Rhode Island continues to discriminate in public contracting, Black and civil rights advocates allege

“Black and brown businesses have been overlooked and underutilized in this state for far too long,” said Lisa Ranglin, the president and CEO of Rhode Island Black Business Association, or RIBBA. The Rhode Island Black Business Association and Lawyers for Civil Rights sent a letter of demand to Governor Dan McKee, the Department of Administration, and others, claiming the state has violated federal anti-discrimination laws by systematically excluding minority-owned businesses from state contracts. PROVIDENCE — Two Black and civil rights organizations sent a letter to Rhode Island officials on Monday,...