A manifesto for Black Economic Power
If we want the world to know that we matter, we can start by showing ourselves that we matter. Throughout history there have been two consistent catalysts for societal change, violence and economic strength. We do not condone violence, and as such we are left with pursuing economic strength.
#BlackLivesMatter
We have often thought about how and why black lives are perceived as less than in the western world. Despite the creativity, drive and strength we show in mass every single day, we do not matter to anyone, sometimes not even ourselves. Our communities drive a significant amount of consumerism, but we have little to no representation within the business networks of those who profit from our patronage. We don’t own enough grocery stores, we don’t own enough hair shops, we don’t own any social networks. We drive trends, but we consistently find ourselves appropriated rather than represented. We face daily struggles to be treated as equal and whether those struggles are overt or covert, every single black person is affected in one way or another.
The issue is not our minority status in the west. We see time and time again examples of minority groups creating successful business networks and building a significant economic base. It’s time we took the time and focus to do the same.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) in the US has 5million members holding a country of 300million people to ransom over gun laws. Laws that allow the wilful execution of citizens, in particular those of colour. The lesson we learn is that only one colour matters; the colour of money.
Let us build a base of Black Economic Power
This is not a magic pill or a panacea. Activism should not stop. We cannot allow time to pass so the world forgets that we matter. What we want to see is resilience and growth, economic growth. We strive to create greater economic strength. We want black business to prosper. Now please, do not misunderstand our cause, we are not advocating racism or prejudice. The sole purpose of this directory is to equal the playing field, to buy our seat at the table and put black communities in the position where our economics matter.
The purpose of our directory is simple. As a member of the public we will:
- Help you find black-owned businesses online and in your area
- Provide information on the business activities
- Give you a choice to spend your money within your community
As a business owner we will:
- List your business and activities
- Help you present a professional image, suited for the world stage
- Help you gain access to customers who want to support black businesses
There are a few qualifiers for business owners:
- We mean black-owned, either fully or majority by people who identify themselves as ethnically black
- We are not a charity and this is not a philanthropic exercise, creating a listing for your business is free and we will provide accessible fees for additional services
If we start now, our future generations will thank us
There are those of us who talk about an increase in violence against black people, or an increase in racist incidents. But we at Blackonomy don’t think these issues have increased. We believe we have all been sleepwalking, hypnotised into thoughts of equality because the face of racism has changed, its more subtle than it used to be. The sparks that fly when we see evidence of the prejudice and violence we still face are only there because we have video evidence to prove that all is not well.
We have no greater economic strength than the 50s and 60s where we fought for equality and emancipation. We do not command rights because we do not command any economic strength. We have to change this for the next generation.
We are committed to increasing the visibility of black economic power to younger generations. Our sons and daughters need to have hope that they can be entrepreneurs, that their hopes are valid, their dreams accessible and that their lives matter.
Lets do this together! Blackonomy.