03/14/2022

Black Business Ownership is Higher Than Pre-pandemic

Women are driving that growth

Isha Joseph owns Make Manifest, a clothing and jewelry store in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, which also functions as a workshop space for the community. She remembers the first days of the pandemic in 2020.

"I was just like ... this can't be it," she said.

In the next few months, nationwide, the pandemic took a massive toll on the economy. Especially hard hit were Black-owned businesses like hers. Joseph watched as the vibrant activity on Tompkins Avenue, where her store is located, came to a halt.

Please select this link to read the complete article from NPR.