Since the 1960s, black businesses have been diversifying and expanding in response to increases in entrepreneurial talent and investment capital. Opportunities created by policies such as procurement set-aside programs have induced better educated, younger blacks to create and expand firms in new lines of business, including wholesaling, contracting, and skill-intensive services. Bates argues that targeting assistance toward these emerging small businesses could go far toward halting the chronic drain of capital and skills suffered by our nation's inner cities.