Members of the Legislative Black Caucus, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, other officials and business professionals were at the Newark-based law firm McCarter & English on Wednesday for a Black History Month event, where they discussed supporting Black businesses and encouraging Black participation in New Jersey’s economy — and the difficult issue of diversity, equity and inclusion.

“It’s an important thing that we’re talking about, especially in New Jersey. Forty-five percent of the demographic in New Jersey identify as non-white. That’s a huge number,” Baraka said. Baraka is also a candidate for governor.

“In a couple of years, we’ll be a majority-minority state. You will have half the state identifying as mixed race. So when you look at diversity and equity, it’s quite different when you look at it through that lens. What it begins to look like is that people are cutting off their nose to spite their face.”