Small Business Anti-Displacement Network Releases New Publication & Film Showcasing Small Business Preservation Efforts Across the U.S. and Abroad

The Small Business Anti-Displacement Network at the University of Maryland has released a new report and film that show how gentrification affects BIPOC- and immigrant-owned small businesses and what communities in nine cities are doing to keep businesses open and thriving.

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Small Business Anti-Displacement Network (SBAN) has released a new publication and film documenting the efforts of organizations across the United States and abroad to preserve small businesses in gentrifying neighborhoods. Both offer solutions for other communities trying to keep their small businesses open and thriving.

Keeping Small Businesses In Place: Voices From the Field is a collection of SBAN-funded case studies from neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., Miami, Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, Kolkata, and Montréal. Written by researchers from community-based organizations and academic institutions, the 11 case studies examine how public, private, and nonprofit organizations are using diverse anti-displacement tools and strategies to keep BIPOC- and immigrant-owned small businesses in place.

The companion documentary film We're Still Here tells the story of small business owners and communities fighting commercial gentrification in Miami's Little Santo Domingo, Chicago's Puerto Rico Town, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Boyle Heights and East LA. The film follows SBAN on site visits to learn more about the efforts of The Allapattah Collaborative, the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, and Inclusive Action for the City.

Produced by social impact production company Unchained Stories, the film premiered at SBAN's 2023 conference, where more than 250 people from local and national organizations came together for the first time to share knowledge and collaborate around preserving small businesses as vital anchors of diverse communities.

SBAN put out a call for case studies in 2022 to fill critical gaps in research about what small business anti-displacement strategies are effective. The resulting publication and film provide lessons for other organizations on how to advance anti-displacement policies and practices within and beyond their metropolitan areas. The case studies offer on-the-ground examples of community property ownership, culturally relevant technical assistance, Main Street models, new types of small business loan financing, unionization, construction disruption assistance, and cultural heritage preservation.

"Our new publication and film provide diverse perspectives and practical lessons for scholars, policy makers, small business support organizations, and others who work with BIPOC- and immigrant-owned businesses," says SBAN Director Dr. Willow Lung-Amam. "They also make clear the collective policy response needed at all levels to support small businesses so they can remain vital anchors of stable, equitable, and thriving neighborhoods. These compelling stories make the case for why investments are so critical."

About SBAN: The Small Business Anti-Displacement Network is a network of organizations across the U.S. and internationally that work to prevent displacement of BIPOC- and immigrant-owned small businesses in gentrifying neighborhoods. Housed at the University of Maryland's National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education, SBAN includes policymakers, nonprofit advocates, technical assistance providers, real estate developers, financial institutions, scholars, and small business owners, who share knowledge and collaborate to advance innovative policies and practices that keep small businesses in place. SBAN's work is supported by JPMorgan Chase.

Media Contact

Katy June-Friesen, The Small Business Anti-Displacement Network (SBAN), 202-904-6694, [email protected], https://antidisplacement.org/

SOURCE The Small Business Anti-Displacement Network (SBAN)