How Miami Dade County Celebrated Black Business Month

August marked National Black-Owned Business Month--a time dedicated to highlighting and appreciating Black-owned businesses across the nation and all that they represent in the country’s small business community and economy.

Miami-Dade County is ranked 5th in the nation for the largest number of Black-owned employer businesses, and Miami's Black consumer market is valued at $5.5 billion dollars, making it the 14th largest in the nation.

Our Black-Owned Businesses are a pillar in our community.

In Miami-Dade County, we’ve celebrated our Black-owned businesses all month long. To begin, County Commissioner Kionne McGhee (District 9) sponsored an ordinance declaring August Black Business Month in Miami-Dade County. This bold declaration ignited Support BOB 305, a month-long initiative to promote and propel the Black-owned enterprises that generate more than $2.3 billion for our local economy and employ more than 12,000 people. Learn more about Support BOB305 here.

Throughout the month the County hosted a variety of events, like the Black Pepper Food and Wine Festival, the Miami-Dade County’s “Support BOB 305 Display” unveiling, and others to create opportunities to learn about and support Black- Owned Businesses. Local government officials, community leaders and venture capitalists were encouraged to focus efforts on supporting Black-owned businesses and worked with business owners to create events for Black business owners to discuss pressing topics in business ownership such as growing your business, financial empowerment and property ownership.

National Black Business Month was created in 2004 by historian John William Templeton and engineer Frederick E. Jordan Sr. to bring attention to the needs of more than two million Black-owned businesses operating across America. In Miami-Dade County, we are committed to celebrating Black Owned Businesses throughout the month of August and beyond. On LaborMiami.org we connect Black business owners to a wide array of support and resources, click here to learn more about how LaborMiami.org is empowering Miami’s Black small business community.

How Students Can Use LaborMiami.org to Land their Summer Job Opportunity

By: Olivia Brown

As the Miami Dade County school year winds down, many students are gearing up for summer opportunities. Here, on LaborMiami.org we are excited to be a resource to students of all levels while they secure their summer plans and build their experience. As Miami’s premier career development portal, it is our goal to connect Miamians to the tools, training, and information they need to build successful careers in industries that are powering Miami’s growing economy.

So, how can a student use LaborMiami.org to land their summer job opportunity?

First, students of all levels should start by visiting the Student Pathway on LaborMiami.org. From there, students should choose the tile that most appropriately represents their level or need. Labor Miami offers resources for middle and high school students, undergraduate and graduate students, international students of all levels, technical students, and adults looking to continue their education.

Many students are looking for internships or apprenticeships this summer and LaborMiami.org has curated lists of the resources available in Miami Dade County. Click internships or apprenticeships to explore these options further. If interested, high school students, should have completed their materials for the Summer Youth Internship Program by May 27th, please contact Princetta James at princetta.james@miamidade.gov or internships@miamidade.gov for more information. Other programs have rolling deadlines, please email the respective contact listed for more information.

What if a student were looking for other job or enrichment opportunities outside of internships and apprenticeships?

Labor Miami has got you covered. Visit our Job Seeker pathway to learn more about finding jobs in Miami. Students can also visit our Enrichment Services or Volunteer pages to find ways to get involved in the community this month.

If there is a student who is looking for opportunities but doesn’t know where to start, the “I Don’t Know” or “Top Jobs” tabs are great places to start. These tabs will provide students with data about the current trending industries in Miami and what they can do to break into them.

LaborMiami.org also shares additional resources and wraparound services to help students with things like professional attire, food, and transportation services. LaborMiami.org is a students’ one- stop- shop to finding all they need to be successful this summer and beyond.

Introducing the Miami-Dade Gender Equity Dashboard

By: Viviana Alvarado Pacheco

March marked an important month in the lives of many activists, advocates, and organizations fighting for gender equality and equity. As we reflect on Women’s History Month, we recognize the progress and achievement women have made throughout history. However, Equal Pay Day, which landed on March 15 this year and marks how far into the year a woman must work to earn an equal wage as their male counterparts from the previous year, reminds us how far we still have to go. March is a month of celebration for women, but also a time to reflect on the work and progress still needed to help women and girls. And, in our community, The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade continues to live and breathe that work. For three decades, The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade has worked diligently to improve the lives of women and girls with a focus on leveraging resources to facilitate solutions addressing gaps, needs and barriers to success. The Women's Fund Miami-Dade (WFMD) is dedicated to creating positive change for women and girls through advocacy, investment, research, and collective impact. The WFMD is a hybrid organization - providing seed grants to innovative organizations within Miami-Dade County, as well as convening thought leaders, the public and advocates to address emerging needs and creating public awareness campaigns to support a Miami-Dade where women and girls can truly thrive.

In 2021, The Women's Fund Miami-Dade created the Gender Equity Dashboard, a clearinghouse/knowledge center of data and analyses on the status and well-being of women and girls in Miami-Dade County. The dashboard focuses on the impact and effect of system design, public policies, economic trends, and macro-issues, presenting metrics that fall within our four pillars of Economic Mobility, Leadership, Health & Well-being, and Freedom From Violence. This central resource is integral to identifying current, emerging, and long-term needs, as well as the advancement of women and girls in Miami-Dade County. Additionally, the Gender Equity Dashboard serves to mobilize resources in the community and among community leaders. By highlighting the condition of women and girls, this cutting-edge informational tool facilitates the coordination of efforts among philanthropists, community-based advocates and activists, and organizational leadership.

On March 17, 2022, right after Equal Pay Day and with the support of The Children’s Trust, the WFMD launched the newest iteration of the Gender Equity Dashboard which now includes not only additional gendered metrics but also a critical racial and ethnic lens. The updated version presents the established metrics through a racial and ethnic lens. This lens was also applied to additional implemented metrics including a new section on Maternal and Infant Health, which for example, shows how Black mothers have the highest maternal mortality and infant mortality rates. In the Economic Mobility section, viewers can also find information on how women are fairing in the labor market. For example, in 2019, women’s median earnings were 19% below those of men with Black or African American women earning the least. Overall, women’s earnings and labor force participation continues to lag behind men’s. The Gender Equity Dashboard highlights the intersection between gender, race and ethnicity to illustrate the disparities that exist in our community.

The United Nations has flagged gender data inequality as a major hurdle to achieving gender equality throughout the world. When gendered data is not readily accessible and/or available it makes women and girls invisible. In response to this lack of readily available data, the WFMD created the Gender Equity Dashboard, gathering and utilizing data relevant to the well-being of women and girls. The goal is to ask the relevant questions and to find appropriate solutions towards creating positive change for women and girls in Miami-Dade County. Melinda Gates described it best when she said “We can’t close the gender gap we all aspire to close unless we first close the data gap.”