Please support Black-owned businesses who have paid in good faith to insurance companies for Business Interruption coverage. The purpose of Business Interruption Insurance is to cover losses of income and unforeseen expenses that a business suffers due to incidents beyond their control. The goal of this petition is to compel local, state, and federal entities to work in coordination with property and casualty insurance companies to save Black-owned companies, which are facing extenuating financial hardships a result of CoVid-19 related closures. 
 
Thousands of claims are being flat-out denied or face significant delay because insurance companies argue that:

• This Pandemic does NOT constitute “physical damage”, even though there is case law stating that the presence of a foreign substance may constitute physical damage. For example, a business may have to close due to toxic black mold or a gas leak. 
• Local and state stay-at-home orders do not prohibit access to the business, despite significant limitations to public transportation in efforts to slow the spread of CoVid-19 
• Lack of insurance claim adjusters to handle the number of claims 
   

It is unacceptable and unconscionable that multi-billion-dollar insurance companies would deny the countless struggling businesses. Blacks own about 2.6 million businesses or 9.5 percent of all U.S. businesses, compared to just over 19 million businesses, or 70.9 percent of all U.S. businesses, which are white-owned. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners (SBO), 90% of black businesses do not even have more than one employee. This is significant because restaurants, hair salons, boutiques, etc. that comprise a large percentage of Black-owned business were forced shut and significantly disadvantaged when it came to applying for the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), now suspended, which only allowed $1,000 per employee, up to ten employees. The Paycheck Protection Program has also run out of funds—after successfully processing loans for ONLY about 5% of America’s small businesses. It has been reported that 90% of businesses owned by people of color have been, or will likely be, shut out of the Paycheck Protection Program. The truth of the matter is- The Black community has hardly seen any financial relief out of the 10’s of billions allocated by congress. 
 
Throughout history, Blacks have faced a multitude of roadblocks to owning property, let alone a business. Far too often, communities of color are forgotten in times of peril. There are reports that insurance companies are specifically denying Black-owned small-businesses while others are being approved. In the fine print of many of these ‘Business Interruption’ contracts, business owners are discovering these insurance providers have added virus/bacteria-related exclusions. Many claim these actions occurred without their knowledge. Small Black-owned businesses have paid and continue to pay thousands of dollars to be covered in emergencies. Policyholders consider this move as a way to avoid honoring claims in cases of a national/global national crisis such as the COVID-19 virus. This is the difference between our businesses surviving or not.  

 
We firmly believe that insurance companies have the financial responsibility to quickly accept and process business interruption insurance claims from Black business owners to preserve the presence of Black-owned businesses in America. The current lack of effort from these insurance companies to help affected Black businesses is a blatant breach of the public’s trust. We demand these companies offer financial relief retroactive to the respective issued mandated orders, which led to the initial closure of millions of businesses.  We also demand an emergency fund is created and dedicated teams of claim specialists are allocated specifically for Black business owners, in order to get money in hands of those who face immediate closure.  
 
Your signature and support as we recover from these trying times are appreciated.  #BlackLivesMatter #BlackBusinessesMatter