By Sibyl Daniels
Submitted by Boomer Daniels
On July 7, 2020, The Blackout Coalition will sponsor an event that involves a day for Black People to refrain from spending money in White owned companies. For those of you not familiar with this organization, their goals are as follows:
To build economic solidarity and to break free from the chains of financial servility so that not one Black person spend a dollar outside of our communities, we hope all Herald readers will participate and share the event with friends and family.
In addition to participation in the refrain from spending event, I would like to share a quote from a Jewish businessman:
“We call you, (Black people) liquid money. The same way water falls out of a man’s hands, money typically seeps out of a Black person’s hands the same way. Your community gets money and immediately gives it back to people who aren’t Black. We see this as a huge business opportunity”
I have included the quote to emphasize how much economic power we as a race have. In addition to making this county the richest in the world because of our labor, some economists have said that we have kept the economy thriving because of our spending habits. The Jewish gentleman who made the observation about our spending habits feels that we are foolish, but his observations and conclusions are flawed for several reasons. The most obvious reason for us giving our money to people who aren’t Black is because of systemic racism, which has made it difficult for Blacks to own businesses. Another fact that he failed to mention is the number of prosperous self-sufficient Black communities that were destroyed by envious Whites. Black Wall Street in Tulsa is the one that is the most well know example.
It is unclear how the civil unrest because of George Floyd’s murder will change the nation. We have seen glimmers of progress for racial justice fizzle out during our four hundred years of being in America, and The Blackout Coalition understands that there is a real possibility that our situation will never change unless we take control of our greatest source of power – how and with whom we spend our money – we will continue to be marginalized. I would like to urge everyone to examine how and with whom you spend your money and to find out the companies that are Trump donors and boycott those companies, and most importantly join us on July 7 by seeking out Black owned firms and spend your dollars there.