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Do you have 25 cents?

Emmanuel Brown · Friday, September 5th 2008 at 11:28PM · 2770 views
I was recently reading an article pertaining to the “Black Wall Street” and I came to the conclusion that it would be extremely difficult to repeat the success seen long ago, but not impossible. A situation similar to that would be great for Black Americans, but Black Americans don't own enough commercial real estate in our neighborhoods to keep the majority of our income in the Black Community.

Does that mean that we are stuck in a never ending cycle of giving away 80 cents of every dollar that we spend? No it doesn't. It just means that we need to start focusing on the big picture and cutting that amount down as much as we possibly can. Although, we don't own most of our neighborhoods, we can support the businesses that were established for us & by us.

By supporting one another, we are contributing to the growth and development of businesses that were created by people who can truly relate to our needs. This can be done by supporting your neighborhood businesses, civic organizations, media, publications, and online businesses.

Small but continuous steps are needed to bring us closer to self-sufficiency and are necessary to build the type of financial foundation that will be needed for us to continue to grow as a people. Challenge yourself and those close to you to spend 20 cents of each disposable dollar you earn in your community and 5 cents of each of those dollars to support another Black American owned business or organization for this entire month. If these amounts are increased by 1 cent every other month, you will be supporting black businesses with 37% of your usable income in the 1st year alone and 49% in the 2nd year. This might sound simple, but the goal is to continue to increase that amount at a slow and steady pace so that foundations can be be built by and for our people.

Do you have 25 cents?

About the Author

Emmanuel Brown North Chicago, IL

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Comments (13)

Marquerite Burgess Saturday, September 6th 2008 at 1:25AM

What I found amazing about Black Wall Street is that it never appeared in any history books considering how profound the events were. It was bigger than the Oklahoma Bombing and all of the rest, in my opinion and our own government is responsible for its demise.

I know it is off topic, but this is a story that needs to be told, I would bet my bottom dollar that a large portion of the people on this site have never heard of it.

Emmanuel Brown Saturday, September 6th 2008 at 7:14AM

I always tell my children to look into the untold history, because I never knew anything about the situation until I was actually grown. There are some that are probably not familiar with the holocaust, but maybe it should be looked into.

Dr. Ahmad Glover Saturday, September 6th 2008 at 9:18AM

A few years back, I partnered with a group of brothers to buy up a good deal of property in one of Americas first Black Wall Streets in Richmond, VA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Ward

Growing up in Richmond, VA I was always told about the greatness Blacks had aspired to and reached. Sadly, our stories are not told outside of local areas.

Please know that we have renovated a good deal of this Richmond VA Jackson Ward and Carver area...without any financial assistance.

Very soon, I hope to offer a HUGE financial opportunity to members of this sight. We are great when we work together!

Emmanuel Brown Saturday, September 6th 2008 at 9:41AM

Dorothy Johnson

Black Wall Street would not be something that we would read about in text books because of the way that it was destroyed. I will have to check out your group, because supporting black owned banks is a very solid idea and will help us gain more financial control.

Emmanuel Brown Saturday, September 6th 2008 at 10:15AM

Mister Johnson

These parts of history might be the best things to wake up to in the morning, but I think that it is important for us to learn about these types of things so that we are aware of were we have been. The thought money circulating throughout the hands of black people is something that gives me the motivation to do my part.

Financial stability is only one of our issues, but we can begin to build a solid foundation to set other things in motion by taking small steps to correct the situation. I truly believe that the things that I mentioned are attainable and even if the numbers vary from person to person, we can still begin to see growth.

Emmanuel Brown Saturday, September 6th 2008 at 10:25AM

Dr. Ahmad Glover

I am visiting the link right now and I think that it is great when Black People are able to see/share success. It is sad that our stories are not shared, and I think that this network is a great way for us to learn more about our past and present accomplishments. I would love to share you story with the people I communicate with if you don't mind, and I will be looking forward to seeing the opportunity that you present.

Dr. Ahmad Glover Saturday, September 6th 2008 at 10:48AM

Emmanual,

I write because I love my people. Although I may come off as harsh sometimes...I do this from the heart. You are free to repost anything I offer...

Emmanuel Brown Saturday, September 6th 2008 at 1:00PM

Mister Johson

I got you.

Emmanuel Brown Saturday, September 6th 2008 at 1:08PM

Doc

I think that you deal in facts and I don't think that you are really harsh at all. I think that sharing is all part of growth. Thanks for the permission.

Emmanuel Brown Saturday, September 6th 2008 at 5:10PM

Information is power and when we combine that with unity, we can become unstoppable.

Michelle Diane Saturday, September 6th 2008 at 8:39PM

This article was featured in Just Sayin
http://voicesandvisions.connectplatform.co...

Join the Just Sayin group
http://connectplatform.com/cgi-bin/clubs.c...

Emmanuel Brown Sunday, September 7th 2008 at 8:45AM

Thanks for the feature Michelle.

Emmanuel Brown Monday, September 8th 2008 at 2:10AM

Lisa Green

That is the whole purpose. Unity and growth from that unity. I think that you would be a welcome addition.

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