The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in their December 2011 symposium in Washington DC finally acknowledged the extreme lack of black contractors in the federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program. Colette Holt, a prominent legal authority participating on a panel discussing the merits of the program, finally expresses the tragic irony. Blacks are participating less than any other minority group in a program that was designed to remedy the effects of slavery, and sponsored by a black congressman named Parren Mitchell.

The good news is that Ms. Holt convinced the FHWA and other USDOT officials to convene a taskforce to address this issue. However, the taskforce has not been formed and we at BPA Report are asking everyone who views this video to contact Darren Brown, Warren Whitlock and Camille Hazeur (all black administrators), and ask why the taskforce has not been convened and when do they expect it to be convened.

Darren Brown is the first point of contact.  You can reach him at (202) 366-8031, or at his email address: Darren.Brown@dot.gov

Thanks for your participation.  By working together we can turn this thing around.