ABOVE: Harris County Precinct One Commissioner Rodney Ellis
What is preventing a thriving economy for all of Harris County citizens?
Racial and gender disparities.
Harris County Precinct One Commissioner Rodney Ellis recently hosted a press conference to highlight the serious inequities and the various disparities that have long existed in contracting relative to Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs).
The reason behind the disparities are the barriers in business opportunities for MWBEs. The only way to identify these disparities is to conduct a disparity study. These studies will assess racial and gender inequalities in Harris County’s public and private organizations. They will also assist the foundation for community colleges and school districts to establish MWBE programs, if necessary.
The Harris County Commissioners Court recently established a $2 Million MWBE Disparity Study Fund that would encourage school districts to participate in a regional disparity study.
Harris County will provide the funding for these institutions. Out of 29 districts and community colleges, six (6) have agreed to participate in the program. Districts are at risk of getting sued if they have not done a disparity study.
Commissioner Ellis is working to get the rest on board.
“I put $100K out of my budget to challenge all of the school districts and community colleges to also do disparity studies,” said Rodney Ellis.
METRO, Port of Houston, Fort Bend County, Missouri City, and Harris Health are all actively doing disparity studies. If more organizations participate, it could help close the wealth gap.
During the press conference, Commissioner Ellis highlighted institutions that were hesitant to participate in the studies, causing the process to take even longer than it should. Fortunately for Ellis, he has support from Houston’s Mayor Sylvester Turner.
“I strongly encourage your educational institutions to join the Harris County Disparity Study Fund that will enable a review your procurement practices to ensure MWBE’s in our community have an equitable opportunity to compete for public dollars,” said Mayor Turner in a letter to Harris County’s school districts and community colleges.
MWBEs supported 70,500 jobs in the metro area of Houston in 2020 and paid over five billion dollars in wages. Less than ten percent of Harris County’s contracts were awarded to MWBEs. Ellis is trying to close these barriers.
Commissioner Ellis hopes their initiatives will provide access to capital, training and support, and track program data for MWBEs. The purpose of this is to assure that all citizens have access to economic equity.
An example of a disparity is the wage gap between Black households and White households.
MBWEs are the backbone to our economy, and they make our communities stronger. Diverse businesses should have a fair chance at success.
For more information on the matter, please contact Sasha.legette@cp1.hctx.net to receive information on the MBWE Disparity Study Fund.