Page 14 - LRCC July 2023 FOCUS

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
The CROWN Act Signed
Into Law
he CROWN Act has achieved a significant
milestone as it has successfully passed both the
TState Senate, with a vote of 33-5, and the State
House of Representatives, with a vote of 100-7. The
Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce (LRCC) has
been a staunch supporter of this legislation. Governor
Whitmer signed the CROWN Act into law at local small
business Moneyball Sportswear.
"This passage of the CROWN Act represents a remarkable
stride in the right direction," emphasized Steve Japinga,
Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at LRCC. "By
embracing this legislation, we send a powerful message
that Michigan is dedicated to fostering an environment
where diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity flourish.
Through such actions, we attract and retain talented
individuals from all backgrounds, ultimately strengthening
our businesses, communities, and economy as a whole."
State Senator Sarah Anthony, representing Lansing,
reintroduced the legislation known as The CROWN Act,
which stands for "Create a Respectful and Open World
10 Black Entrepreneurs Named to LEAP’s
2023 Elevate Cohort
n February 2022
Lansing Area
IEconomic Partnership
(LEAP), with support
from PNC Foundation
and in partnership
with Best Practice
Consulting Solutions,
launched Elevate, a
new entrepreneurial support program focused on
revenue, profitability, and prominence.
The program involved empowering, refining,
enhancing and scaling eight Black businesses in a
6-month accelerator program with individualized
business assessment, customized workplan
development and one-on-one technical assistance.
Elevate’s main goal is to help Black business owners
improve and maximize operational efficiency and
heighten business sophistication to drive increased
profitability and revenue. The Elevate program
14
FOCUS MAGAZINE | JULY 2023
Photo credit: State Senator Sarah Anthony
for Natural Hair." This proposed law aims to prohibit
discrimination by expanding state statutes to recognize
an individual's hair as a characteristic of race. It is worth
noting that Michigan is one of the 30 states that currently
lack protection for traditionally black hairstyles.
The LRCC actively supports this legislation, recognizing its
potential to help businesses establish more inclusive and
equitable workplaces. l
strives to not only raise awareness of this deficit, but
to provide Black business owners with resources
and programming that has historically been hard to
access due to systemic barriers.
Congratulations to the 10 outstanding entrepreneurs
selected for the 2023 Elevate cohort:
• Takudzwa Chiduma, Open Arms Link
• Adrian Joseph, Goodfellas Bagel Deli
• Phyllis M. Williams, MA, LLPC, Peace & Harmony
Counseling Services, LLC
• Blake Matthews, Paradiso Productions
• Melissa Moore, Moore Vision Optical Boutique
• Joshua Southern, Risky Studios
• Jacqueline Taylor, Little Dreamers Daycare
Center
• Kelly West, The MilesWest Group
• Deardra Westfall, Nature’s 92
• Dymon Wilson, Sista Stu
For more information, visit www.purelansing.org. l