Usually Strange Things Happen to Blacks Who Aspire to Break into Mainstream of U.S. Business and Economic System
By Professor W. B. Mitchell
(Published 1976 in various newspapers)
Editor's Note: Below is an article that was written by the late Prof. W. B. Mitchell, father of The Mid-South Tribune's Publisher Arelya J. Mitchell. The article was written in 1976. He was an economics/business professor who taught at several HBCU's (Historical Black Colleges and Universities) and headed several college business departments, founded several credit unions in the South, was a POW during World War II and was awarded military honors, and served as treasurer in various NAACP branches during the Civil Rights Movement. He received degrees from Black Historical College, Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, and from The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas (home of the Jayhawks).
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Usually strange things, a lot of strange things, happen to Blacks who aspire to break into the mainstream of our business and economic system in our so-called system of 'Free Enterprise'! For Blacks the system is not free or enterprising but a lot of headaches encountered to overcome a variety of unfair market practices coming from both the government and white-owned business.
Such practices are designed to keep Blacks and Black-owned enterprises out of the system and prevent them from making it BIG! Blacks are not allowed to come into the main stream of our business and economic system through the front door like everybody else; but have to on their own initiative, find a unique and different way to get in, usually through the back or hidden door unknown to those who control the system.
Check this out with every Black person who has made it BIG in business! Check it out with those who tried to come through the front door like everybody else...just like it appears in the books...and were knocked down by that Invisible Hand of Black Economic Push Out! You will find that it is harder to break into the business mainstream in this country than into the political and social mainstream in this country. You not only have to be better than anyone else; you have to be smarter or more clever...much more clever than anyone else, because there is an invisible hatchet man ready to chop your hands off every time you make a step up the ladder of business success.
These are just a few of some strange things that will happen to Black businessmen who are trying to make it big:
1. Acquiring adequate initial capital. You can borrow any amount you want to buy a car, any kind of car, but not a dime to go into business, furthermore, you will never have sufficient security for a business loan but can get what you need for most other things on your signature.
2. Adequate inventory of merchandise. You'll get second grade merchandise for first rate prices quoted from the 'Black price list'. You'll never see these terms quoted to White merchants. Expect slow deliveries and for something you really need and is selling is always out of stock....to you.
3. Your own product. If you have your own brand label you will find it almost impossible to find a reliable distributor willing to get your product to the point of sale in stores on shelves available for customers to see and buy. You'll get all kind of excuses for not paying on time; slow or no deliveries of orders, etc. This is their trump card: "Keep the Black product off the market at the point of sale!" Even the courts will be used if necessary to tie up your assets, your mail will be read and slow or not delivered, and all your telephones could be tapped! Other Blacks will be encouraged indirectly or directly to depreciate you and your abilities as a potential community leader and spread lies about you, your associates and your product. Your tax reports are never right, even though the best accounting CPA in town prepared them.
4. The Competent Black Business Man. - If you are a Black male business man, every trick (dirty trick) in the books will be used to emasculate you as an individual, your leadership image as a Black leader, and you can expect plans will be made and plotted against you 24 hours every day to destroy you, your business or your profession. These are just some of the abstracts Black men have to overcome in this so-called 'Free Enterprise' system.
Now after reading this, you are asking in your mind: "What is the solution? How do we overcome? Remember this: We have always and will always overcome anything in our path of progress...that's the kind of race we are! We bounce back...strong, united and fast! Check this out in our history, not the White man's history about us. We are a sustaining race!
These are the solutions:
1. First, never give up on Black folks and competent Black male leaders. Keep your men, Black men, at the top in the leadership image positions, even though we know we have our Black, Beautiful, and Brainy female 'sisters' right there at our side helping with the brain work.
2. Never ignore a Black who made it. Find out how he did it and move forward.
3. Never depreciate, in any manner, Blacks and especially Black leaders in public before Whites. Work out your differences in private and go before the public united as one.
4. Remember, you are living in a capitalistic society where money is power and business ownership means money.
The competent Black leaders trained in business and by experience must organize sound cooperatives and corporations with share capital within. You mean (true ten dollars a share) and trust them to guide you in building your community needs for economic security.
Wanted: A Martin Luther King for Business and Economic leadership for Black people in every country.
Note: This article can be downloaded by traveling on the Black Information Highway at www.blackinformationhighway.com