Ikram Arumaim testifies for MENA inclusion in disparity studies
Ikram Arumaim of the Women's Empowerment Coalition of New York City says the organization supports immigrant women and small business owners, including MENA New Yorkers. She says the disparity study would provide data to understand whether disparities exist and how they affect MENA-owned businesses.
Good afternoon, everyone.
My name is Ikram Arumaim, and I'm here on behalf of the Women's Empowerment Coalition of New York City.
We See NYC is a community-based organization that supports women and immigrant families through education, workforce development, social services, and other women empowerment programs.
Every day, we work with women, immigrant families, and small business owners, including many from the Middle Eastern and North African communities.
We see their talent, their hard work, and the contribution they make to New York City's economy.
But we also hear directly from our community about their experiences, the challenges they face when they try to grow their businesses and access opportunities.
That's why this disparity study is so important, and True2Aid would require MENA-owned businesses to be included in future disparity studies.
This would provide the data needed to better understand whether disparity exists and where they exist and how they affect businesses in our community.
We see NYC stands with our community partners in asking the city to make sure MENA-owned businesses are counted, studied, and visible in this process.
This study is an important opportunity to make sure those experiences are reflected in the data.
When we better understand the disparities
our small businesses experience, we can better understand their needs and the opportunities available to them.
When our small businesses grow, our families, neighborhoods, and our entire city benefit.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
I really appreciate your testimony.