By Brent Addleman
A new partnership in Vermont will work to give technical assistance to minority-owned businesses.
The Department of Economic Development is joining forces with the Vermont Professionals of Color Network, Gov. Phil Scott said, to enhance the state’s effort to grow the economy.
“Building equity across the state is a priority of my administration, and that means including all of our community members in these efforts,” the Republican governor said in a statement. “This exciting partnership will help support businesses, our workforce, and further assist Vermont’s economic development efforts.”
Act 13 is the catalyst to the initiative, according to a release, that is, a portion of the state’s efforts to advance equity and increase meaningful inclusion in local, state, and national efforts in minority communities.
The joint venture will use an appropriation of $250,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funds. It will be put to work for outreach, support, training, technical assistance, networking, and resource navigation for those businesses, according to a release.
The program will use existing community resources to leverage community partners to optimize efforts and bridge gaps for critical services and resources, according to a release.
“VT PoC submitted a compelling proposal to bolster this work statewide, and we are confident in the organization’s ability to effectively reach more Vermonters and make connections to the information and services they need to thrive,” Department of Economic Development Commissioner Joan Goldstein said in a statement. “We are excited about this partnership and the additional opportunity to transform our state and generate economic opportunity for all Vermonters.”
According to a release, the venture will focus on business owners and their entrepreneurial ventures and expand upon the Professionals of Color organization’s work to build opportunities that will, in turn, boost the experience, representation, and successes of its members.
“We are the only Vermont organization with BIPOC leadership and staff that is focused on driving a new era of BIPOC professional mobility,” VT PoC Director of Operations and Development Weiwei Wang said in a statement. “We do this by promoting professional development, recruitment, and retention of BIPOC professionals in Vermont and by building a strong social network for our BIPOC community. This partnership with the State will increase our capacity to expand our programming, our reach, and our impact into more areas of Vermont.”
The acronym used in the quote is for the term Black, Indigenous and people of color, which some see as more inclusive by distinguishing the experiences of Black and Indigenous people but others see as less inclusive by diminishing the experiences of everyone else. The Center Square staff does not use this term, and explains when it is referenced in quotes pertinent to a story.
This shows how little Momntpelier cars about business.
It’s only $250k
It’s only for what 0.5 % of the population?
Figure bipoc at 3% and most employed not self employed.
Yet when VERMONT just loosened the regulations when Irene blew through, the privet companies rebuilt massive damages within a couple of years, and we didn’t suffer because of it.
Now if we lessened regulatory strangulation, like we did for Costco and still do with their gas pumps taking ten years to permit and now still only allow curtain hours of operation, just think of what might happen and we needn’t sell our souls.
We could own a home for less than rent, today!
We would have schools that don’t sexualize our children and they could count change!
We would have more agriculture, better forests, more wildlife.
We would have a much better government, we would have a proper civics education.
We’d have less crime, less suicide, more love.
We’d have stronger families, we’d know truth and love.
We’d have better relations between all races, we’d judge by character not skin.
You see it a strangle hold of regulations. It’s a strangle hold of laws, the law condemns us it does not free us. When we submit to the laws of money and power. When our spiritual lead is Karl Marx, we live the hell he created for his own family.
Who VERMONTERS follow makes a difference.
We are reaping what our leaders sow.
Discord, poverty, anxiety and fear the world is going to end.
Give us all your money, give us all your freedom, give us your mind and soul we’ll save you say the folks in Montpelier.
VERMONTERS, here’s your sign Marxism is not a God, it’s a theocracy, a cult.
This right here is what real racism looks like.
Anyone that is a Vermont resident that needs the help should get the help.
Given the test scores of the failed education system in Vermont, I’m sure there are plenty of native born Vermonters that need the help- what color they are or where they came from shouldn’t matter.
If they are legal Vermont Residents and they need this kind of help, they should get this help.
Why is there an assumption that only minorities need this help? or that they are not getting it- or need more than everyone else does.. why are these people special?