Minority Contract Update in Mississippi – White Power Brokers in Mississippi Deprive Minorities of Opportunity for Economic Advancement and Participation – The Mississippi Link

By Christopher Young,
Contributing author,

The truth is that the words “Mississippi” and “minority treaties” should never be grouped together. Minority contractors attempting to do business with the state of Mississippi face discrimination that is hard to describe. As The Mississippi Link newspaper reported in its July 25, August 1, and August 8, 2024 editions, discrimination against minority contractors is managed by the state.
According to the Department of Labor website (beginning with President Johnson's Executive Order 11246), for the past 59 years, the Secretary of Labor has been given the “authority and responsibility to ensure equal opportunity for minorities in federal contractor recruiting, hiring, training, and other employment practices.” .” In 1983, the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program was authorized by Congress, and since 1988, with then-MS SB2925, women, as well as minority groups, have been enshrined in the relevant statutes: “DBE treats businesses owned by “Companies consider racial minorities and women to be presumed disadvantaged,” although essential, it is grossly denigrated in Mississippi.
Is it fraudulent in Mississippi to believe that a white woman business owner might be more disadvantaged than a Hispanic or African American woman business owner? Last year, in fiscal year 2023, spending on minority contracts in Mississippi was 5.73% of the total. Of that 5.73%, a full 5.09% went to “other non-ethnic women” – white women – leaving less than 1% (0.64%) of the spending on Asian, Asian Pacific, African American, Hispanic and Native American women remaining contractors (male and female). Combined with the 94.27% of contracts that went to non-minorities, the total spending for whites is 99.36%. This is a critical and undeniable example of how little Mississippi values ​​and respects minorities.
The FY 2023 Minority Ownership Report itself misrepresents the true extent of minority ownership. The glossy cover page notes that of the $4.31 billion in expenses, 5.72%, or approximately $246 million Minorities left. They try to paint a picture of progress, but fail to mention that 88% of it went to “other non-ethnic women,” i.e. white women. The procurement people at the Mississippi Development Authority know damn well that in Mississippi, of all places, there are no white businesswomen who are more “socially and economically disadvantaged” than true minorities. The report's cover material would have you believe one thing, but we now know the truth.
An insider who spoke to The Mississippi Link on the condition of anonymity shared, “For example, when an agency is soliciting bids on a landscaping job, the people reviewing the submissions know that Bubba has been doing this and doing this for years. “It's a good job and that's why they're going to give the job back to Bubba, it's as simple as that. Then companies are created intentionally to ensure that a white woman has 51% ownership or 51% control of a board of directors or 51.” % of management, and as a result the company is then considered a minority. It all happens behind closed doors and no one questions it.”
This writer is reminded of the poignant nugget of truth shared some time ago by an eminent son of Mississippi: “Everything in Mississippi is about race.” Mississippi is home to 44% of the minority population, we have contractors, business plan writers, consultants – We have so many people working hard for economic opportunity – but if you want to do business with the state, you want a seat at the table. Anyone who wants to participate and isn't white is left, with a few exceptions, in the Mississippi mud .
We know that discrimination is rampant in the Hospitality State. Back to the numbers from the Minority Participation Report for fiscal year 2023. A total of $4,313,892,990.60 – up to the “In God We Trust” penny – was spent by 92 state agencies and all institutions of higher education. $4,067,112,741.88 went to whites at the top (94.27%), while $246,780,248.72 remained for minorities (5.73%). But now we're sinking into the belly of Mississippi because 88% of minority spending – $217,166,618.87 out of $246,780,248.72 – went to “other non-ethnic women.” Nowhere in the report do you find the words – white women – they don't say it out loud, let alone print it on a piece of paper. Once we get past the initial misrepresentation in the report, the real discovery is that 99.36% went to white Mississippians and less than 1% (0.64%) went to non-white Mississippians.
Lieutenant Governor Hosemann, spokesman Jason White and Mississippi Development Authority head Bill Cork did not return emails from The Mississippi Link seeking comment. The Ministry of Justice was informed of this discrimination. Perhaps the Ministry of Finance should also be informed. The American Rescue Plan Act, which gave Mississippi $6 billion, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which is expected to give Mississippi over $4 billion – both contain language requiring states to provide untold and underserved populations with these funds to support, said Representative Omeria Scott (D-80). Do you think they did that?
When you visit the Mississippi Development Authority website, the banner reads: “Untapped Opportunities…Mighty Mississippi…Discover untapped opportunities in a state with low costs, access to key markets, streamlined regulations, and hard-working, welcoming people.” Further down the page Homepage you will find these words: “Mississippi is ready…Where businesses get things done…Here, discover a business community that believes a rising tide lifts all ships, a regulatory environment free of red tape, and a community of Mississippi employees.” What's interesting is that they really don't lie or tell the whole truth.
Last week, an MDA official told this writer, who sought a face-to-face meeting with Mr. Cork, that he was very busy and would be flying to Japan the following week. This wasn't a surprising piece of information – their website also states that they have offices in “Japan, South America, Europe and Korea, as well as the Mississippi State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) to minimize initial export costs.” Good news for others – nothing good for minorities in Mississippi.
Imagine if they had the courage to invest in the rest of the Mississippi population first.