Supporting Black Businesses
Black people do not support Black businesses enough. There are Black clothing designers like Maurice Malone, Karl Kani, and Shabazz Brothers who are having trouble getting the recognition they deserve because too many Black people are following the marketing campaigns of people like Tommy Hilfiger. Also, there are Black athletes afraid to sign with Black sports agents because they are afraid that a Black agent can't get them the kind of contract a white agent could. It gets worse. There are Black people afraid to go to a Black doctor or dentist because they feel they will get substandard treatment and afraid to hire Black attorneys because they think they will be more likely to go to jail.
This has to stop. If we fail to support our own people, we are leaving our fate in the hands of other people. This gives them power over us, which can and has been used to hurt us and hinder us. Black professionals are as dedicated and skilled as their white counterparts, if not more. They have to be in order to survive in the hostile environment we create for our own people by treating them as if their service is inferior. There are times when Black professionals must charge higher prices to provide services, but only because they do not receive the patronage of Black customers.
If we supported ourselves the way we supported the white men who laugh at us, we would have stronger communities. There would be more Black doctors, and they would be able to afford better equipment to provide better services. These services are no good to our community if they are only available outside our community. I
If we would shop at Black-owned businesses, white businesses would give us more respect because they would not take our money for granted.
The amount of money people have to spend can determine political power. We earn and spend enough money to have enormous political power, but we don't have that power because we don't support Black businesses. When we spend money on non-Black businesses, more money goes out of our communities than that which comes back in. This gives our economic and political power away. People disregard our feelings and ignore our demands because they know that we will still support them.
It is time to stop talking about high prices to justify our lack of self-support. As for those who think Black people provide lesser quality services, consider the service provided by white-owned companies like Denny's and Texaco. They are the ones you are giving your money to, and as you laugh at your latest joke about Black businesses, they laugh at you.
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