Every year since 1963, the President of the United States has issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week, which recognizes the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners. This year’s National Small Business Week is slated for April 30-May 6, and will be a celebration of small business owners who create two out of every three new jobs for Americans. National Small Business Week is also a time to honor the cultural mosaic of small business in America.

In addition to job creation, the following five facts illustrate how diversity positively impacts small business in America:

No. 1: Women-owned businesses. There are approximately 9.9 million women-owned businesses in the United States, employing 8.4 million people.

No. 2: Asian-owned businesses. There are approximately 1.9 million Asian-owned businesses in America, employing 3.6 million people.

No. 3: Black- of African American-owned businesses. There are approximately 2.6 million black- or African American-owned businesses in the U.S., employing 975,000 people.

No. 4: Hispanic-owned businesses. There are approximately 3.3 million Hispanic-owned businesses in America, employing 2.3 million people.

No. 5: Minority-owned businesses. There are approximately 8 million minority-owned businesses in the U.S., employing 7.1 million people.

One person who exemplifies diversity in small business is Los Angeles attorney Toni Jaramilla, the child of Filipino immigrants, who has dedicated her career to serving workers who are discriminated against in the workplace and are wrongfully terminated. Jaramilla is also an Executive Board Member of the Foundation for Advocacy Inclusion & Resources (FAIR), a nonprofit foundation which promotes gender and cultural diversity in the legal profession.

Two more champions of diversity are Rima Nasser and Kimberly Coombs, co-owners of TEW Design Studio, a female minority-owned small business located in the Raleigh-Durham area. “Being women from different ethnicities, our backgrounds drive us to work hard and achieve our goals. We set the bar high and celebrate every accomplishment, whether big or small, to stay motivated,” said Rima. “Our designs have always been shaped by the culture and diversity of how we grew up, and the different places we’ve lived around the globe.”

Blog by Dale Myers. the NALA's Head Writer.