July 13, 2025
This system helped many minority girls entrepreneurs get their companies off the bottom.
As Tennessee makes official cuts to its DEI programming and funding, one program that broke gender gaps in Memphis will shut down.
As of this month, the Minority Girls Enterprise program in Memphis has stopped operations. This system was a exponential success throughout its tenure, making Memphis the one metropolis within the nation the place girls enterprise house owners outnumbered their male counterparts.
In keeping with WMC Memphis, the closure is a results of a brand new state regulation that eradicated all DEI initiatives and departments. The Dismantling DEI Departments Act went into impact July 1, ending this system that promoted authorities spending towards these minority women-owned companies.
Earlier than its shut down, the enterprise program supplied help and assets for this rising sector of entrepreneurs. It allowed these girls to achieve success and sustainability inside Memphis. Now, the following group of girls with enterprise ambitions could discover it more durable to get their concepts off the bottom.
One native official thinks that the stripping of the enterprise program will result in extra negatives, particularly given Memphis numerous inhabitants. The town stays predominately Black, accounting for over 62% of its residents, as confirmed by Census information. The town can also be comprised of a majority of girls, making up over 52% of its inhabitants.
“Now that we’re imposing one thing that’s going to remove a lot of the progress we had been making,” defined Shelby County Commissioner Britney Thornton. “That’s the half that considerations me. We had this system. We had been beginning to prepare people on get county contracts and get metropolis contracts, the place the assets had been, and now, we’re being informed by authorized we will’t even speak about it.”
Thornton additionally talked about how town has an underspend that went towards supporting these companies. Nevertheless, with the lack of that funding, some Black companies at the moment are in danger.
“What we’ve got seen on the county aspect is that we’ve got a major underspend someplace between 0% and eight%, we had been spending with minority companies,” she stated. “We all know that Black companies are inside that determine.”
The state regulation follows a nationwide sentiment towards DEI endeavors, primarily sparked by the Trump administration. This anti-DEI laws extends to grade colleges, greater schooling, and federal businesses all through america.
Whereas the enterprise house owners as soon as underneath this program said their ongoing dedication to supporting each other, the lack of this invaluable useful resource stays felt throughout town.
RELATED CONTENT: Shareholders From 30 Main Firms Vote Unanimously Towards Anti-DEI Insurance policies