If we began to list the things that Black people don’t like or don’t do, the list would be long and exhaustive. Hell! Blacks don’t tip. They don’t skydive. They shy away from rock climbing. Of course, they aren’t particular about Country music. They don’t like their meat raw and bloody. They aren’t Nascar fans. Blacks avoid the extreme heat. They aren’t crazy about cold weather, either. We could go on and on and we’d find a Black or Brown face doing or liking what we have been led to believe they wouldn’t. But what bothers me is the idea that Black folks don’t like supporting Black businesses. The numbers are small or else we’d pull resources to create jobs and at minimum, employ our women.
It is common knowledge that a high percentage of mom and pops stores, owned by Blacks, are expensive and under stocked. Perhaps, this fact coupled with post-slavery trauma syndrome and the Willie Lynch theory makes buying black a difficult task. We have seemingly been conditioned to accept abuse, disrespect and poor service from community invaders who know that the Black dollar is a spent dollar. And of course, we gladly spend with outsiders despite their intentions to only suck money from our communities. Well, efforts are being made to educate Blacks about spending within our communities. I recall Warren Ballentine rallying his listeners to participate in a National BlackOut in 2007. And of course, the Andersons have committed to spending an entire year buying black. At a glance I would not have imagined it. I now understand what my jegna meant by not being quick to judge.
Somehow, we must learn to love, trust and appreciate ourselves and just maybe – we can love those who look like us. Please, take a page from the Andersons.
It is common knowledge that a high percentage of mom and pops stores, owned by Blacks, are expensive and under stocked. Perhaps, this fact coupled with post-slavery trauma syndrome and the Willie Lynch theory makes buying black a difficult task. We have seemingly been conditioned to accept abuse, disrespect and poor service from community invaders who know that the Black dollar is a spent dollar. And of course, we gladly spend with outsiders despite their intentions to only suck money from our communities. Well, efforts are being made to educate Blacks about spending within our communities. I recall Warren Ballentine rallying his listeners to participate in a National BlackOut in 2007. And of course, the Andersons have committed to spending an entire year buying black. At a glance I would not have imagined it. I now understand what my jegna meant by not being quick to judge.
Somehow, we must learn to love, trust and appreciate ourselves and just maybe – we can love those who look like us. Please, take a page from the Andersons.
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