July 23, 2021 EXPO 2021 Poster

Black-Owned Small Businesses in Englewood, Chicago: Documenting the Effects of COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter Movement in 2020

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”3.22.6″][et_pb_fullwidth_post_title author=”off” comments=”off” featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”3.23.3″ title_font=”Standard||||||||” title_text_color=”#ffffff” title_font_size=”61px” title_line_height=”1.3em” meta_font=”Standard2||||||||” meta_text_color=”#ffffff” background_color=”#000000″ custom_padding=”||60px” title_font_size_tablet=”39px” title_font_size_phone=”28px” title_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone”][/et_pb_fullwidth_post_title][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.23.3″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.23.3″ max_width=”1221px”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”3.23.3″][et_pb_image src=”https://thenurj.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-23-at-2.13.31-PM.png” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|phone” module_id=”circle-image” _builder_version=”3.23.3″ width=”40%” width_tablet=”26%” width_last_edited=”on|desktop”][/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.23.3″ text_font=”Standard2||||||||” text_font_size=”27px” min_height=”40px” custom_padding=”18px||”]Sophie Boorstein[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.23.3″ inline_fonts=”Times New Roman”]

Adviser: Jon Guryan, Reuel Rogers, and Beth Tipton
Subject: Social Sciences
DOI: 10.21985/n2-d2xv-dc25

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.23.3″ text_font=”Times New Roman||||||||” width=”99.7%” custom_margin=”|70px||”]

Sophie Boorstein (’21) graduated with Honors in Social Policy and a second major in Statistics, as well as a Certificate in Managerial Analytics through the Kellogg School of Management. Sophie became interested in examining employment discrimination and minority entrepreneurship after interning at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Summer 2018. Internships at various consulting firms solidified her interest in examining business strategy. Inspired by these experiences, in 2020, she began writing her senior thesis to examine the effects of 2020 crisis events on minority-owned small businesses, leveraging knowledge from both of her majors and certificate in the mixed-method approach. She also received funding from the Office of Undergraduate Research to complete the project. Sophie now works as an Associate Consultant at EY-Parthenon, where she is particularly interested in education consulting. She plans to continue her research endeavors by pursuing a Ph.D. in the future.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”3.23.3″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.23.3″ text_font=”Standard2|600|||||||” text_font_size=”25px”]Abstract[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.23.3″ text_font=”Times New Roman||||||||” text_font_size=”19px” text_line_height=”1.5em”]Media accounts report that the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020 Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement disproportionately affected Black communities and businesses, amplifying already- existing racial health and economic disparities. Black-owned small businesses experienced significant indirect and direct economic damages in Chicago, Illinois, and research literature is now striving to provide analyses of Black business owners’ experiences in 2020. The present study uses quantitative and qualitative data analyses to discern the impact of 2020 crises on small businesses in Englewood, Chicago. The study examined foot traffic data from cell-phone records to identify business visitation patterns relative to the March 21 Illinois stay-at-home order and the commencement of BLM protests after the murder of George Floyd on May 25. After both March 21 and May 25, there were statistically significant changes in foot traffic in majority-Black neighborhoods as compared to majority-non-Black neighborhoods. The research elucidated the complexity of the mechanisms by which COVID-19 and BLM activities disproportionately influenced Black communities through semi-structured interviews with Black-identifying small business owners (n=8) in Englewood. The study participants detailed their evolving perceptions of policing in Englewood after looting in June, concern for employee well-being in the pandemic, and complex grant application processes throughout 2020. Business owners were motivated to keep their firms open to support their families, promote values benefitting Englewood residents, and refute stereotypes about Englewood itself. This project provides insight into the range of experiences Black entrepreneurs in Englewood have faced in 2020 and suggests ways that policy responses might usefully support their survival and success.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.23.3″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.23.3″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.23.3″][et_pb_code _builder_version=”3.23.3″][/et_pb_code][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.23.3″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.23.3″][et_pb_code _builder_version=”3.23.3″][/et_pb_code][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]