By Lynn Washington
Financial benefits from the $200 million boost expected for the economy of Milwaukee from the Republican Party’s presidential nominating convention are bypassing Black-owned businesses in Wisconsin’s largest city, alleges leadership with the Black chamber there.
They argue Black businesses have been left out of contracts to provide services and/or goods during the Republican convention, which is set to begin Monday through Thursday next week in Milwaukee.
Nikki Purvis, the president and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin, said she is “not aware” of local Black businesses that have received RNC convention related contracts.
African American business and civil rights leaders in Milwaukee report a paucity of economic enhancements from RNC 2024 in their city where Blacks represent the largest racial group, comprising nearly 40% of the population.
This blackout of contracting with Black businesses in Milwaukee conflicts with a RNC website declaration that “stimulating economic growth for all Americans” is an essential mission of the party.
Rickey Townsell, chair of the Milwaukee NAACP branch’s political action committee, said the dearth of contracting from RNC 2024 for local African American-owned businesses parallels the lack of convention related “outreach” to Milwaukee’s Black community by Republicans.
“We and other constituencies [in Milwaukee] raised questions with the host committee prior to the convention,” Townsell said, noting NAACP engagements with political parties are nonpartisan.
Purvis said she and other chamber members participated in a series of events about convention contracting, but that participation did not produce desired contracts.
“I’ve been in constant contact with the convention host committee here in Milwaukee and the national RNC about inclusion,” Purvis said during a recent telephone interview. “We’ve not seen any contracts.”
RNC 2024 listed eleven categories of possible contracting opportunities during the convention where former President Donald Trump is expected to become the Republican Party’s official 2024 presidential candidate. Those contracting categories included audio and visual services, catering, printing, security and transportation.
Little if any contracting with African American-owned businesses during RNC presidential conventions is a long-standing practice from the political party that projects itself as the champion of business.
The 2000 RNC held in Philadelphia witnessed little contracting with local Black businesses during that convention, ironically themed around racial inclusiveness. During the 2012 RNC in Tampa, for example, a leading Black Republican activist in that city made a very public resignation from the GOP citing frustrations with the GOP’s consistent shortchanging issues important to African Americans including exclusion of Black businesses during that convention.
“The Republican Party in my lifetime has done little to cater to Black business,” said Townsell.
Neither the host committee for RNC 2024 nor the RNC in Washington, D.C. responded to requests for comments about contracting with African American owned businesses in Milwaukee. The host committee, in November 2023, did deposit $100,000 in Milwaukee’s Black owned bank to assist increasing homeownership.
Philadelphia businessman Calvin Tucker, a lifelong Republican who’s held ranking positions with Pennsylvania’s Republican Party, said he is “surprised to hear” about the lack of contracting for Black businesses at RNC 2024. Tucker said he’s seen minority vendors at past RNC conventions he’s attended but “not many.”
Tucker, acknowledging he doesn’t know specifics about Milwaukee, speculated that circumstance with contracting may arise from a “philosophy in the party: Why support those who don’t support me.” Tucker advocates greater participation by African Americans in Republican and Democratic parties to better advance the interests of the Black community.
Tucker, who supports Trump, said he believes the former president would push for more inclusive contracting at RNC 2024 if he was aware of that blackout in Milwaukee.
“I don’t know if the issue has bubbled up to him,” said Tucker, who is the chair of Pennsylvania’s MAGA Black Movement.
Earlier this year, the RNC closed outreach offices in minority communities nationwide. This came shortly after Trump engineered the installation of one of his daughter-in-law’s as RNC co-chair.
Weeks ago, Trump stirred emotions when he publicly bashed Milwaukee as a “horrible” city. That comment ignited ill-will for Trump across Milwaukee.
“When TV station reporters did on-street interviews, a wide cross section of people criticized that comment,” Townsell said.