Frederick Douglass Had It Right–
Why We Took a Stand with the SBA and Where We Go from Here–
By Audry deLucia–
Frederick Douglass had it right in his 1857 West Indie Emancipation speech: “Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them.”
In January of 2017, the Trump administration pulled its resource page for LGBT businesses from the United States Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) website. The place holders for the removed pages read “under construction” to be repopulated “in the near future.” After 16 months of quiet submission and no action, a coalition of allies could no longer remain silent.
In early May of 2018, Congresswomen Nadia Velasquez and Yvette Clark took a stand and sent a letter from the House Committee on Small Business to SBA Administrator Linda McMahon calling on the Administration to account for their actions. This letter sparked a cascading of advocacy from LGBT business organizations at the national, regional and local levels, and a battery of stories in national and local media. Together, we moved the dial, and cracked through injustice. On May 16, the SBA posted a new LGBTQ resource page on its website.
The posting of the page itself, however, is not the victory, particularly since the information therein is grossly incomplete. The real victory is how quickly the page was reposted once a strong coalition of nationwide allies chose to rise up and deny the injustice being served.
The truth is, the LGBTQ business community has worked hard forging longstanding, productive and respectful relationships that go back over three decades here in the San Francisco District Offices of the SBA and throughout California and the West Coast. These roots are strong and with vigilance and constant nurturing, they cannot be purged even during the strongest of headwinds that come along with changes of administrations in D.C.
Indeed, as we continue to build coalitions and partnerships, we realize more deeply their ability to amplify our advocacy at the national level, while opening up new relationships and business opportunities with entire ecosystems of small business networking and support services. Perhaps it is the very strength of these relationships that precipitates the injustice directed at many of our nation’s diverse populations, including the LGBT business community.
So, as business owners, entrepreneurs and members of the LGBTQ community, where do you stand?
As LGBTQ business owners and entrepreneurs, we can choose to work together, now more than ever before, to collaborate, create jobs and invest in our community. Our LGBTQ merchant, lawyer, doctor and high-tech employee resource groups and professional associations can choose to collaborate and define our economic agenda. We can choose to lead through action so that our strength isn’t just here in San Francisco and the Bay Area, but throughout California, the West Coast and all points east.
Procurement pipelines are opening up for LGBTQ businesses faster than we can fill them. When we identify significant challenges, we can choose to approach them with the same zeal that our community did when faced with the onslaught of HIV/AIDS. We know how to think outside the closet and to be clear in our critical path forward.
As entrepreneurs and business owners, we are used to adversity. It is part of the “unwritten contract” of being in business. We understand what it means to draw from the diversity and strength of our own LGBTQ community and to form collaborations with those who also understand adversity and who share our commitment to raising all boats equally.
Now is our time. Let’s strengthen our ties with the American Indian, Latino, Asian American, African American, Women and Veteran business communities. Let’s have the courage and the confidence to engage new relationships with key industry groups where our community has been invisible for decades, such as in construction, agriculture, manufacturing and international trade.
In business, it’s our job to meet adversity head on, lean into the wind and learn from each failure and success. Now is our opportunity to engage in a larger effort that takes the sting of discrimination and turns it into the power that propels us forward.
Get engaged in this effort by joining GGBA (https://ggba.com/join-ggba/).
Audry deLucia is a GGBA Board Member and the 2019 President Elect.
Why Have a Workplace Injury and Illness Prevention Program?
In California, every employer is required by law (Labor Code Section) to provide a safe and healthful workplace for his/her employees. Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations requires every California employer to have an effective Injury and Illness Prevention Program in writing that must be in accord with T8 CCR Section 3203 of the General Industry Safety Orders.
Your Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) must be a written plan that includes procedures and is put into practice. The required elements of your IIPP are:
Put the elements of your IIPP together and come up with a plan to suit your individual workplace. Decide exactly what you want to accomplish, and determine what steps are necessary to achieve your goals.
If you have difficulty deciding where to begin, call the Cal/OSHA Consultation Service for assistance. A Consultation Service consultant can help you to determine what is needed to make your IIPP effective. The consultant will work with you on a plan for making these improvements and will assist you in establishing procedures for making sure your program remains effective.
With special thanks to: Cal/OSHA Consultation Service State of California-Department of Industrial Relations – Division of Occupational Safety & Health. For more information, contact a qualified GGBA member (https://ggba.com/).
East Bay Make Contact
Thursday, June 7
6 pm to 8 pm
Wooden Table Cafe
2300 Broadway, Oakland
Close to 19th Street BART Station
Admission is free for GGBA members!
Register at https://ggba.com/
Microsoft Pride Panel & Luncheon
Hear from Microsoft’s Esteemed Guest Speakers
talking about their LGBTQ owned businesses
Sunday, June 10
Noon to 3 pm
The Village at Corte Madera
1640 Redwood Hwy, Corte Madera
Admission is free!
BART LGBT BUSINESS CONNECT
Tuesday, June 12
3:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Offices of the U.S. Small Business Administration
455 Market Street, 6th Floor, San Francisco
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bart-lgbt-business-connect-tickets-46394682745
Business of Pride
San Francisco Business Times Top 50 LGBT Businesses
Thursday, June 14
5:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco
757 Market Street, San Francisco
June Make Contact
Tuesday, June 19
6 pm to 8 pm
Bistro Boudin Oyster Bar
160 Jefferson Street, 2nd Floor, San Francisco
Admission is free for GGBA members!
Register at https://ggba.com/
Stand Up & Speak OUT!
Bi-Weekly Workshop to be a more effective Speaker and Communicator
Featuring National Award-Winning Speaker Gina Grahame
Wednesday, June 20
3 pm to 5 pm
Offices of the U.S. Small Business Administration
455 Market Street, 6th Floor, San Francisco
Register at https://ggba.com/
A Master Class for High-Performing LGBT Businesses
The Speed of Cash: The Magic Numbers That Power Your Business
Tuesday, June 27
3 pm to 5 pm
Moody’s Analytics
405 Howard Street (at First), San Francisco
Admission is free for GGBA members!
Register at https://ggba.com/
July Make Contact
Tuesday, July 10
6 pm to 8 pm
Wall Beds & More
550 15th Street, Floor 2, San Francisco
Register at https://ggba.com/
Stand Up & Speak OUT!
Bi-Weekly Workshop to be a more effective Speaker and Communicator
Featuring National Award-Winning Speaker Gina Grahame
Wednesday, July 18
3 pm to 5 pm
Offices of the U.S. Small Business Administration
455 Market Street, 6th Floor, San Francisco
Register at https://ggba.com/
EDGE Master Class for High-Performing LGBT Businesses
LEAN for Small Business Enterprises
Thursday, July 26
1:30 pm – Registration
2 pm to 5 pm – Workshop
5 pm to 6 pm – Networking Reception
Hosted at ZillowGroup
535 Mission Street, Suite 700, San Francisco
Register at https://ggba.com/
Stand Up & Speak OUT!
Bi-Weekly Workshop on how to be a more effective Speaker and Communicator
Featuring National Award-Winning Speaker Gina Grahame
Wednesday, August 1
3 pm to 5 pm
Offices of the U.S. Small Business Administration
455 Market Street, 6th Floor, San Francisco
Register at https://ggba.com/
EDGE Master Class for High-Performing LGBT Businesses
Goal Setting for Increased Business Performance and Long-term Professional Growth
Tuesday, September 18
1:30 pm – Registration
2 pm to 5 pm – Workshop
5 pm to 6 pm – Networking Reception
Hosted at ZillowGroup
535 Mission Street, Suite 700, San Francisco
Register at https://ggba.com/
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