In a political climate where grant dollars and subsidies are dwindling, many nonprofit organizations are finding it difficult to stay sustainable and continue to deliver much-needed services to their community, having to turn to alternative funds, such as borrowed capital, to follow through on their mission. As Director of Community Development for BCL of Texas, I recognize that when organizations must take on debt to continue their programs, that debt must be as flexible and affordable as possible in order to reduce the burden on those the organization is committed to serve.

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While entrepreneurship and small business ownership for minorities including African Americans has made some progress over the past 60 years, there is still much to be done. In his famed 1968 speech “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” to assert black independence, King called on followers to strengthen black institutions and businesses by moving their money away from the white run business and banking establishments and depositing their dollars into black owned institutions.

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While we celebrate the growth of small businesses ownership in the U.S, sadly the African American small business footprint has grown only to 14% of the 28 million small businesses in the nation. Most of this minority group is woefully underserved regarding growth capital and capacity building support.

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Port Arthur, Texas, a community of about 50,000 just east of Houston, feels at first glance like a city defined by a crisis that won’t let up.

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It’s 10am in the office on a Wednesday and we’re comparing outfits to see who dressed best for the cold weather, and looking for reusable silverware and refillable water bottles for our eco-party. Later in the day, we all take a walk together, open the curtains to let in sunlight to warm the building, and compost our leftovers.

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