Black Empowerment 2008: Increasing Quality of Community

8/9/2019 Black Empowerment 2008: Increasing Quality of Community

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Black Empowerment 2008

INCREASING QUALITY OF COMMUNITY

BY BABA LAWRENCE


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BLACK EMPOWERMENT 2008: INCREASING QUALITY OF COMMUNITY

Spearmangroup Copyright 2008 2


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RATIONALE FOR THIS PAPER

While doing a review of Black business

activity since September 11, 2001 we

found that the wealth gap betweenBlacks and Whites has widened.

Although Black business start-up

numbers are high, the revenues are

low with few jobs created.

Furthermore, the high numbers have

been the basis of misleading

assumptions that need to be

challenged.

In the discussions to define the scope of this document, it was agreed that we would

focus on suggesting solutions rather than regurgitate Black economic and social

development problems.

Traditional approaches to Black economic development are not working for African

Americans. Its time to suggest a new economic model, one that protects Black

enterprises from the difficulties encountered in past business endeavors.

It was also agreed that we would examine relevant strategies from a post September

11, 2001 perspective and in particular, we would concentrate on outcomes thatsupport:

Wealth parity between Black and White Americans Reduction in Black inappropriate behavior patterns Increased number of sustainable Black businesses


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INTRODUCTION

The times are chaotic. Corporate jobs are leaving America. Small businesses are

becoming the main fabric of the American economy. Dominant ethnic groups are well

represented in number of businesses and business receipts. They have self-sustainingeconomies, where they employ others from their group. However, according to an

article by Jim Clingman, The Small and Minority Business Game:

With most Black business owners, especially those in construction trades, having far

less in annual revenue, oftentimes no employees, and a much lower net worth, the

chances of them competing and winning contracts just got slimmer. To make matters

even worse, our Small Business Enterprise Program, which calls for 30% of the

business to go to "small" (theres that word again) businesses, includes everyone.

Thats right. Even white males can participate in the Small Business Program now.

Lets get this straight. White males get the 70% and then they can get in on the 30%

as well. They can even start front companies for their wives and daughters and get

even more of the 30% that way as well. What a deal, and guess what. We have black

(small "b") city council persons who approved this silly program.

The number of Black businesses is small with meager receipts and to make matters

worse, jobs are not being created. Evidently, business development programs are not

working for African-Americans.

Africans in America are assailed by deplorable conditions, such as; lowest amount of

wealth, highest unemployment, lowest income, highest crime rate, and fastest death

rate. These conditions, according to Sociologists are the results of poor economic

development. This paper will discuss alternative approaches to developing the Black

community by establishing Black businesses.


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THE PROBLEM

Our investigation of the deplorable conditions faced by the Black masses resulted in

discovery of a twofold problem:

Unequal Wealth Distribution Inappropriate Behavior Patterns

Unequal Wealth Distribution

We must understand that wealth is money you receive because of ownership of

property - real estate, stocks and bonds, or business. Its money you continue to

receive for as long as you own the property. On the other hand, income is money

earned by selling your labor. The issue with income is if you do not work, the money

stops. Black Americans have abundant income (Approximately 700 billion dollars) andminimal wealth.

The wealth gap is widening between mainstream White society and Black America.

According to the report The State of the Dream 2004 by United for a Fair Economy,

African Americans were 13% of the population in 2001, but owned just 3% (including

home equity) of the median family wealth. If we adjust for 2001 dollars, that means

$121,000 for White households and $19,000 for Black households. Furthermore, it will

take until 2099 (98 years) to reach parity.

Why is wealth accumulation so important? Wealth accumulation is vital because it

determines an ethnic groups social acceptance, access to functional schools, number

of competitive businesses, equal justice, essential health care, personal comfort, and

the length and quality of their lives.

Inappropriate Behavior Patterns (IBP)

Unequal Wealth Distribution is not totally to blame for Black Americas lowly

economic status and accompanying quality of life. Another major cause is what

Anderson (2001) calls Inappropriate Behavior Patterns (IBP) (Actions that result inBlacks participating in there own subordination or exploitation). [1] Inappropriate

behavior patterns stem from the social conditioning of slavery. Some say IBP results

from Post Traumatic Slavery Disorder.

Dr. Kenneth P. Clark, in a monumental piece states:


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In order to fully grasp the magnitude of our current problems, we must reopen the

books on the events of slavery. Our objective should not be to cry stale tears for the

past, or to rekindle old hatreds for past injustices. Instead, we should seek to

enlighten our path of today by better understanding where and how the lights were

turned out yesterday.

We should also understand that slavery should be viewed as a starting point for

understanding the African-American psyche, and not as an end point.

Therefore, the study of the AfricanAmerican psyche should include psycho-history,

but it should not be exclusively concerned with events in the past. [2]

The Slavery Conditioning process was designed to instill in Blacks strict discipline, a

sense of inferiority, belief in the slave owners superior power, acceptance of the

owners standards and a deep sense of a slave helplessness and dependence. The slaveowners strove to cut blacks off from their own history, culture, language and

community, and to inculcate White societys value system. [3]

The slaveholders conditioned Blacks to serve as good slaves. The effects carried over

into freed Black society and affected the general behavior of Blacks as a race of

people. [4]

The slaveholders absolute power over Blacks allowed them to operate an efficient

and effective slavery conditioning system. Slaveholders constructed internal controls

on slaves that minimized the external force needed to control them. The government

provided the environment for the legal framework that allowed the conditioning

process to exist and operate for 250 years. [5]

As a result, Slavery Conditioning gave birth to IBP that weakens the competitive

impulse in African-Americans. Competitiveness declines to the point where we

fabricate rationale to justify behavior of outsiders rather than ally with members of

their own group to compete against outsiders.

Moreover, Inappropriate Behavior Patterns teach Whites and others how to treat us. Ifwe want to be respected, then we must change what we are teaching our competitors.

Examples of destructive IBP are:

Community Division Attitude Towards the Family


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Collusion with the Competition Seeking the Approval Of Whites White Ice is Colder Attitude Towards Work Attitude Towards Material Objects

Community Division

The most damaging inappropriate behavior faced by African-Americans is Community

Division. The slave master fostered it among the slaves in order to diffuse any

unification efforts. The slave makers knew that disunited communities would be easy

prey for continued control. All types of division devices prevented the slaves from

coming together.

The major separation was between the house and field workers. The house workers

saw themselves as privileged. They had less physical labor, wore better clothes, ate

better and took care of the personal needs of the master and his household.

Just to be physically closer to the master gave the house slave a sense of superiority

over his fellow field slaves.

The slave master used his house slaves as a buffer zone against the field slaves. He

encouraged them to feel superior, be loyal to his cause and take his side during any

disputes. Because of this social conditioning, the slave master gained some slaves that

assisted and identified with him completely.

Community Division in the Black community persists today. Rather than house versus

field we have, establishment, grassroots, college-educated, non college-educated,

Christians, Muslims, Baptists, Methodists, fraternities, sororities, schools, white collar,

blue collar, republicans, democrats, neighborhoods and hundreds of other bases for

division. The origin of all these divisions comes from the same source as it did 400

years ago --- an outsider who profits from the separation.

Black Americans, just as we did 400 years ago, spend more time arguing and justifying

separate goals than we do working on common goals. Slavery Conditioning has psychedus out to feel our separate problems are more important than our shared problems.

Attitude Towards the Family

The African-American psyche was seriously damaged with respect to the Black family.

The family is the basis of personal, healthy, constructive, and community life. The


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lack of a strong family leads to unstable individual and community life. Much

destruction came to Black America when the slave master destroyed our marriage,

fatherhood and motherhood institutions.

William Goodell (1853) describes the institution of marriage as viewed by the

slaveholders:

The obligations of marriage are evidently inconsistent with the conditions of slavery,

and cannot be performed by a slave. The husband promised to protect his wife and

provide for her. The wife promised to be the helpmeet of her husband. They

mutually promise to live with and cherish each other, till parted by death. But what

can such promises by slaves mean? The legal relation of master and slave renders

them void! It forbids the slave to protect even himself. It clothes his master with

authority to bid him inflict deadly blows on the woman he has sworn to protect. It

prohibits his possession of any property wherewith to sustain her. It gives masterunlimited control, and full possession of her own person, and forbids her, on pain of

death, to resist him, if he drags her to his bed! It severs the plighted pair at the will

of their masters, occasionally or forever. [6]

The Black man's worth came from his ability to work hard and make babies. The slave

master saw him as a stud and workhorse. The stronger he was and the more children

he could sire, greater was the expansion of the masters financial means. The more

profit came to the master. Righteous principles such as being able to protect, support

and provide for ones offspring failed consideration as the mark of a man. In fact, if a

slave sought to stand for those principles, he was labeled a troublemaker and

immediately killed. After several generations of such inhumane treatment, the

Blackman adapted and began to avoid the role of a true father.

Today in African-American communities, we find the contemporary-pimp or man who

delights in his sexual exploits, making neglected babies. He leaves the state to father

his children while he fathers his bling, ride, ice, gear, or his crib.

The Black woman bred or became a sexual depository for having healthy children.

Again, Goodell (1853) points out a newspaper advertisement for a female slave, whichpromotes her desirable qualities:

A girl, about 20 years of age (raised in Virginia), and her two female children, one

four and the other two years old, is remarkably strong and healthy, never having had

a days sickness, with the exception of the smallpox, in her life. The children are fine

and healthy. She is very prolific in her generating qualities and affords a rare


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opportunity to any person who wishes to raise a family or healthy servants for their

own use. [7]

Such abuse of Black womanhood began to destroy the natural dignity and nurturance

of motherhood. Today we find Black women choosing to become breeders in their

search for identity. Too many of those mothers are children themselves, lacking

parenting skills and leaving their children to grow up undisciplined and in many cases a

menace to society.

The lack of a healthy family structure leads to dissolution of communities. What

should be community . . . decays into neighborhoods?

These neighborhoods become enclaves of individuals without a code conduct. They

serve as targets for Community Division ploys of outsiders and as a breeding ground for

disunity.

Collusion with the Competition

History has taught us that coalitions usually operate at the expense of the grassroot

Black majority. This type of inappropriate behavior occurs when Blacks partner with

other ethnic groups.

It is a problem because so many members of the Black establishment [8] use it.

Coalescing encourages Blacks to work with groups who already have articulated goals,

rather than organize goals of our own. Black participation gives credibility and

strength to sexual preference, ethnic, class, gender, disabled, and Spanish-speaking

groups, some of whom compete openly with us for wealth and power and openly

oppose Black gains.

During Collusion with the Competition African-Americans, lose by default due to the

inappropriate behavior of Black establishment leaders who seek cross-group alliances,

White approval, and corporate dollars at the expense of their own people. In

addition, if funds are available, the trickle-down theory takes effect and usually

leaves us with leftovers after sexual preference, gender, ethnic, religious, disabled

and Spanish speaking language groups receive what they want or need.

Being a Good Negro

Slavery conditioning produces an inappropriate behavior that comes from the old

social or Southern racial etiquette. It occurs when Blacks, especially from the South or


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early childhood and continuing until death or total disability. To the slave, work did

not provide for his needs. Instead he worked, often under the threats of abuse or

death, to produce profits for the slave master. A good crop did not improve his life or

community; it improved only the life and community of the slave master.

Work, as any activity that bears no benefit to the doer, was hated. Seen as a form of

punishment, and as any punishment, those who are punished despise it. Moreover,

work was identified with slavery. Even today, Ebonics refers to a job as a slave.

Enslavement meant work and freedom meant avoidance of work. Work was viewed as

the activity of the pride-less underdog. Today, one hundred and forty four years

removed from slavery, it is difficult for many Blacks to view the long-term reward of

sustained work as being adequate to erase the stigma of the toil. Many of us will not

start a business because it is easier to work for someone else and get a regular

paycheck and the leisure of EmancipationFriday evening through Monday morning.

Attitude Towards Material Things

Allowing the slave to own nothing or very little was social conditioning that spawned a

care less Attitude Towards Material Things. The slave master possessed property and

the finer material things such as, clothes, jewelry, fine house, beautiful landscaping,

etc. Consequently, the same way the slave hated and resented his master, he resented

and envied the masters possessions. Those possessions were associated with freedom

and power to direct ones life, family and economy.

Today, African-Americans have mixed inappropriate behavior patterns toward material

things and property. On the one hand, there is resentment of property and an

unconscious delight in vandalism and abuse of property seen as belonging to the

master. This resentment finds expression in the high rate of destruction and

defacement in public housing and rented properties.

On the other hand, Black Americans have an unnatural attraction to material things.

During slavery, wearing Massahs old hat or Missis old dress became a symbol of

pride and status.

A slave could play at being Massah or Missis for a few moments. Kenneth Stamp (1956)

vividly illustrates this idea:

The elegantly dressed slaves, who promenaded the streets of Southern town and

cities on Sundays, the men in fine linens and bright waiscoasts, the women in full


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petticoats and silk gowns, were usually the domestic servants of wealthy planters or

townspeople. Butlers, coachmen, maids and valets had to uphold the prestige of

their White families. [10].

Such experiences with property and material things have left a legacy that is

influential in our lives today. We waste large sums of money on items with no

appreciative value such as, electronic gizmos, flashy clothes, expensive rims,

expensive cars, jewelry and expensive liquor. Because we wish to look like the slave

master, we consistently drain our budgets and fail to use our money to accumulate

wealth.

While considering the attitudes, which come from social conditioning, please

remember that the resulting predispositions are only one aspect in determining our

behavior. Western materialism, imperialism and aggression also have an affect on the

African-American psyche. The bottom line is that we should be aware thatpredispositions within us from our past might control our behavior in ways we do not

understand.

WHAT WE ARE DOING AND WHY ITS NOT WORKING

In our quest for empowerment, we are a group out of sync with the times. Instead of

working towards wealth parity, many of us are chasing detrimental myths and elusive

dreams. This section discusses several of our myths and dreams:

Integration Diversity Politics Education Religion

Integration

The dream of integration has never come true for Black Americans. When we

pursued this dream in the 60s we did not realize that the integrating group loses all

self-determination prerogatives, since the dominant society must process and approve

all goals and plans.


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Once Blacks began to integrate, we abandoned our businesses, schools and

communities, we also lost disposable income that was redistributed to White

communities, and we even lost our middle-class Black role models, who followed

Whites to the suburbs. The loss of Black income and role models has left Black

communities across the nation impoverished and without leadership.

And, worst of all, under integration Black people have had to shape their goals,

values and behavior around White Americas standards, though White approval likely

will not reap financial or political gains for Black people. [11]

Diversity

Another elusive Black American dream is cultural diversity. Cultural diversity can

lead to the Inappropriate Behavior Pattern of Collusion with the Competition. It co-

ops and weakens Black claims for national attention. In addition, it creates an ethicthat equates all ethnic group grievances with those of Blacks while it belittles and

neutralizes our efforts to resolve unique concerns.

For other ethnic groups cultural diversity has its advantages. Main streets in every city

have their share of Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Vietnamese, Italian, Greek, French,

Ethiopian, and Thai restaurants. The cultures of these groups stay intact if they

choose to assimilate into mainstream culture. At the same time, they can establish

other businesses, communities and their own economies.

On the other hand, African-Americans do not have the advantage of an identifiable

culture of our very own. Instead, Black culture is represented by a fragmented array

of African heritage, soul, and Black history. This mish-mash of culture disintegrates

during assimilation into mainstream culture. If all things were equal cultural diversity

could be advantageous to us, however they are not.

Politics

Politics without economics is symbol without substance. - Minister Louis Farrakhan

The myth of Politics has kept Black Americans occupied since the end of slavery. We

know that political power is important because politics decides who is to have what

benefits in life. However, those who aspire to have it can only obtain and use it if

they have economic power as well.


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We cannot allow our brothers and sisters to forget the words of Marcus Garvey, who

said:

The most important area for the exercise of independent effort [is] economic. After

a people have established a firm industrial foundation they turn to politics . . . but

not first. . . to politics because the latter cannot exist without the former. [12]

Then in addition, the fundamental rule of all politics is --- quid quo pro. This means,

If you scratch my back, then I will scratch yours. After you invest the time, energy

and resources in support of a political issue, candidate or political party, then expect

compensation in an equal manner.

This rule of politics applies to everyone in America except African-Americans. Black

Americans traditionally support White candidates and their political parties out of a

sense of obligation and loyalty. As a result, the Black vote is taken for granted. Thereis no time in history when Black Americans have been compensated on a quid quo pro

basis for political contributions that have been made.

Unfortunately, the political picture for Black Americans gets worse. We have not

demanded a quid quo pro relationship. Demanding a quid quo pro relationship with

its elected politicians enabled Cuban refugees to economically and politically surpass

and subordinate Blacks in Miami, Florida within one decade.

Thus, Black political power has yet to become an effective strategy for getting vitally

needed resources to Black communities. Though the rule of politics is something for

something Black Americans are never specifically rewarded for their overwhelming

support for candidates for public office. Back officials are skittish about using the

powers of their offices to specifically address the needs of Black communities because

they are concerned about generating a White Backlash. It is easier for them to propose

or support programs that are ambiguously designed to assist everybody rather than

just Blacks. For their political support, Blacks have always been denied quid quo pro,

or something in return for their votes. [13]

Education

Education without self knowledge is training and no one benefits from training but

the trainer. Niam Akbar


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Some Blacks pursue the myth of Education. They are hoping that if they or their

children get enough education they can overcome wealth disparity in America. Lets

look at a few facts about education.

The architect of the common school system, Horace Mann, envisioned schools as

institutions for Whites, as he described public education as the great equalizer. He

felt that Blacks would attend schools for the less fortunate.

Years later, African-Americans gained access to public schools and Whites treated us

horribly. Moreover, as the saying goes, If they dont treat you right, then they wont

teach you right. Americas school systems spouted racism and collaborated with

social institutions to maintain the structural inequalities that predetermined Black

childrens life chances. Even today public schooling has not committed to providing

Black children with a truly quality education, instead social scientist and politicians

have spent years charging Blacks with inferior intelligence and poor educationalvalues.

The more education you have the more wealth you are supposed to gain, however

there is practically no relationship between Black peoples level of wealth and their

educational experiences. During the years 1865 to 1895, Blacks cut their illiteracy rate

by 50% (from 98% to 48%). Following the Civil War nearly 25 million immigrants came

from Europe with approximately the same illiteracy rate as Blacks. During the next 30

years, Blacks reduced their illiteracy rate twice as fast as the European immigrants

did. In contrast, as Europeans immigrants achieved educationally, they moved up in

wealth, income, political empowerment, social acceptance and business ownership.

Blacks started on the bottom and are still on the bottom today. There was no direct

correlation between astounding Black educational achievement and benefits.

The reason for the freeze on upward mobility is not difficult to figure out. Public

education was predominantly Euro-centric with little to no information about African-

Americans. As Akbar (1998) points out, education without self-knowledge is merely

training, and people who are trained can only serve those educated people who were

their trainers. [14]

Census data indicated, as late as the 1950s that a White high school graduate earned

more than a Black college graduate. A Black person earned only 54 cents for every

dollar a White person earned. In the mid 1970s Black, earned income went as high as

67 cents for every dollar that Whites earned. It fell back down to 56 cents for every

dollar the Whites earned in the 1980s. Black Americans are not wrong for wanting an

education; we just have to understand that education by itself is not enough.


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Anderson (2001) concludes a section on education with the following paragraph:

Wealth and other inequalities continue primarily because the planned inferior

education provided to Blacks was never designed to give them countervailing power to

offset the racism to which they would be exposed in mainstream society. [15]

Religion

Eurocentric interpretations of the Bible have created religious myths that impair Black

empowerment. Religion was one of the first tools used by slave masters in Slavery

Conditioning. They hoped Christianity would encourage slaves to be Christ-like,

obedient, justify their own bondage, and control the hearts and minds of Black slaves

in general.

Whites produced self-serving explanations of the Bible, alleging Blacks were a cursedpeople, destined to be the slaves of whites (the curse of Ham). They tried to focus

Black aspirations on the next life to the extent that some Blacks wished they were

dead. When Black preachers were allowed to preach to Blacks, they were urged to

teach that:

1. When the Bible referred to slave and master, it was referring to the Blackrace and the White master here on earth.

2. Blacks were supposed to be hard-working, trustworthy, obedient and humble3. Blacks were to accept their lot in life, postpone worldly pleasures, and look

forward to their pie in the sky after death.

White seminary schools approved Black ministers who encouraged Blacks to collude in

their own subordination and exploitation.

These religious dogmas persist in Black churches today causing many to accept or

ignore Black injustices.

COMING FROM OUT THE BOX

If African-Americans cannot amass mainstream wealth through integration, diversity,

politics, education and/or religion after 400 years, we must do the next best thing ---

create wealth outside of the mainstream within our Black communities.


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If we seriously want to improve our situation, we must work cooperatively to

strengthen our collective economic position. Cooperatively means that increasing

quality of community becomes the motive of men instead of increasing individual

profit. Increased individual profit will come from more efficient and effective

operation of productive, literate, healthy and happier Black people in the community.

This can be accomplished by:

1. De-programming our Slavery Conditioning and eliminating InappropriateBehavior Patterns

2. Replacing our do-for-others mindset with a do-for-self mindset3. Assessing our resources4. Using what we find to establish programs and procedures that benefit our

communities.

5. Using Internet technology (Web, Email, Radio, and TV) to implement andmarket the programs

De-Programming Our Slavery Conditioning

It is through consciousness that a group knows whom they are, why they are and how

to behave. Moreover, from ones consciousness comes culture, from culture comes

attitudes, from attitudes come feelings, and from feelings come actions. We can

reverse-engineer the harmful effects of Slavery Conditioning by reawakening our

consciousness in a totally new context. . . . MAAFA Healing.

MAAFA is the Swahili word for holocaust. MAAFA Healing is a form of post-traumatic

slavery therapy that moves our Level of Consciousness from the self-destructive

effects of Slavery Conditioning and Inappropriate Behavior Patterns to appropriate

behavior patterns. This is accomplished by going back to go forward and erasing the

negative influences from the subconscious mind and replacing them with positive Black

consciousness principles (wisdom teachings). Much the same way Neuro Linguistic

Programming conditions a smoker to become a non-smoker.

A study group investigating the glorious civilizations of our ancestors is an excellent

way to implement MAAFA Healing. The sessions will raise our consciousness by

emancipating us from the alien-inspired dungeon of false beliefs about others, the

world and ourselves. Moreover, theyll supply us with a new set of historically


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accurate facts, concepts, theories, and perspectives about ourselves, about others,

and about the world based on our African cultural and intellectual heritage.

Without some form of MAAFA Healing, most Africans in America are unconscious:

constrained by Slavery Conditioning to confusion, seeking unidentifiable and

unattainable goals. Most significantly, an unconscious mind leaves us unable utilize the

melanin in our bodies to tune into spiritually empowering thoughts.

MAAFA Healing gives us grounds to be a confident and proud people. Our new cultural

context will promote the following ethics:

Americans of African descent are a very special people with commonbeginnings

We are the original people on earth who built the first civilizations fromwhence all others came

We were a strong communal society that believed in the value of the extendedfamily

We have awesome intelligence that was the source of mathematics, physics,astronomy, medicine, civil engineering, religion, agriculture and most other

disciplines of today

We have made the most spectacular educational achievement on earth. (After300 years of forced illiteracy, we reduced our illiteracy rate by half in 30

years.)

Our ancestors were hard workers who built structures and accomplished featsthat no one else has been able to duplicate

Our ancestors in Kemet (Egypt) established a civilization that lasted forthousands of years

Replacing Our Do-For-Others Mindset with a Do-For-Self Mindset

According to Anderson (1994), Black Americans spend 95% of their annual disposable

income with businesses located in other communities.

Of the five percent that remains in Black communities, another three percent is spent

with non-Black owned businesses. It is difficult, if not impossible for Black

communities to maintain a reasonable quality of life and be economically competitive


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when only two percent of their annual disposal income remains within Black

communities. [16]

Others have lived luxuriously (improving their schools, building new businesses,

obtaining essential healthcare and generally improving the length and quality of their

lives) off our generous, do-for-others, spending habits.

With our culturally enlightened psyche, the time has come for us to stop going along

to get along and do-for-self. Do-for-self means giving to ourselves. . . . giving love of

self and love of race. As a result, cooperation with more encouragement, support, and

giving and buying Black is possible.

Assessing Our Resources

Wealth derives from ownership and control of natural, processed or human capitalresources:

1. Natural (land, water, precious minerals, and metals)2. Processed (machinery, factories, consumer items, public improvements,

stocks, and bonds)

3. Human capital (skilled, literate, labor force)We must control what resources we can to produce wealth in the Black community.

The majority of African-Americans own or control few significant resources - we havejobs. There is no wealth potential in a job. It is the owner and producer of the job

who has the wealth potential.

Therefore, it is necessary to connect with our brothers and sisters around the world

who own and control land, such as in Africa and the Caribbean. These connections can

take the forms of customer, raw material supplier and manufacturer.

Of the resource options available in America, control of human capital is the most

practical for our African Americans. Astute management of human capital leads tosuccessful businesses and a viable means for wealth accumulation. Although most

risky, wealth generated from business ownership can be acquired and redistributed

many times faster than from natural or processed resources.


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Use What We Find To Establish Programs and Procedures ThatBenefit Our Community

Programs are defined by goals and the strategies implemented to meet those goals.

Our empowerment goals should be based on unmet community needs. After using

community representatives on a team to brainstorm valid goals, make a list of

prospective individuals and organizations that will help meet the goals.

Next, the team should make an inventory of the resources (people, equipment,

supplies, and information) available from those on the list. Next, the brainstorming

process should be used to come up with situations outlining how what we have can be

used to achieve our goals. These scenarios are called strategies. Resource availability

should be used to frame the strategy necessary for accomplishing the previously

outlined goals.

Any strategy outlined should be broken down into doable tasks, person/s responsible,

due dates and cost. Last but not least, strong management is required to monitor

program performance and make sure tasks get done in a timely manner.

The masses of Black folk in the community are grassroots, underemployed,

unemployed and/or income challenged. Unlike the establishment class (leaders and

beneficiaries of status quo social, corporate, and religious institutions), they are not

proficient in the accounting, marketing and operations elements of economic

development. Therefore, there is a need for community-minded training. A bonding

together of businesses (both virtual and brick and mortar), community activist,

philanthropist, and business services that link business development with community

development while fulfilling the needs of grassroots Black entrepreneurs. This

approach is a viable initiative in revitalizing urban Black communities.

According to the article, CommunityEntrepreneurship, by Michael H. Shuman author

of, Going Local: Creating Self-Reliant Communities in a Global Age:

First, the best community-minded training programs teach their entrepreneurs

fulfilling unmet local needs is, by definition, going to be better for the inner citythan exporting yo-yos. One such program is Urban SEED (Sustainable Economic and

Environmental Development), based in Alameda, California, which encourages its

trainees to focus on micro enterprises that grow organic food and generate renewable

energy. Another is the Detroit Farmers Cooperative, which operates seven community

gardens and five neighborhood-based markets, all run by seven young African


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Americans, 14 to 16 years old. In addition, the Hope Takes Root program in Detroit

employs homeless men to grow food for local meals programs for the poor.

Second, a community that moves toward self-reliance is often rewarded with a higher

economic multiplier. Economists sometimes assert that a community should be

indifferent about whether a new enterprise produces $100,000 worth of apples for

export or $100,000 worth of apples consumed locally, since each injects $100,000 of

productive activity into the local economy. There is a difference, however. In both

cases, the producer realizes $100,000 of gain and re-spends it in the local economy. In

the latter case, however, consumers also spend $100,000 locally that they otherwise

would have had to spend outside the city to import apples. Every time a community

chooses to import an item it could just as easily make for itself, it's giving away

another piece of its multiplier.

Finally, a self-reliant community enjoys greater tax receipts. Again, the businesstaxes from the $100,000 exporter and the $100,000 import-replacer are identical.

However, in the latter case, the higher economic multiplier in the rest of the

community means that taxes from other enterprises in the city will be higher. Plus,

the city can enjoy sales tax (the U.S. constitution bans sales tax on interstate or

international commerce). Higher tax revenues mean better schools, police, roads, and

so forth.

Grassroots entrepreneurs will need business services. These services include business

coaching, accounting, legal services, loan packaging, insurance, web development,

graphic design, credit clearing, and merchant card services.

Before these services are provided to the grassroots entrepreneur, he or should join

virtual business incubators. These incubators are Internet powered (web, radio, and

TV) cooperatives designed to consolidate incoming business owners into improved

economic position. Improvement comes from the efficiency of working collectively

such as, cooperative buying, referral arrangements, business-to-business transactions,

bartering, mentor/protg relationships and easy access to the network business

services.

Incubator activities will be designed to create internal cash flow and avoid Collusion

with the Competition. In addition, each cooperative member business is evaluated by

a business coach for strengths/weaknesses and expert guidance offered.


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Marketing the Program

Grassroots entrepreneurs will be attracted to the program by appealing marketing

strategies:

1. A message that moves the grassroots entrepreneur from idea to income in amanner, which he or she can relate.

2. Free to low-cost services and products.3. The feeling of community evolving from shared knowledge, resources, and

pulling together for increased competitiveness.

4. A schedule of special business-building events and activities such as, guestspeakers, entrepreneurial studies, workshops, and business education programs

offered at conveniently located community venues.

5. Informative articles periodically distributed that educate the business owner onwealth creation strategies and Black dollar recycling

6. An exciting Internet presence that streamlines business processes,communication, market coverage, event, business news, and tools.

WHATS IN IT FOR ME?

It is not difficult to see how a Coming From Outsidethe Box approach can possibly

produce prosperity in the Black community. In addition, the approach has personalbenefits as well:

Wealth Creation (Legacy)

Many financially successful individuals have gained wealth from owning businesses.

They have accumulated wealth by effectively deploying their resources and winning at

the marketplace. At the end of the day, a business and financial legacy transfers to

future generations.

Self-Satisfaction (Peace of Mind)

As opposed to the stress felt from a 9 to 5, there is a sense of self-satisfaction. People

are motivated and enthusiastic when they are entrepreneurs.

Job Security (Survivability)


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The current economic downturn has seen the downfall of some corporate icons. As a

result, many good, hard working people are without work, through no fault of their

own, especially if they were African American. Becoming a business owner allows one

to take charge of their destiny. They are permanently on the payroll.

In addition, their employment is not a management decision, as it is when the

termination of 20 staff members insure one executives golden parachute.

Tax Advantages (More Money)

For a long time, wage earners have suffered heavy tax burdens, while business owners

have kept money in their pockets. Becoming a business owner will allow African-

Americans to legally manage their tax liability through depreciation, credits, and

other tax incentives. A business owner can save substantial funds from taxation.

CONCLUSION

Our research tells us that the central problems facing Black Americans are Unequal

Distribution of Wealth and Inappropriate Behavior Patterns (IBP). The expanding

wealth gap becomes an important issue when we realize that wealth accumulation

determines quality of life. IBPare actions that result in Blacks participating in their

own subordination or exploitation. Inappropriate Behavior Patterns stem from the

social conditioning of slavery. Examples of destructive inappropriate behaviors are:

Community Division Attitude Towards the Family Collusion with the Competition Seeking the Approval Of Whites White Ice is Colder Attitude Towards Work Attitude Towards Material Objects

If African-Americans could not amass mainstream wealth through integration,diversity, politics, education or religion after 400 years, we must do the next best

thing --- create wealth outside of the mainstream within our Black communities.

A study group investigating the glorious civilizations of our ancestors is an excellent

way to implement MAAFA Healing. The sessions will raise our consciousness by

emancipating us from the alien-inspired dungeon of false beliefs about others, the


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world and ourselves. Moreover, theyll supply us with a new set of historically

accurate facts, concepts, theories, and perspectives about ourselves, about others,

and about the world based on our African cultural and intellectual heritage.

An outside-the-mainstream approach to accumulating wealth is to cooperatively

strengthen our collective economic position. This can be accomplished by:

1. De-programming our social conditioning2. Replacing our do-for-others mindset with a do-for-self mindset3. Assessing our resources4. Using what we find to establish programs and procedures that benefit our

community.

5. Marketing the programs to the community.In addition to community payback, this approach has many personal benefits:

An initiative that is modeled after the coming out of the box approach will be a

valuable asset in empowering the Black community.

F O O T N O T E S


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[1] Anderson, Claud. Powernomics: The National Plan to Empower Black America,

(Powernomics Corporation of America, Inc., 2001) 7

[2] Akbar, Naim. Chains and Images of Psychological Slavery, (New Mind Productions,

1984) 8

[3] Anderson, Claud. White Wealth, Black Labor: The Search for Power and Economic

Justice, (Duncan & Duncan, Inc. 1994) 165

[4] Ibid., 165

[5] Ibid., 165

[6] Akbar, Naim. Chains and Images of Psychological Slavery, (New Mind Productions,

1984) 27

[7] Ibid., 29

[8] T Shaka, Oba. The Art of Leadership, (Pan Afrikan Publications, 1991) 287

[9] Anderson, Claud Powernomics: The National Plan to Empower Black America,


[10] Stamp, Kenneth. The Peculiar Institution: Slavery in the Ante Bellum South, (New

York, Vintage Books, 1956) 289

[11] Anderson, Claud White Wealth,Black Labor: The Search for Power and Economic


[12] Clingman, James. Blackonomics: The Way to Psychological and Economic Freedomfor African Americans, (Milligan Books, Inc. 2001) 200

[13] Anderson, Claud White Wealth,Black Labor: The Search for Power and Economic


[14] Akbar, Naim Know Thy Self, (Mind Productions & Associates, 1998) 2

[15] Anderson, Claud Powernomics: The National Plan to Empower Black America,


[16] Anderson, Claud. White Wealth,Black Labor: The Search for Power and Economic


Black Empowerment 2008: Increasing Quality of Community

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