[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 32 (Tuesday, February 20, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E163]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         NATIONAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK AND BLACK HISTORY MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOYCE BEATTY

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 20, 2024

  Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the more than 
160,000 Black-owned employer businesses in the U.S. during National 
Entrepreneurship Week.
  Black businessowners experience pervasive barriers to accessing 
capital--more than any other demographic.
  According to the Alliance for Entrepreneurial Equity, two-thirds of 
Black employers seek financing to expand business operations, yet half 
of them are denied loans and lines of credit.
  Micael Habte is the owner of Upper Cup Coffee, an Eritrean-based 
coffee shop and wholesale coffee supplier located in the Old Towne East 
neighborhood of Columbus. Despite capital challenges due to COVID-19, 
today Micael is running two cafes, and a coffee kiosk, and has even 
expanded his roasting facility.
  I'm proud of the fortitude businessowners like Micael have displayed, 
and I urge my colleagues to closely consider the challenges faced by 
Black entrepreneurs.
  We must work together to build a stronger, more equitable economy for 
all.

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