In late 2021, the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO), Chicago State University, and Chicago Urban League launched the first of its kind statewide Black business survey to solicit feedback directly from Black-owned businesses.
On February 28th, 2023, Tracy Parsons, Community Relations Manager in E&E joined DCEO for their 2023 Black History Month programming including disclosing the results of this survey. During this event, leaders discussed findings from the survey and identified major take-aways from the research. Panelists also discussed tools and resources available to assist the Black business community throughout the state.