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I remember running up and down Crenshaw Blvd in that area of Los Angeles called "The Jungle" looking for someone Black to sell me a jar of Ultra Sheen. Every store that sold products for my hair was run by Koreans who seemed to think that all Blacks had Jheri curls. Meanwhile, a brotha at the Crenshaw Swapmeet was trying to sell me an African dress for $300. What's this cat's problem? I wish I did have $300 to spend on one dress.
The lack of support for Black businesses is only the end result of a problem that has deep historical roots. The story isn't simple to tell and it isn't one sided. In this article we will look at the historical roots of the problem and explore the contemporary factors that keep it going. Of course just being aware of these factors will not make them magically go away, however it will enable us to make informed decisions and chart a course of action that will circumvent the forces which hold us down as a people.
At various times and in various places Black people have excelled in business. We don't just do the right thing. We do the right thing right. Even though slavery and Christian indoctrination deprived us of the deeper spiritual knowledge which our ancestors applied to every endeavor, we still inherited the ability to intuit excellence. It was for this reason the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacists groups were formed. During and after the so-called Reconstruction period it became clear to whites that without artificial obstructions Blacks would soon rise to a level that does not support the lie of white supremacy. This was not just something realized in America but throughout the African diaspora and in the Motherland itself whenever African nations are "freed" from European colonialism those who "freed" them immediately burden them with trumped up debt to keep them effectually dependent on Europe.
It doesn't take but one person to pee in an alleyway or deface a wall to discourage people from patronizing a business. Add to this Molotov cocktail bombs, burning a business to the ground, harassing and even killing customers and offering death as the only alternative to selling out. These are just a few of the artificial obstructions Black businesses have crumbled under.
That was in the past, one might say. In the apparent absence of white supremacist activity what's keeping Black businesses from thriving? Overstand, overt white supremacy only seems to disappear when something more effective serves its purpose in more subtle ways. Government subsidy of Asian and Arab businesses have combined with wholesalers who charge Black retailers more for the same products they sell to other groups at a cheaper price to create a grossly uneven playing field which forces Black retailers to charge their customers more. As an average consumer I don't know or care about all this. All I know is that this so-called brotha is trying to charge me $5 for something I can go to the Koreans down the street and get for $2. So where am I going to shop? Add to this my belief that anything my people do is inherently inferior and less legitimate than what others do. Plus I don't believe in racism. That's just an excuse for laziness and dishonesty. I don't care what color the shopkeeper is. I just want to get my Jheri curl activated for as little money as possible. Yet I look around at my deteriorating community and can't figure out why it has become a dystopia.
Am I blaming poor Blacks for the plight of Black businesses? By no means. This article isn't about laying blame. I am trying to take a look at the attitudes that contribute to the problem. The only pure villain in this situation is the white supremacist who got the ball rolling in the first place. But does that mean that we have to wait for this villain to magically become a hero? History should have taught us by now that no one can give you freedom and power. It's the Golden Rule--he who has the gold makes the rules. Whatever we accept from the hands of others will always be on their terms. We must all educate ourselves about what is happening in our community then take responsibility for the part we play. None of us is to blame for the whole situation, but we all play a part in it. Taking responsibility for our part will mean making sacrifices. We might not reap the benefits of the personal sacrifices we make. The benefits may fall to our children or even our grandchildren But that is our future. If we don't feel our own future is worth fighting and sacrificing for why should others?
I can't do everything but I can do something I am only one but I am one
Everything that we can do will involve sacrifice and will be met with opposition. As the saying goes the only things that grow without human effort are weeds. Yet as we move into a new millennium and a new age the prospects look much brighter for those who are willing to make that effort and realize the effort cannot be made for them. Here I offer a few suggestions that will help us contribute towards the solvency of our communities and Black owned businesses.
Business OwnersThe key word is Expand
You can think of more things you can do without
If you're reading this list and thinking I must be crazy because you can't do without any of it then you're not ready to see an improvement in your community. As the Indian sage Ghandi said we must BE the improvement we want to see in the world. We want the white man to make the world better for us but don't ask us to give up nothing. All these things we buy that make whites. Asians and Arabs rich. Why should they change our problem when it is their gain? Overstand, the difference between the poor and the wealthy is not money. They both have money. The difference is what they do with that money. The wealthy spend their money on assets. The poor spend their money on liabilities. Everything on this list is a liability that takes money out of your pocket but puts none back.
Our future as a people is an asset who's worth is far beyond any amount of money. Some of us may feel like the future is so totally in the hands of our enemies that we should just forget it and get whatever personal pleasure we can while we can. That's a lie. Some of us may look at the present condition and behavior of Blacks on the street and in the media and think they are beyond hopeless and helpless. That's another lie. Just because we seem not to have benefited from the investment the government made in our communities (welfare, housing projects, CITA, etc.) doesn't mean we will not benefit if we invest in ourselves. The investments the government makes don't come without strings attached and requirements that emasculate our men. Besides when we look around us at a community the government built/owns we don't have a sense of "this is mine" so we don't feel it is our responsibility to take care of it. But when we make an investment in our own we feel it is our own and we will take good care of it. Let's invest.