Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks during his campaign launch of “Mike for Black America,” at the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Last week, at a rally in Houston at the history Buffalo Soldiers Museum, Democratic primary candidate Mike Bloomberg launched Mike for Black America, a national movement to engage Black voters across the country on the issues that matter most to them and share his vision for addressing systemic bias and promoting economic justice for Black Americans.
The Mike for Black America National Leadership Council is co-chaired by Congressman Greg Meeks, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, and Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. They will advise on policy and national outreach strategy.
“Tonight, we are creating Mike for Black America because I am committed to using the power of the presidency to right the wrongs of institutional racism wherever they exist: in our schools, workplaces, prisons, courtrooms, and our health care system and housing markets,” Bloomberg said during the launch in Houston. “As president, I will appoint a cabinet that shares my commitment to confronting these issues head-on, and who have experienced and lived these issues in their own lives, and will have the perspective to shape the policies we develop.”
Recently, Former Mayor of Gary, Indiana, Karen Freeman-Wilson, joined 100 people at the American Black Holocaust Museum for a community conversation on Bloomberg’s Greenwood Initiative, which will address systemic discrimination and promote economic justice for Black America.
The Greenwood initiative lays out a realistic path to create one million new Black homeowners and 100,000 new Black-owned businesses over the next decade. His plan also includes a $70 billion investment in America’s 100 most disadvantaged neighborhoods.
The plan stems from Bloomberg’s time as mayor of New York City where he has a proven track record of working to advance minority-owned businesses and expand access to city contracts for women and minority-owned businesses. Bloomberg also launched one of the nation’s most ambitious plans to expand affordable housing in the nation, building or preserving 170,0000 affordable homes. And, as a philanthropist, Bloomberg’s foundation has committed more than $200 million through the American Cities Initiative, which helps city leaders tackle their biggest issues — often challenges like housing affordability.