This study explores people of color-owned (POC) restaurants under the governance of Washington, DC (DC) who provide community programming. Since 2009 ‘sustainable’ legislative changes have affecting DC’s food industry, causing a change in operational costs and allowable materials to serve food. DC government’s acknowledgment of racial has informed its urban plan: racial equity is embedded throughout the approach to further develop the city. With documented barriers to success experienced by racial minority business owners and the potential for upcoming legislation to place additional constraints on restaurants, it warrants investigation to see what POC owners are doing in community programming and their experiences concerning recent urban policy which has affected DC’s food industry. A pragmatist approach complemented with Nadler & Tushman’s theory of organizational behavior and McMichael’s theory of contested development informed a content analysis and a case study design; the latter which employed observations and semi-structured interviews to gain insight on participants’ experiences. 19 POC-owned restaurants fit the study’s criteria: 12 displayed community programming within the scope of DC’s sustainability plan; 17 displayed community programming outside of the scope. The case study demonstrates the significance of businesses ownership of POC in DC, reflected contested development theory, and offered insights on how DC’s urban plan is understood by the staff of one restaurant. This work may inform practice to analyze the effects of environmental-focused policy on POC and equity goals, particularly within DC. Recommendations for future research, theory, and practice within equitable urban planning are included. / M.S. / This study explores the presence and experiences of people of color-owned (POC) restaurants under the governance of Washington, DC (DC) who provide community programming. A series of ‘sustainable’ legislative changes affecting DC’s food industry have occurred since the year 2009, resulting in changes in operations and what materials are allowed to serve food to customers. These changes include a fee on the use of disposal bags, a ban on the use of expanded polystyrene, commonly known as Styrofoam™, and in 2018, a ban on plastic straws. DC’s urban plan Sustainable DC 2.0 acknowledges disparities along lines of race in the city and aims to embed racial equity in its approach to further develop the city. With documented barriers to success experienced by racial minorities in the United States; DC’s uneven prosperity growth of white people compared to people of color, gentrifying conditions, and high property taxes; and DC Council’s introduction of a new policy which would further affect what is allowable to restaurants for serving, but also how and what food is to be prepared for organics collections; it warrants investigation to see what people of color are currently doing in the area of community programming and what their experiences are concerning recent urban policy which has affected DC’s food industry. A pragmatist approach complemented with a theoretical framework of Nadler & Tushman’s organizational behavior model and McMichael’s theory of contested development and sustainable transformation informed this work. The content analysis investigated the community programming of POC-owned restaurants and a case study employed observations and semi-structured interviews to gain insight on participant experiences. 19 restaurants were found in the content analysis: 12 restaurants displayed community programming within the scope of DC’s sustainability plan; 17 displayed community programming outside of the scope. The case study demonstrates the significance of businesses ownership of POC in DC, reflected McMichael’s contested development theory, and provided insights on how DC’s urban plan presents opportunities, successes, and challenges to one restaurant. Both the content analysis and case study showed a significant emphasis on engaging and supporting people of color, particularly the black community. This work may inform practice to analyze effects of environmental-focused policy on POC who own restaurants, and considerations of approach to working equitably in the area of urban planning, particularly within DC. Recommendations for future research, theory, and practice within equitable urban planning are included. This thesis provides insights to individuals engaging in equitable urban development in practice and research. It also will be useful to those engaged in qualitative research methodologies, as it describes how the focus and timeline of this study pivoted due to the occurrence of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.