Councilman Loren Taylor Wants More Support for Black Businesses in East Oakland

The city of Oakland, California, has a rich history. From the Black Panther Party to its vibrant arts community, Oakland has always been known for its bustling small black-owned business and for breeding leaders. One of them is District 6 Councilman Loren Taylor who represents Maxwell Park, Millsmont, Havenscourt, and Eastmont. Pre-gentrification, parts of Oakland built an off-putting reputation because of crime rates and community violence. Now, Taylor is diligently working to uplift and educate the community through entrepreneurship and ownership.

In a recent interview with Post News Group, Taylor discussed his work to get more black businesses established and operating in East Oakland and the impact that COVID-19 is having on small businesses in the community.

He told the Post, “Due to historical disinvestment and discrimination, black businesses will be particularly hard hit by the governor and the City of Oakland’s declaration of emergency.”

Before assuming the role as a Councilman, Taylor was a health innovation consultant and is a past board member of the West Oakland Health Center.

He is also currently partnering with students at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business to help local entrepreneurs gain more access to resources and information. As an alumnus of the program, Taylor says, “I am grateful that these MBA students are volunteering their skills and time to provide valuable support to our business owners.”

As business owners face financial challenges due to the health crisis, Taylor encourages people to visit the City of Oakland’s website to complete the COVID-19 Business Impact Survey. He is also working with other officials to submit legislation that would help him to provide support for small local businesses in Oakland. As a part of that effort, he is calling local business owners to participate in the District 6 East Oakland Business and Non-Profit Registry.

To learn more about Taylors efforts in East Oakland, click here.