Games could be boon for minority businesses
URBAN LEAGUE | Benefits could include training, job opportunities
When the Olympic Games were held in Atlanta in 1996, 35 percent of the contracts went to minority- and female-owned businesses, and 30 percent of the employees were minority.
The Chicago Urban League is focused on helping minority communities in Chicago fare as well or better and reap long-term benefits if the city succeeds in landing the 2016 Olympic Games.
(John H. White/Sun-Times)
The Games could "provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to drive long-term, sustainable growth in minority communities" in Chicago, League President and Chief Executive Officer Cheryle Jackson told attendees at the League's annual luncheon, where Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin was the keynote speaker.
The Games could spur minority business development and produce construction and nonconstruction jobs, job training programs, community development initiatives and affordable housing programs in South Side and West Side communities that have for far too long been overlooked and underserved, Jackson said.
But the full benefits won't be reaped without purposeful, strategic and highly coordinated efforts and partnerships committed to making that happen, she said.
Setting clear goals early is key, as well as engaging a broad range of people in the effort, Franklin said.
Among steps Atlanta took to boost diversity was making investments in education and training, she said. A sports broadcasting program developed at Clark College certified about 600 students and guaranteed them work at the Games.
And every contractor for the Olympic Games was asked to submit proposals on meeting diversity employment goals.
The League is working to position minority communities to benefit from the 2016 Games through its entrepreneurship and work-force development programs, Jackson said.
The League also researched and has shared with Chicago 2016 best practices put into place for the Olympic Games in Atlanta and Los Angeles.