Launched by Wells Fargo, Hope, USA, a nationwide initiative to uplift small business districts in 16 cities across the country sent 50 tradespeople-all of whom were minority contractors-to the area to repair the damaged shops. She also received additional grants from both to support her business totaling $20,000.Īs for the 52nd Street corridor, support arrived there, too. “It’s taken a lot of the former to get to the latter these last couple years."īryant-Brown got some support during the lean days through Wells Fargo and The Enterprise Center who donated a large collection of books as well as a grant for $15,000 to the center. The enrollment at the center went from 131 children to just 3. When COVID-19 hit, nearly every student at Hope Rising’s 52nd Street location left as parents were out of work and schools closed. Hope Rising provides early learning and education programs for ages 3 months to 12 years old. “It was a lifeline to help us weather the storm,” TafarI said.Įllen Bryant-Brown and volunteers via Wells Fargo via Wells FargoĪnother female business owner who faced challenges during the pandemic is Ellen Bryant-Brown, the owner of the Hope Rising Child Learning Center in Philadelphia. TafarI was able to get a $250,000 working capital loan through Wells Fargo's Open for Business Fund from grantee Access to Capital from Entrepreneurs, and it helped her keep the coffeehouse open. “I started making some products on my own as the supply chain was creating challenges-chocolate sauce, lavender sauce, our own chai,” she said. One way she kept her business afloat was by becoming even more self-sufficient. By trying to find some loans, some grants, or anything. “At the height of the COVID pandemic, I did everything I could, trying to figure out ways that we could sustain ourselves.
As the pandemic wore on, Tarfarl felt she ran out of options to keep her business alive, but never stopped coming back to work. When the pandemic hit, the number of people in downtown Atlanta dwindled and the lack of foot traffic significantly hurt the coffeehouse’s finances. Rahel TafarI is the meticulous and hard-working owner of the coffee house who was inspired to open her business by her mother from Ethiopia. Someone came up with the perfect response to the "I don't care" post by pointing out the fact that the person who wrote the manifesto probably has supported Republican policies that have oppressed immigrants, people of color, and the LGBT community. Protesting against systemic inequality isn't about blaming others people for your problems, it's about highlighting inequity and attempting to correct it.Īnd where does the original poster get the idea that immigrants are trying to erase anyone's history? LGBT people aren't trying to turn straight people into drag queens. There are extremists in all movements, so to paint each group with such broad-strokes shows a real lack of experience. When, in reality, most of the activists are simply fighting for equality. The post also assumes that the LGBT community, people of color, liberals, and immigrants are all fighting against straight, white conservatives in an attempt to ruin their lives.