Philadelphia is a majority minority city, meaning its largest population demographic is considered a racial minority in the United States. Representing approximately 39% of the city’s population, black Americans are the city’s largest ethnic group (while being less than 13% of the national population). White Americans are the second-largest group in Philadelphia, comprising 33.6% of the city’s population (and the country’s largest racial demographic at approximately 60% of the country’s population). Asians are next at 7.7%, followed by Latinos at 7.67% of the city’s population. Added together, there are more racial minorities living in Philadelphia than white people.
Yet, despite more than half the city’s population being comprised of non-white people, it was Philadelphia’s policy and practice to discriminate against white business owners, particularly white male business owners. As the Philadelphia Inquirerreported, Philadelphia’s government “set specific goals” to award 35% of “hundreds of millions of dollars in yearly government contracts to businesses that are owned by women and people of color.” These funds were set aside for “minority, women, or disabled-owned enterprises.” The 35% threshold was implemented in 2016; it used to be 25%, put into effect over four decades ago, “in the early 1980s.”
Now, imagine the uproar, rage, hostility, and claims of racial discrimination if this policy reserved 35% of city contracts for white people, or, specifically, white men. And people have the audacity to talk about white privilege in this country? What privilege? Being denied contract opportunities solely because of their white skin color? Racial discrimination is racial discrimination even if the recipient is a white person. It’s a simple concept, yet one that much of the country has difficulty recognizing…