The Time Is Now: Radical Reimagination of Black and Brown Corridors

A new conversation is long overdue about envisioning a different future for the District’s black and brown retail districts. Before the pandemic shuttered local restaurants and retail shops, small businesses have been walking a tightrope from surviving off of thin profit margins, quietly railing against exorbitant rents and the ever-increasing cost of keeping the lights on. The issue of racial and economic inequity faced by black and brown businesses only compounds the obstacles. Looking at the current state of small businesses, especially black and brown businesses, the past six-months has further exposed the ongoing day-to-day challenges small, independent businesses experience. More importantly, we can point to countless stories demonstrating the resiliency of DCs small businesses.

Now is the time for us to talk about how local leaders, small businesses, developers and property owners can adopt a new playbook that values culture, community and places equity at the center of the discussion to preserve, activate and create opportunities for small businesses. To help CNHED weigh-in on this issue, we’ve invited two insightful professionals with a wealth of experience and expertise –Bobby Boone, a retail real estate and urban planning consultant, and Christopher Coes, a real estate policy and advocacy director, to help us begin to shift our mindset to rethink our neighborhood commercial corridors.