Norton to Take Part in Roundtable Discussion on African American Small Businesses

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will join Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, for a roundtable discussion entitled "Closing the Wealth Gap through the African-American Entrepreneurial Ecosystem" on Wednesday, September 19, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. in 428-A Russell Senate Office Building. Landrieu, Norton, and other members of Congress will question more than a dozen witnesses, from CEOs to a deputy administrator of the Small Business Administration to African American entrepreneurs.

"Senator Mary Landrieu's initiative is providing a forum to discuss how African American business is important to closing the wealth gap," Norton said. "I welcome the opportunity to participate in an open and honest conversation about opportunities and obstacles that African American entrepreneurs continue to face. I have seen up close just how critical African American small businesses are to the District of Columbia economy in my work on and monitoring of construction at the new U.S. Department of Homeland Security headquarters site in Ward 8, and how critical they are in fighting back against the high unemployment rate."

Published: September 18, 2012