Black economics—the destruction of the black business

Recently, members of the Atlanta Free Speech staff, along with their relatives and friends, experienced poor, and quite frankly, disturbing customer service.  The most upsetting truth about these experiences is that they took place at Black establishments, with the exception of one.  Unfortunately, it is this type of treatment that Black patrons of these establishments receive that leads to the destruction of Black businesses.

Before integration, Black communities thrived with the support of its own neighborhoods.  The Black dollar stayed within the Black community.  Blacks bought from Black suppliers and utilized resources within their respective districts.  Segregation meant blacks had to sustain their own areas and they did so exceedingly well. Neighborhoods like Harlem, Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, Greenwood in Oklahoma (the Negro Wall Street), and others were prestigious centers of black enterprise and culture.  Ironically, this changed after integration.  Today, black people spend 95% of their money at white businesses. Sadly, white enterprises and/or corporations own many Black businesses.

These white companies do not care about the longstanding survival of Black businesses. They only care about the money Black businesses can make for them.  Nothing much has changed; Blacks are still working to make white’s richer! Moreover, the difference in how whites are treated compared to Blacks at these establishments is sickening. Black business owners or managers, treat Black customers as if their money is of less value than their white customers. Why would someone continue to patron your business when your customer service is poor, especially to those who look like you and live in the same community?

Blacks need to realize that in order to thrive within the service industry, we must take care of our own first. This means that over charging “your” people and maintaining an unpolished staff is unacceptable. If I can go somewhere for half the price and receive better service, that is where I will continue to patron, rather than “helping-a-brother-out.” But when we do this, you want to call us a sell out or a hypocrite. Well, we are neither. We are simply fed up with the unequal treatment that was designed, and still mastered, by our oppressors who have passed this oppression to our own race.