Walker, Nicole2023-06-222023-06-222023-08http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12087/186A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Business AdministrationDisadvantaged communities, especially those populated by African Americans, are some of the most negatively affected communities during and after a natural or manufactured disaster. Systemic and systematic racism and institutionalized distrust have hampered African American/Black-owned businesses from scaling successfully, preventing them from providing economic opportunity and other necessary resources to their communities and further compounding the sluggish recovery of disadvantaged communities. Using a qualitative research method based on critical theory, this ethnographic study aimed to identify ways to position African American firms as an asset to their communities during and after a natural or manufactured disaster.en-USBusiness AdministrationThesis