By Christopher Young,
Contributing Writer,
Discriminating against minorities in Mississippi is the norm – this is not new news. Despite demanding that the words – In God We Trust – be included on the new Mississippi State Flag, state lawmakers and leaders can’t possibly believe in God. If they did, they would work hard to make the social and economic playing field level in our state – they do just the opposite. How can these people, not all but a majority of them, be so entrenched in the rampant discrimination of anyone who doesn’t look like them. They view racial equity as a thief.
A brief quiz: Which state had more lynchings than any other between 1877 and 1950, per Equal Justice Institute? Which state waited 148 years to ratify the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, then blamed it on a clerical error? Which state led the charge against African Americans from 1865 to 1877 – typically referred to as the Reconstruction era? Which state earned the global spotlight the most during Jim Crow? Which state built the most segregation academies following the 1954 Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education decision? Which state with well over a third of its population being black, didn’t put an African American on its Supreme Court until 1985? You passed the quiz, didn’t you? Our state fails at every level to adequately address the enduring legacy of slavery in Mississippi, and this chronic failure is both sinful and willful. Ever notice, the discussion is never about what’s best for all Mississippians.
And here we are again. In FY2023, Mississippi, with its nearly 40% African American population, awarded just 5.77% of the funds associated with contracts for goods and services to African Americans. That is state-sponsored discrimination. Its outcomes are crushing black economics, crushing black families, and crushing any hope of racial equality. If enough white legislators and other elected state leaders cared about racial equality and racial equity this suffering would not be going on. Therefore, their real mantra, yet never spoken, is to minimize any broad advancement of African Americans and other minorities. The data depicted in Table 1 (above) lays bare their priorities.
In reviewing hoards of literature, it appears that the biggest criticism of increasing minority participation in state contracting is a perception that it runs contrary to free and open competition. And we well know who the people are that come up with the criticisms. The only way that could be true is if the playing field was level and we know it isn’t. Sadly, just because something isn’t factual, doesn’t mean lots of Mississippi lawmakers won’t line up behind it.
Per the Census https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/MS/DIS010222, Mississippi’s population is between 55.6% (white alone, not Hispanic or Latino) and 61% (white alone). Yet data in the FY2023 Minority Participation Report indicates that $4,067,112,741 of the $4,313,892,990 in total expenditures went to non-minorities – 94.27%. Then we see that of the $246,780,248 in expenditures to minorities – that 88.84% of that money went to “other non-ethnic women,” which is white women. A little math here: 94.27% to non-minorities leaves 5.73% for minorities. 5.73% x 88.84% (white women) = 5.09%. 5.09% + 94.27% = 99.36%. That means that in FY2023, Asians, Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic, and Native Americans shared less than 1% (.64%) of funding associated with contracts awarded by Mississippi. This is an example of a heart that pumps pure hatred.
Are there any advocates for minority contracting in Mississippi? And who are the legislators who will step-up and write the legislation requiring all state agencies to submit annual minority participation plans, including goals for increasing minority participation, benchmarking those goals with other states, and a year over year report card of progress?
No one likes the thought of preferences or set asides, yet the evidence indicates that the Mississippi government absolutely prefers whites, and disdains true minority groups such as Asians, Native Americans, Hispanics and Black or African Americans. Yet there must be a lever to bring pressure on state leaders to demonstrate their willingness to change this discrimination.
The Mississippi Development Authority, Minority and Small Business Development Division publishes the Minority Participation Report annually, per statute. The director of that division is Carol Harris, who as of press time has not responded to our requests to discuss the report.
In Part 2 of this article, we will share the thoughts and comments of several legislators, organization leaders and business leaders on the topic of minority contracting and what can be done to improve the dismal numbers discussed here, and what needs to be done to lift up all Mississippians for a change.
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