Buy Black
Despite the Civil Rights Act of 1965, equality for blacks remains a long way off. That’s because some folks prefer to walk around with their heads in the clouds as if the work of creating
“The Great Society” is completed. I realize that the prejudices perpetuated over centuries can’t be eradicated in one or two generations. The end of legalized slavery didn’t end slavery; slavery simply took other forms — sharecropping, unfair wages, prison labor, etc.
With the recent antics of politicians like Marjorie Taylor Greene I’m surprised there are still so many in this community who see the plight of the black community as something people should simply ignore. That includes some Blacks fortunate enough to have moved out of the community. Deceased San Antonio civil rights activist, Claude Black once remarked during one of his “Lighthouse” meetings that “the worst thing that ever happened to Blacks was desegregation”. Who wouldn’t want to move out of an impoverished and crime-infested community? However, everyone should want to help eliminate the negative environment for those who are trapped there. The unfortunate truth is that most blacks who have been prosperous enough to escape those situations, more often than not, leave their relatives and friends behind.
W.E.B. DuBois was both educated and wealthy, but his life was spent trying to uplift the black community. The original opponent of racial issues in Charleston, Denmark Vesey, was a free black tradesman who not only purchased his own freedom, but also his wife’s. Vesey could easily have said “to hell with the other blacks left in slavery” but he chose to initiate a failed revolt that cost him his life. I could go on and on about blacks who have given more than their fair share to the black community, but that’s not the point I want to make. My point relates to the absurdity of thinking that the economic or social status of a few individuals alters the fortunes of an entire race. I personally am not willing to go as far as Claude Black, and denigrate the merits of desegregation, but in my opinion, when blacks are blessed with any advantage, they are obligated to use that advantage, whatever it might be, for the collective benefit of the black community.
The pandemic has imposed an additional burden on Black Americans, who already deal with a vicious cycle of structural barriers and disadvantages. Analysis shows that as a group, black Americans have worse health outcomes and are less likely to build wealth due to factors such as under-resourced community institutions, poor environments for investment, lower rates of career advancement, overrepresentation in lower-wage jobs, and a lack of inclusion in the financial system. These factors make black Americans more susceptible to the health and economic effects of the pandemic, as they are among the most poorly positioned to surmount these challenges.
If 2021 is going to better than 2020 in the Black community we must have each other’s back. We can start by supporting Black businesses. Nationally more than 400,000 Black businesses have closed and more than 46,000 Black lives have been lost as a result of the pandemic. If these facts do not inspire each of us to support one another, then our future is bleak.
