Policing Success out of the African American Entrepreneur

Scholars, practitioners, and policymakers agree that entrepreneurship is critical in poverty reduction and alleviation. Although research in this area is increasing, it remains very diverse as scholars grapple with numerous streams of research around this topic. Improving female entrepreneurship rates and that of racial minorities, especially African Americans, has been of great interest to scholars and policymakers. Historically, research around Black entrepreneurship has focused on finance, education, family structure, human capital, and consumer perceptions. This article examines the impact of a governmental agency (the police) on Black business ventures as a reason for low rates of African American entrepreneurship. Employing the fairness heuristic theory, which is rooted in Equity Theory, this exploratory paper examines the effect of fairness perception of the police interaction with Blacks and Black ventures on business success. This exploratory paper sets a direction for future quantitative and qualitative research.