Minority entrepreneurs make critical contributions to our economy generating nearly $2 trillion in revenue each year. However, an equity gap remains between minority and non-minority-owned businesses. Last week, Deputy Commerce Secretary Don Graves spoke about the need to close this equity gap at the 40 th Annual Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week . Hosted by Commerce’s Minority Business...

Eleven years ago today, the United States joined nations around the world in establishing the International Day of the Girl to acknowledge the struggles facing young girls and strengthen their commitment to expanding resources and opportunities to help girls and women succeed and thrive. Today, First Lady Jill Biden hosted an event to honor 15 girls in the U.S. who are leading change by tackling...

President Biden is committed to revitalizing American manufacturing and innovation, particularly in the manufacturing of semiconductors or chips. A skilled and diverse pipeline of workers is critical to building a sustainable domestic semiconductor industry. The skilled workers who will fill these jobs have never been in higher demand, and the United States is poised to expand and strengthen the...

Earlier this week, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo joined Valerie Biden Owens, Chair of the Biden Institute, in hosting a Q&A session with students at the University of Delaware to commemorate the 100 th anniversary of the University’s Study Abroad Program. Secretary Raimondo stressed the need for more international scholars to help strengthen America’s global competitiveness, bolster America’s...

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Deputy Secretary Don Graves hosted Latino elected officials, leaders, and stakeholder organizations to solicit their input on Commerce initiatives that will assist in promoting inclusive economic growth for Latino communities. Both events took place at the Commerce Department where both Raimondo and Graves addressed the...

Last week, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo participated in a roundtable discussion with National Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) nationwide and addressed the importance of equity, access to education, and a trained workforce. The event kicked off National Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) Week, a precursor to the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, and was hosted by the Hispanic Association...

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced it has awarded seven grants totaling nearly $3.5 million to seven Tribal entities as part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP). With funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, these new grants bring the total of the program to more than $1.79 billion awarded to 198 Tribal...

Earlier this week, Secretary Gina Raimondo addressed the virtual meeting of the Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness (ACSCC), the Secretary’s advisory body that provides recommendations to support U.S. supply chain and economic competitiveness. “The last two years of supply chain crises have revealed that the U.S. government needs to invest more in supply chain resilience,” Secretary...