"We Black men have a hard enough time in our own struggle for justice, and already have enough enemies as it is, to make the drastic mistake of attacking each other and adding more weight to an already unbearable load." - Malcolm X

"Blacks ought to help themselves more and stop crying about what they don't get. It's true they don't get much, but stop crying about it and go on and get more." - John Hope Franklin 

Let me start this post by saying I am GUILTY ya'll. Everything that I am about to expose, I am guilty of. Don't judge me.

So the last week or the week before, I can't remember when, I was listening to Roland Martin on The Tom Joyner Morning Show. And Roland usually has some good stuff to say and he's very well spoken so I listened. Well, this particular morning, he was talking about Black people feeling as though anything Black is not as valuable or "less than" anything that is white. You can listen to the full segment here.  Now usually, I can say that when segments like this come on, I can get on my high horse and say that they're not talking to me. I'm so conscious. I'm so pro Black and Black Power and all this and that. But I felt like this morning he was talking directly to me. And I almost passed out and died.

So the gist of the segment was basically talking about how Black people don't feel like Black TV shows, Black awards, Black channels, or anything that is exclusively Black is as good as anything that is exclusively white. Now the history major in me thinks this is just one of the pit falls of desegregation. During Jim Crow, Black people had no choice but to have their own everything. Hospitals. Schools. Clubs. Bars. Housing communities. We were forced to be separate so we had to have our own way to survive. But once Jim Crow came crumbling down and everything had to be integrated, Blacks inherently thought White was better because they had been taught this for so long. So naturally, they would seek out white establishments and the like because they had been forbidden from them. Curiosity surely does kill the cat. But I digress.

Now like I said ya'll, I'm guilty of this. I do not like Black Clubs, apart from this cozy little lounge outside of Atlanta that I just fell in love with. And when I tell you this place is in the hood. it's in the HOOD!! I do not like patronizing stores in Black "urban" neighborhoods. The service is usually subpar and the products grossly overpriced. Not because they staff is not capable or the products they provide are somehow of better quality (it's actually the opposite). But because they were not trained correctly and the standard of service is not upheld. I don't shop in "Black Malls" because I would like to purchase something besides sneakers, tight jeans, weave, Shea Butter, and/or Victoria Secret Perfume. And living in Black neighborhoods? You can forget that. And now because of the crime. But because of the environment. It's so negative, dreary, and hopeless. Your mind just gets dragged down to the pits of a dark place. I've lived in a place like that before. And I certainly don't want to go back.

I had a particular Vendetta against BET. Boy, I used to skip over BET, TV One, and Centric like they didn't even exist. I wanted nothing to do with that. I used to say Black TV was ghetto TV and I didn't live in the ghetto anymore. Until I was forced to watch Being Mary Jane by one of my blog editors. I was hooked from the first episode. A successful Black woman with a tangled up love life (Gabby played the side piece as usual....come on now!), a messed up family, and work struggles? And then dealing with issues like obesity, motherhood, race relations, your own biological clock, homosexuality, and uplifting youth? You couldn't pull me away from that TV if you tried. Then I started seeing the commercials for the other shows on BET. The nightly news. The different mini serious and forums they had when they weren't playing the booty shaking videos I hated so much. I gave them another chance and I must say that I'm impressed. Most of the time.

Ironically, I didn't get what some people would call "bourgeois" until I went away to college and got out of Brooklyn. I never saw a problem with dirty subway trains. It gave the city character. I watched 106 & Park every day after school. I wore Jordans, Nikes, tight jeans, pulled my belt too tight around my waist, and tucked my too small shirt into my pants. I loved what is now characterized as "urban life." So who am I now to think that anyone living that life is less than or not as valuable? Hell, had I not been fortunate enough to have a mother who told me I can do something with myself, I would be there too. It makes no sense that I wear turbans 89% of the time, wear an ankh in my ears and nose, exude Black Power and Black Consciousness and then hate the very people I claim that I represent. Huh? Reality check.

In case you haven't realized, Black life has it's own grade of class and sophistication. Check out the new BET website. Listen to Tom Joyner one day out of the week during your morning commute. Check out my favorite Black news source, Black America Web. Of course they still have their ratchet moments. But nothing like World Star Hip Hop. And I am not linking that website here. You can look that up on your own. I love Unsung on TV One. The stories are pretty much the same. Someone gets famous. Someone rich rips them off. Drugs. Attempt at a come back. Death. But it's nice to see Black faces get recognition for things most of us didn't even know they accomplished. It gives us a platform to tell our stories outside of church and around the Sunday dinner table.

I'm all over the place. Let me get to the point at hand. Now Roland touched on a good point. Without Black support, most entertainers would not be where they are. Black or white. You have to have the support of the poor and working class Blacks in order to get somewhere. Think about Brother Malcolm and Dr. King. They would have gotten nowhere without the support of the masses. Strength is in numbers. And there are a lot of Black and Brown people in America and around the world. Imagine what all those people could do if we decided to join forces and start making some demands. Mother Mary help whoever we're standing against.

Okay, let's wrap this puppy up. I'm still guilty of not shopping in Black neighborhoods. The pickings are scarce and like I said, the service is usually mediocre at best. But I am way more open about Black TV, Black social clubs and especially Black award shows. I am way more open to supporting Black Businesses because if we don't support each other who will? I watch the NAACP awards and think about the heritage and history of the organization and cannot bring myself to think of those awards as less than an Oscar or a Grammy. It's a recognition. From your peers. And that's huge for Black entertainers. It may not flood your Facebook timeline or be trending on Twitter, but it's for us. It's our way of saying to our entertainers, our youth, and the entire world that Black people matter, we are important, and we can hold our own. Take that.

So I'm not one to talk about politics or economics, but I find myself doing it more and more these days. I'm more of a love, sex, romance kind of girl. But this is a topic that I just had to talk about. I see friends on Facebook and Instagram promoting their business and side hustles, and trust me there are many, and I wonder how much business they are really getting from these ads, and how many of their friends are willing to support a business that is Black owned. 
It is a common fact that Black People spend a lot of money. I mean, a lot. According to this article, Black spending has hit the TRILLION DOLLAR MARK!! Think about that. A trillion dollars. That's a crap load of money. And what do we buy? You guessed it. Electronics. Shoes. Clothes. Yup, you got it. How many Black Owned Shops do you know that sell these things. Don't worry. I'll wait. Honestly, do you even know where your money goes when you buy the latest iPhone or stand in line at six o'clock in the morning on a Saturday waiting for the latest pair of sneakers to drop? I'm sorry to tell you honey, Jordan, Lebron, Kobe, and all those other ball players and rap artists do not see a large portion of the money you spend on their shoes. Look it up. I'll wait. 
Now everyone is so quick to be politically correct and claim that they would be more than happy to support Black Businesses. They'd jump at the chance to give their money to one of their own instead a member of another race who is probably rich already anyway. But I don't know people. The numbers just aren't there. Asians help other Asians prosper. It is a common fact that Jewish people support their own, keeping the wealth within their community. Same with Indians and other foreign peoples. But Black People are so eager to give their money to people who refuse to build us up. Why? Some day it's distrust. Some say they can't find any local Black Businesses to supply them with good and services that they need. So I had to dig deeper and form my own opinion.
Of course, I had to go to my best friend, Google. A simple search of Black Business or Support Black Business yielded a bunch of articles on the topic, and gave me a general consensus of reasons why Blacks, for the most part, do not shop Black Owned. The main reason I got over and over again was that black goods are of lower quality than those sold elsewhere. I almost fell out my computer chair when I read that. This cannot be life. Let me clarify this. For the most part, Blacks do not make the goods they sell in their basement while their family is asleep upstairs. It just doesn't happen that way unless it is a product that is advertised as homemade or hand crafted. For the most part, it is a process. Manufacturers make the goods, Shop and business owners buy the goods and then they sell them. So the products you buy from your local Black business owner and another shop in your neighborhood most likely originated in the same place.
You think I'm not telling the truth. Okay. Ladies, how many times have you gone to your local mall and shopped in the Asian shops or stores like Rainbow and Denise. Now how many times have you gotten those clothes home and they've had holes in them, your leggings are so see through you can see the pattern of your panties, or the shoes you bought hurt your feet so much you can't even make it the entire night in the club. You know what I'm talking about. Doing that barefoot walk back to the car on those city streets. So are those quality clothes? Nope. And they don't even let you return or exchange at some of the places. That is surely the work of the devil. If I get a product and I am not happy, I should be able to bring it back. Simple. And you think it's better if you go to a reputable place like Dillards or Macys. Nope. I've had dresses that unraveled and jeans that faded with one wash from both of these places. So are those quality? No. You're most likely paying for the name and not the actual product itself.
Now, I also observed this point. We are quick to support those little AfroCentric shops in the mall or those little vendors on the street. You know the ones I'm talking about. They sell all those religious and Black Power paintings. They have a million little pictures of Obama, Malcolm X, and Dr. King. They sell the Shea Butter and the scented oils. And they usually have an entire wall of incense in the back of the store. We will go here to browse around and see what they have. But as soon as the shop keeper or the sales person tells you how much one of those paintings cost or how much it is for one of those oils, you are tripping over yourself to get the hell out of there. Think about this. You'll spend hundreds of dollars on wall decor if it came from a store like Macys or Saks (I don't even know if they sell wall decor!). You'll spend upwards of eighty to one hundred dollars on Michael Kors perfume or Burberry Cologne. But you won't spend ten dollars at the Black Shop, and it smells so similar to the name brands. Hmm........
And to all my Black Business owners out there, I have a few words for you. Owning a business is not a game. If I come to spend my hard earned money at your establishment, I expect respect, courtesy, and professionalism. Do not nickel and dime me.  I expect prices to be clearly marked and I want you to honor the marked price. Don't play with me. I will walk out and never shop with you again. You think I'm playing? I have a list of places I will not patronize. Keep your store clean. I will not shop anywhere that I cannot clearly see what is being sold. Be fair. Do what you say you're going to do. If you give me an estimated shipping date, it better be here on time, give or take a few days. Remember, without paying customers, you have no business. 
So how do we fix this? Easy. Make an conscious effort to shop at Black Owned Establishments. Now I'm not saying shop there for everything. Let's be realistic. There are not enough Black Owned Businesses to provide you with the goods and services that you need. Except of course hair salons and weave places. There are plenty of those. No shortage there. But I digress. Try once every paycheck. I buy all of my incense, oils, loc jewelry, and waist beads (when I don't make them myself) from Black Entrepreneurs. I love Etsy. You can find all kinds of little gems on there and you  know exactly who you're purchasing from. My favorite little shop is Afriquelachic. She sells nose chains, wooden jewelry, loc accessories, and all kinds of little trinkets. Check her personal website out here.
For those of you in the South Atlanta area who love to get dolled up, there is full service salon in Riverdale that you should check out. I mean, you can get EVERYTHING done here. Hair. Make-up. Nails. Hell, she even sells waist trainers. And we know how hot of a commodity that is now. I will admit that her prices are a little higher than the local Asian nail salons but again, you are supporting Black owned and operated. She is also looking for makeup artists, nailtechs, and hairstylists. The contact info can be found here. Go and check her out.
And for those of you in New York who like to get your face beat, my cousin is an AMAZING make up artist. She does photo shoots, proms, weddings, etc. So before you take your behind to MAC, contact her and get that personalized experience. You can also catch her on Youtube, where she gives great tutorials and does collaborations with other artists who can also use your support. Check out her Instagram, where you can find all of her contact information. Contact her directly for pricing.
So now you have no excuse. Be mindful of where your dollar goes and who it supports. Shop at places that respect you and respect your dollar. If you have any other locally owned Black Businesses that you would like to give a shout out, comment below or send me the link at sankofah8@gmail.com and I'll be sure to make a follow up post with all of the businesses I receive. It's advertisement. You never know who's eyes might come across this post. And this is a way that you can actively enhance your community and uplift your people. So why not? I mean, what do you really have to lose? Until next time......