The upcoming 2025 gubernatorial election for New Jersey presents a critical opportunity for Black communities to demand an agenda that will lead to a more equitable coexistence. This includes fair participation in the economy, access to career opportunities, quality healthcare, improved educational outcomes, public safety, and homeownership.
For some time now, the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (AACCNJ) has been actively disseminating information and hosting nonpartisan forums. Our goal is to ensure that both gubernatorial candidates hear, understand, and commit to addressing our issues on behalf of the 1.2 million Black residents, and the 124,000 Black owned businesses, just as they do for other interest groups across the state of N.J.
I was recently invited to participate in Mercer County’s Black Men Gathering Breakfast, scheduled for Oct. 25 in Hamilton, N.J. While several such events have been hosted statewide, I have respectfully declined to participate in them.
As the Founder, President, and CEO of a 501(c)(3) organization, the AACCNJ is strictly nonpartisan, meaning we cannot endorse or oppose any political candidate. However, we can, and do, advocate, engage and share information with the hope that these vital issues will be addressed and codified into policies and initiatives by the next governor.
If I were in the room for the Mercer County Black Men Gathering Breakfast, I would urge the audience to seek definitive responses from both candidates on the following:
As it relates to the disparity study. The disparity study was about public contracting over a five-year period in the State of New Jersey; wherein black businesses received 13 contracts for $3.3 million over a five-year period. White women received 250 contracts for $277 million over that same five-year period, and white men received 2,500 contracts for $10 billion. A disparity that must be addressed before the next governor is elected.
For several years now, we have demanded that the State of New Jersey abolish the practice of insurance companies utilizing education, occupation and credit scores as proxies for determining insurance premiums. None of these deal with the risks associated with one’s driving record. This policy should be abolished immediately.
Eighty percent of the construction companies in the State of New Jersey are union, the remaining 20 percent are non-union construction companies. Eighty percent of union companies receive approximately 90 percent of the public contracts. Every taxpaying citizen of New Jersey contributes to the state’s budget, which funds these projects and therefore should have equal access to public contracting opportunities.
In 2002 Governor McGreevey signed the executive order assigning project labor agreements public contracts, which based on the language therein heavily favored unionized firms. Based on the results of the disparity study, they’ve tilted favorably to non-blacks. The threshold for project labor agreements in New Jersey is $5 million, which means that any participating non-union company could bid up to $5 million on a project without being a member of a trade union; however, they must pay prevailing wages.
Contrarily at the federal level, under President Obama, the threshold was $25 million. President Biden’s threshold was $35 million, and President Trump currently stands at $35 million as well. In neighboring New York City, the Project Labor Agreement threshold was $400 million on a recent airport terminal expansion project. Further, over the last 3.5 years NYC Mayor Eric Adams has awarded approximately $22 billion dollars in public contracts to minorities and women, while the State of New York has awarded annually over $3.2 billion to this same demographic.
It is important to note that the AACCNJ has met and shared the best practices of New York City with both gubernatorial candidates. This begs the question, why has the black business community not heard more about these best practices from the candidates, specifically from the democrats given the over 90 percent support that has been consistently extended by black voters.
Why is New Jersey’s threshold still at $5 million? If we could raise the threshold to align with the federal government’s threshold at $35 million, this could help more businesses – not only black businesses, but non-union businesses to increase their annual revenue and secure more money and thus address some of their affordability issues.
The current social-economic standing in New Jersey is as follows: Asians, then Whites, followed by Hispanics and Blacks at the absolute bottom. This disparity is further highlighted by the staggering wealth gap, with the net worth of Black households at just $17,000 compared to $322,000 for white households. Black homeownership is forty percent versus seventy six percent for whites in New Jersey.
Systemic factors such as discriminatory lending practices, limited generational wealth and unequal access to high-paying jobs contribute to these inequities. As a result, Black communities in New Jersey experience the highest poverty rates and the highest unemployment rates in the state, reinforcing a cycle of economic disenfranchisement that demands targeted policy interventions and equitable investment.
This election presents a critical opportunity to address the economic disparities faced by Black people in New Jersey. The core issue is how we can achieve more equitable participation in the state’s economy, whether through careers, business ownership, or other avenues that increase annual income. This will enable us to afford homes, pay for healthcare, address inflationary pressures, and minimize the impact on disposable income.
If both candidates are truly committed to helping Black people become more equitable participants in the economy, they must address these issues forthrightly. Black voters have consistently given the Democratic Party over 90% of their vote. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that Democratic candidates would more readily embrace and implement policies addressing these concerns, ideally months before any election. We demand that the Democratic candidate clearly codify their agenda for the Black community around these economic issues immediately, before any votes are cast.
Black men, as leaders of your households and communities, it is time for you to stand up and represent your people. When you are in the room, you must demand that an agenda is codified before Nov. 4 and expressed publicly. This is the absolute least you can ask for from the candidates from both respective parties. The goal should be to create competition for the black vote.
No candidate gets elected without the significant support of Black voters, yet year after year, elected officials fail to respect our vote, and our communities receive very little in return. The data clearly shows a lack of tangible benefits. We are consistently expected to demonstrate blind loyalty and “go along to get along.”
It is time to reset this dynamic. Black people need to thrive, and our votes must be honored with concrete action and policy.
I am calling on our brothers in Mercer County to demand that each candidate in the upcoming gubernatorial race publicly announce their economic agenda for Black communities. This announcement should detail how they plan to implement their agenda and the corresponding impact it will have. I believe this information should be made public before Nov. 4, 2025.
The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ROI-NJ.
