Our Dollars Have Power

My Why ...

Every time an innocent, unarmed, Black citizen gets killed in this country it unnerves my soul. The lack of respect and disparity of justice that we as Black Americans are forced to endure is suffocating. The worse conditions get, the more I'm driven to believe that we need to be an autonomous, self-sustaining community. That's not to say that I'm a segregationist; I'm not - but I am a realist.

It is truly shameful that the 10 point platform the Black Panther Party fought for in the 60's have yet to be achieve. It's disheartening that we lost Black Wall Street in the 1920's and never built it back, much less expanded on it. We march, we protest, we have round table discussions, and our voices never seem to get heard. But one thing has remained constant through all of history - Money Talks. Collectively, we as Black Americans have plenty of it.

The buying power of Black Americans is nearly $1.3 Trillion dollars per year. That's a solid dollar amount. The problem is that we don't keep our dollars in our community. More often than not we give our money, and power, away to every community but our own.

It's been said for generations that we need to stop spending money with people who don't respect us. This sentiment is oft-repeated because it's true. The full financial value of our power will never be realized unless we work together as a cohesive unit. To do my part, I've decided to Black-Owned businesses via blogs and videos. My goal for this project is two-fold:

1. To encourage you to spend more of your money in the Black community; and
2. To inspire you build businesses of your own that can aid in sustaining the Black community. If you have a great idea - don't sit on it, ACT on it!

We as a community can thrive, but it takes all of us supporting each other. I'm willing. I hope that you are too. Make a conscious effort to recycle your dollars back into the Black community. Invest in those who uplift and embrace you. When we all work together, our dollars really will have power.