BY TARYN ST.LOUIS, JUNE 10, 2020

Why buy black? It is a fact that the race that does not support it’s own, will be controlled by those who do. Buying from black businesses in your community not only supports a dream, it will also raise the economic power of the people. Black owned businesses and black consumers are a necessary alliance. In 2015, black people represented over 1.1 trillion dollars in spending power. This spending power was mostly exercised in markets outside of the black community. If this spending power was used within our own communities, can you imagine what that would mean?

Why do we support others instead of our own?

Let’s think deeper on this. Wide spread psychological programming has powers that many refuse to accept. According to Established Author, Michael Rice, “Psycho social conditioning including the Willie Lynch effect, racism and post traumatic slave syndrome contribute strongly to the black condition. To ensure compliant and submissive slaves, The Willie Lynch syndrome was instituted which was a brainwashing process that resulted in mental control of the behaviors of captive slaves.” Think about it for a minute. There were more slaves on those plantations than there were slave masters. The only way to ensure control was to implement a system in which we devalued ourselves in favor of others. Of course, this did not work on everyone, especially the mentally strong, but the masses were left virtually defenseless as their minds were held captive most times in bodies that could’ve easily escaped to freedom. The challenge therefore, is for us to start seeing ourselves as worthy.

According to Cashmere Nicole Carillo, Founder of Beauty Bakery in San Diego, “Now is a time for everyone to create change and a lasting legacy.”

What can we benefit?

There is no blueprint for change, but we can show you why making changes in the way we spend can benefit us tremendously:

  1. Lower unemployment in our communities
  2. Enrichment of our own communities
  3. Greater Control of our own communities
  4. Creating a legacy for our bloodlines
  5. Closing the racial wealth gap

How can we fix it?

Let’s start with the business owner. It is time to take your business seriously. There is no blueprint for success, but your perseverance in business matters. If you don’t take the time to research what you’re selling and understand your market, your business is likely to fail. Take the time to learn the importance of a good customer- client relationship and remember that the well – known phrase, ‘the customer is always right’, does not mean that the customer cannot be wrong; it highlights the fact that the customer is ‘king’. Without a customer base, you will have zero profits. Read that again!

There are no friends in business. Establish your professionalism and ensure that your friends understand this before you even start selling to them. Your reputation will be your legacy. Do not sell inferior products or products that you don’t believe in yourself. Marketing is paramount! If you don’t have a marketing team yourself, research affiliate programs that can benefit your business, or take the time to get in depth knowledge of marketing so you can be your own team. Finally, did I say that your perseverance in business matters? Don’t give up!

It’s up to us!

Want to buy black? Yes you do! Research black owned businesses in your community. If you need a particular product, find out if there are any black owned businesses that you can buy it from. This is not a quick fix, but we can do this over time. Every time you feel the urge to buy something, ask yourself.. in what possible way can this purchase benefit my community and the generations after me?

Here are 10 black owned business sites you can review:

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