There are no incentives for Whites or any ethinic immigrants to provide jobs or business opportunities for Bla

by Dr. Claud Anderson

seek political power while accepting the dire economic circumstances of encroaching

poverty, few Black-owned businesses, and irrelevant and low quality schools.

Second, the relative conditions of Blacks have not changed because there is no direct correlation between getting a Black person elected to public office and material benefits accruing to those Black voters.

Economics, political power and quality of life are linked. Political power flows from economic power – not the other way around. The root causes of racial economic disparity between

Blacks and Whites were set in place in the foundation of our society centuries ago. The fact that it has become socially acceptable to disavow

the root causes, pretend they are not operative today and to ignore them, does not change

the force of their existence. Socio-economic facts that are ignored do not correct or eradicate socioeconomic conditions. When centuries of slavery and Jim Crow segregation legally ended in the 1960s, the structural disadvantages of Black life

did not end.

It was well accepted that Blacks would need economic help to raise above their assigned economic status. Yet, at the two historical points where correction should have occurred, the end of the American Civil War in 1865 and the end of the Black Civil Rights Movement  

of the 1960s, the legal system addressed only overt and symbolic aspects of slavery, Jim Crow segregation and racism. The laws passed at both points did not produce either racial equality or economic parity for Black Americans.

These laws did not correct the historical mal-distribution that had moved all of the nation’s wealth, power, privileges and resources into White society.

Failed Civil Rights Laws

 The Civil Rights Acts of 1964, 1965 and 1967, were major symbolic victories. At the time they were passed, Nicholas de B. Katzenback, Attorney General under President Lyndon B. Johnson, said about these acts that they, “...were only a drop in a large bucket that did nothing for the great mass of Black Americans.... Blacks were

still locked into poverty and powerlessness... a state of second class citizenship that Whites continued to feel they were superior to Blacks.” By

 expressing these candid assessments, Katzenbach acknowledged that while there was some value in these symbolic laws, economic gain is the foundation of racial  mpowerment. Despite the efforts of many, those symbolic laws caused the economic disparity of treating unequals as equals, to become structural within

the American economy. The truth remains that economic independence offers any group of people the broadest options for political control. It is monumentally harder for Blacks to achieve

 economic self-sufficiency, reverse the poverty and powerlessness and to control the cities  where they still dominate in population. Blacks in America have only three options for economic independence and gain: Option 1 - Own a business or secure a job; Option 2 –Charity or Welfare; or Option 3 - Criminal activity.

OPTION ONE: PRACTICE GROUP ECONOMICS; OWN A BUSINESS OR WORK  A JOB

Group Economics - Business: Establishing economic control of urban areas means controlling business and jobs, which in turn control political

One out of every ten Asian-Americans and Arab-Americans are in business,

followed by one out of 35 Whites, one out of 50 Hispanics, then one out of 100 Blacks.

and social institutions. A stable society is predicated in the belief that government and other institutions acculturate citizens to live and compete within Option One. In my book,

 PowerNomics:

The National Plan to Empower Black America, I

discuss Group Economics as a foundation concept. Group economics means buying from and controlling the supply chains of your own businesses and making your money bounce 8-12 times before it leaves your community.

Whites and competing ethnic groups naturally understand the importance of, and practice group economics to support their own. It is learned as

a cultural value passed on through the family unit. The results are evident. Asian and Arabs maintain very tight family units and work together for the good of their ethnic group.

Their communities have the greatest number of businesses. One out of every ten Asian-Americans and Arab-Americans are in business, followed by one out of 35 Whites, one out of 50 Hispanics,

 then one out of 100 Blacks. The relative economic and social status of each group is a reflection of their business strength. Yes, Blacks have been displaced by immigrants in many sectors, but there are lessons to learn from their cultures which encourage, support and reinforce the practice of group economics and support.

In the early 1900s, proportionately more Blacks

 were engaged in group economics and we had quasi-functional economies. They had businesses and employed their neighbors. However, coming out of the depression in the 1930s, Black intellectuals began to council Blacks to give up

their businesses; let others take the risk of business

 business ownership and simply strive for jobs. We are suffering the legacy of that short-sighted thinking. It is a major cultural impediment to economic self-sufficiency. But, we must change our cultural values and behavior, beginning with ourselves then our children. By our behavior, we must embrace and master the practice of group

economics if we are to survive.

 In summary, in order to control urban areas, Blacks need a greater number of business and business communities across America. Business ownership holds the most  otential to reduce the wealth gap that exists between Blacks,

Whites and ethnics. Business ownership can attract and redistribute wealth 7 to 8 times faster than income  from a job. While business failure is also a

 reality, those who have the resources and skills should be the ones to venture into business. (See PowerNomics Chapters 6 and 7 for discussion strategies and recommendations for selection criterion for businesses and industries.)

Group Economics - Jobs: For many individuals, employment may be a more realistic alternative to owning a business. They may lack entrepreneurial skills, business interest or financial resources. Income from jobs, properly directed, can support Black-owned business communities.

Those with jobs can have a role in building economic control in urban cities.They can choose where they spend their income and become loyal consumers of productsand services provided by Black-owned businesses. They can invest in Black busiess