Press Release

MEDIA CENTER
PRESS RELEASE
STUDY TO EXAMINE GROWTH PATTERNS
OF AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN-OWNED FIRMS

PRESS RELEASE: November 12, 2004
National Institute for Urban Entrepreneurship: (202) 258-0411
About the Study: ( 212) 998-0254

The National Institute for Urban Entrepreneurship www.ni-ue.org today announced the launch of a study to discover and interpret the economic and sociological factors that account for the growth and sustainability of African-American women entrepreneurs. The study will be conducted by Dr. Jeffrey Robinson, Professor at New York Stern School of Business, in collaboration with Drs. Laquita Blockson, Assistant Professor of Management, Policy and Ethics, University of Northern Iowa, and Sammie Robinson, Assistant Professor of Management, Illinois Wesleyan University. Three advisors for the research will be Patricia H. Lee, President and General Counsel of the National Institute for Urban Entrepreneurship, Sheila Wellington, Clinical Professor of Management at New York University Stern School of Business, and Candida Brush, Professor at Boston University School of Business.

The study is titled, “Doing it our way: Economic and sociological influences on the success of African-American women entrepreneurs” and will be sponsored by the Kauffman Foundation.

The study will collect and analyze data in 10 U.S. metropolitan areas: New York City/New Jersey/Connecticut; Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas; Chicago, Illinois; Atlanta, Georgia; Washington, D.C./Baltimore, Maryland; Los Angeles, California; Houston, Texas; San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, California; Seattle, Washington; and, Orlando, Florida. The study is expected to be released in 2005.

Research projects have noted that “Women-owned businesses are the fastest growing segment of new business start-ups, and black women’s businesses are a larger share of black-owned businesses than white women’s businesses are of all white firms,” yet, according to Dr. Robinson, “very little is known about the growth patterns of African-American women-owned firms.” This study may provide valuable findings in an area of importance to researchers, policymakers and practitioners by focusing on the intersection of race, gender and entrepreneurial growth.” Dr. Robinson is the author of numerous articles and presentations on urban and social entrepreneurship. http://www.jeffreyrobinsonphd.com/aawe.html

Patricia Lee also serves as Lecturer in Law and Consultant at the Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship at The University of Chicago Law School, www.clinic.ij.org.

The National Institute for Urban Entrepreneurship is a Washington, DC based 501(c)3 nonprofit nonpartisan corporation that develops and implements legal and entrepreneurship programs that support the growth of viable, sustainable businesses by Blacks, Latinos and other entrepreneurs of color and is a national catalyst for a culture of entrepreneurship, innovation and private sector economic growth in urban communities.