle cap changed his life. What might have seemed like an isolated tragedy became, for him, a doorway into a much larger truth: waste is never just waste when it destroys ecosystems, harms wildlife, and threatens the future.
Instead of turning away, he turned pain into action. Through his work, he helped build a recycling company that processed over 10,000 tons of plastic and supported tree-planting efforts that have already reached more than 500,000 trees. His story reflects the broader idea of sustainability leadership, which is commonly framed as the integration of environmental, social, and economic responsibility into real-world decision-making.
What makes Cannon’s perspective especially compelling is the way he challenges common misconceptions. He argues that sustainability is too often boxed into environmental language alone, when in reality it applies to every sector—fashion, construction, energy, transportation, manufacturing, and beyond. This broader understanding aligns with current sustainability leadership thinking, which emphasizes systems, collaboration, and long-term value creation across sectors.
Profit should never come at the expense of people or the planet.
That belief is central to everything Cannon describes. For him, sustainability is not anti-business. It is about designing business, innovation, and progress in a way that does not leave harm behind for future generations. A solution that helps today but creates a deeper problem tomorrow, he argues, is not truly a solution at all.
This is also the thinking behind the Global Sustainability Summit and Awards in London, where Cannon brings together leaders from government, business, and civil society to share ideas, showcase innovation, and inspire action. Cross-sector collaboration is widely recognized as a core part of effective sustainability work, especially when the goal is cultural and systemic change rather than isolated projects.
The power of Cannon’s message lies in its accessibility. He is not calling only on policymakers or executives. He is speaking to creators, founders, farmers, designers, builders, and everyday professionals—anyone who has influence over materials, waste, systems, sourcing, or the choices that shape modern life.
By the end of the conversation, one image lingers: the idea that one person is a drop of water, but many drops together can become a wave. That is the future Otto Cannon is working toward—not a movement powered by one voice, but one built by millions who decide that sustainability is not optional, but necessary.
Business
GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT RETURNS FOR ITS 5TH EDITION AT THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT – HOUSE OF LORDS, PALACE OF WESTMINSTER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Theme: “People, Planet, and Profit in the Age of AI and Innovation”
London, United Kingdom — The Global Sustainability Summit (GSS) is officially back for its landmark 5th Edition, continuing its legacy as one of the leading international platforms driving sustainable development, climate action, ethical investment, innovation, and global collaboration.
Convened annually at the prestigious British Parliament, House of Lords, Palace of Westminster, by Ambassador Canon Chinenem Otto, the Summit has, over the last four years, successfully fostered international dialogue and partnerships that have contributed to the advancement of global sustainability goals, the establishment of sustainability-focused ministries, departments and policy structures across national and subnational governments, and the attraction of major investors into sustainable development projects, corporations and emerging economies.
This year’s summit, themed “People, Planet, and Profit in the Age of AI and Innovation,” will explore how emerging technologies, responsible leadership, sustainable finance, innovation, and global partnerships can shape a more inclusive, resilient and environmentally conscious future.
The 5th Edition promises to be the most impactful yet, bringing together world leaders, policymakers, diplomats, investors, academics, innovators, climate experts and youth leaders from across the globe to discuss actionable solutions toward achieving a sustainable and equitable future.
Among the distinguished speakers, delegates and honorees already lined up for the Summit are:
• His Excellency Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq — Executive Governor of Kwara State, Nigeria and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum
• His Excellency Senator Prince Bassey Otu — Executive Governor of Cross River State, Nigeria
• Ambassador Patricia Espinosa Cantellano — Former Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Former Foreign Minister of Mexico
• Lord Marvin Rees, Baron Rees of Easton OBE — Member of the House of Lords, United Kingdom
• Hon. Neema K. Lugangira — Secretary-General of Women Political Leaders (WPL), Brussels and Former Member of Parliament
• Her Excellency Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah — President of the Republic of Namibia
• His Excellency Nangolo Mbumba — Former President of Namibia
• Former President of Tanzania
• Her Excellency Ambassador Professor Olufolake AbdulRazaq — First Lady of Kwara State, Nigeria and Chairperson of Nigeria Governors’ Spouses Forum
• Your Excellency Dr. Dikko Umar Radda, PhD, CON — Executive Governor of Katsina State and Chairman of the Northwest Governors Forum, Nigeria
• Hon. Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma — Governor of Khomas Region, Namibia
• H.E. Mr. Veiccoh Nghiwete — High Commissioner of the Republic of Namibia to the United Kingdom
• Her Excellency Ms. Macenje “Che Che” Mazoka — High Commissioner of Zambia to the United Kingdom
• Ms. Danielle Newman — Partner Lead, ICT, World Economic Forum
• Leanne Elliott Young — Co-founder, Institute of Digital Fashion & CommuneEast
• Ms. Chloe Russell — Producer & Presenter, Art, Science and Nature
• Professor Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger — University of Cambridge & University of Waterloo
• Dr. Alexandra R. Harrington — IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL)
• Professor Payam Akhavan — Massey College, University of Toronto
• Mr. Mallai C. E. Sathya — President, Dravida Vetri Kazhagam and International Movement for Tamil Culture Asia
The Summit will feature high-level panel discussions, strategic investment conversations, sustainability awards, policy dialogues, innovation showcases, youth engagement sessions and international networking opportunities focused on climate resilience, ethical financing, food-water-energy sustainability, circular economy, artificial intelligence, diplomacy and sustainable development.
Speaking ahead of the Summit, Convener Ambassador Canon Chinenem Otto noted:
“As the world rapidly evolves through artificial intelligence and technological innovation, we must ensure that sustainability remains people-centered, environmentally responsible and economically inclusive. The Global Sustainability Summit continues to serve as a bridge connecting governments, institutions, innovators and investors to accelerate practical sustainability solutions globally. Our fifth edition is not only a celebration of progress made over the years, but also a renewed call for global collaboration and actionable impact toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and Net Zero ambitions.”
The Global Sustainability Summit continues to position itself as a catalyst for transformative partnerships and sustainable global progress, reinforcing the urgent need for collective action toward a more resilient and sustainable future.
More announcements regarding additional speakers, partners and summit activities will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
The Michael Jackson biopic Michael is more than celebrity drama; it is a real-time lesson in how legal decisions can quietly rewrite a story that millions of people will see. You do not need a $200M budget for the same forces—contracts, settlements, and rights issues—to shape or even erase key parts of your own work.
What Happened to Michael
The film Michael originally included a third act that addressed the 1993 child sexual abuse allegations and their impact on Jackson’s life and career. Trade reports say this version showed investigators at Neverland Ranch and dramatized the scandal as a turning point in the story. After cameras rolled, lawyers for the Jackson estate realized there was a clause in the settlement with accuser Jordan Chandler that barred any depiction or mention of him in a movie.
Because of that old agreement, the filmmakers had to remove all references to Chandler and rework the ending so the story stopped years earlier, in the late 1980s at Jackson’s commercial peak.
According to reporting, this meant roughly 22 days of reshoots, costing around 10–15 million dollars and pushing the total budget over 200 million.
Meanwhile, actress Kat Graham confirmed her portrayal of Diana Ross was cut for “legal considerations,” showing how likeness and approval issues can wipe out an entire character even after filming.
For audiences, the result is a movie that intentionally avoids one of the most controversial chapters of Jackson’s life, which some critics argue makes the portrait feel incomplete or selectively curated.
The Hidden Power of Contracts and Rights
The key detail in the Michael story is that a contract signed decades ago could dictate what present-day filmmakers are allowed to show. That settlement clause did not just affect the people who signed it; it effectively controlled the narrative of a big-budget film made years later. This is how legal documents become invisible co-authors: they quietly set boundaries around what your story can and cannot include.
Creators face similar invisible lines with:
- Life-rights and defamation: If you dramatize real people, especially in a negative light, they can claim defamation or invasion of privacy if your portrayal is inaccurate or harmful.
- Copyright and trademarks: Unlicensed music, clips, logos, or artwork can trigger copyright or trademark claims that block distribution or force expensive changes.
- Distribution contracts: Some deals give distributors the right to re-edit, retitle, or repackage your work without your approval unless you negotiate otherwise.
Legal commentary warns that fictionalizing real events and people carries heightened risk because audiences tend to connect your dramatization back to actual individuals. That risk does not disappear just because you are “small” or “indie”; impact, not audience size, usually determines exposure.
Why This Matters for Indie Filmmakers and Creators
Independent filmmakers often choose the indie route precisely to maintain creative control, but they can face more risk if they skip legal planning. Common problems include unclear ownership of the script, missing music licenses, handshake agreements with collaborators, and no written permission to use locations or people’s likenesses. These are the kinds of issues that can derail distribution, block a streaming deal, or force last-minute cuts that fundamentally change your story.
Legal guides for indie filmmakers consistently emphasize a few realities:
- You do not fully “own” your film unless you have clear contracts for writing, directing, producing, and underlying rights.
- Unregistered or unlicensed creative elements (like music and logos) can make your project uninsurable or unattractive to distributors.
- Fixing legal problems after the fact is almost always more expensive and limiting than planning for them at the beginning.
So when you watch Michael skip over certain events, you are seeing, in exaggerated form, the same forces that can shape an indie short, web series, documentary, or podcast episode.
Practical Legal Lessons You Can Apply Now
You do not need a law degree, but you do need a basic legal strategy for your creative work. Here are practical steps drawn from entertainment-law and indie-film resources:
- Clarify who owns the story
- Use written agreements with co-writers, directors, and producers that state who owns the script and finished film.
- If your work is based on a real person or memoir, secure life-rights or written permission where appropriate, especially if the portrayal is sensitive.
- Be intentional with real people and events
- When telling true or inspired-by-true stories, avoid making specific, negative claims about identifiable people unless they are well-documented and legally vetted.
- Change names, details, and circumstances enough that the person is not clearly identifiable if you do not have their cooperation.
- Lock down music and visuals
- Use original scores, licensed tracks, or reputable libraries; never assume you can keep a song just because it is in a rough cut.
- Clear artwork, logos, and recognizable brands, or replace them with generic or custom-designed alternatives.
- Protect yourself in contracts
- When signing any distribution or platform deal, read the clauses about editing, retitling, and marketing carefully; ask for limits or at least consultation rights.
- Include terms that let you reclaim rights if a partner fails to release the work, goes dark, or breaches key promises.
- Document everything
- Keep organized copies of releases, licenses, and contracts; these documents are part of your project’s value and proof of your rights.
- Register your work where applicable (for example, copyright), which strengthens your ability to enforce your rights if someone copies you.
Education-focused legal resources repeatedly stress that preventative steps—basic contracts, clear permissions, and simple registrations—are far cheaper than dealing with takedowns, lawsuits, or forced rewrites later.
The Big Takeaway: Story and Law Are Connected
The Michael biopic illustrates what happens when legal obligations and creative vision collide: whole characters disappear, endings are rewritten, and the public only sees a version of the story that fits within old contracts.
As an indie filmmaker, writer, or content creator, you may not have millions at stake, but you do have something just as valuable—your voice and your ability to tell the story you meant to tell.
Understanding the legal dimensions of your work is not a distraction from creativity; it is a way of protecting it. When you know where the legal boundaries are, you can design stories that are bold, truthful, and still safe enough to reach the audiences they deserve.
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