EDITORIALS & COMMENTS
Salute To Black Business!
It is a privilege to pause thi»
week to salute minority owned
business, especially black-owned
businesses, and in particular,
locally ownedi)lack enterprises.
The rationale for this tribute
arises from the unique and near
ly insurmountable obstacles
black people have had to over
come to achieve even a small
measure of the American tradi
tion - the private ownership of
profit-making free entrepreneur
ships.
uur reterence to the black
Americans’ business ownership
as unique comes from its history
and the challenges that history
presents in 1982. Historically,
black Americans have the weak
est commercial tracGtiorTof any'
ethnic group of people in the
United States. We have not, to
any significant degree, been at
tracted to trade, business man
agement, marketing, or employ
ing labor for the purpose of
making a profit This presumed
lack of a strong commercial
traditioh is rooted largely in the
years of slavery and its after
math.
-However, upon a Hnspr at
the commercial history of
blacks, we find that some, par
ticularly before the year 1660,
were able to escape the horrors
of economically motivated en
1 slavement as practiced by
whites. These blacks moved
• from the status of indentured
servitude to being free men and
- wnmon Rla/»lr historian Iprnnp
Bennett Jr. reminds us that
these free blacks laid the foun
dation for over 300 years of
business operations.
Historical facts reveal further
that the first Africans to be
imported to American brought
with them a highly developed
sense of commerce and industry.
They were talented traders and
commercial developers of con
siderable ingenuity. In effect,
some of their skills and some of
their ingenuity survived the
brutalities of the slave ships and
made Africans significant con
tributors to the economic trans
formation of the New World.
Economic Racism
As early as 1625 blacks were
engaged in the buying and sell
ing of property and indentured
servant contracts, some sold rice
-anH tr.ha,.rn frnm fhrjr |nnfj _
ings, other were ship builders
and shipowners, retail merch
ants, building contractors and
craftsmen. These were the be
ginnings of black economic, de
velopment and black capitalism
in America. However, accom
panying the increasing use of
black slave labor after 1660 was
a public policy to limit the
economic opportunities of alt
non-whites.
In spite of these hardships,
blacks persisted in their desire
for economic gain. For example,
in the 1820’s black business
development was again success
fully competing with white busi
ness for the consumer dollar, but
again the spector of economic
racism in the form of riots and
burnings because of the fear of
competition was used to dis
courage these economic gains.
Since these early beginnings,
black business from the corpor
ate to the sole proprietorship
level has existed under a form of
domestic colonialism, that is, it
has been largely limited to and
dependent on the urbanizing
black community for the con
sumer dollar. Nevertheless, and
in spite of blurring of black
commercial devplopmpnt hy th»
ravages of slavery, there is a
positive business development
background that blacks can and
should use a foundation for eco
nomic progress in -the years
ahead.
Dollar Crutch_
, Therefore, blacks who expose
to be owners ana managers of
profit making businesses should
—reject the self-pity mentality of
assuming_that because of some
continued racism in the mark
et place, with its foundation of
_institutionalized slavery, that
they cannot succeed or that
government owes them a con
tinuing dollar crutch.
Blacks, or anyone else desiring
to succeed in business, must be
willing to invest their money,
take risks, sacrifice the time and
energy to acquire business man
agement and finance skills, and
—be willing to-be innovative.
Furthermore, while it may be
many years before a black
owned business achieves the
status of being listed among the
‘‘Fortune 500”, a good beginning
in that direction is in those
blacks who have had the courage
to venture into competitive busi
nesses that are not limited to the
black consumer. Money and suc
cess are color-blind thus we
particularly commend such
efforts.
Finally, it is therefore a pri
vilege to salute the efforts of
organizations like the National
Business League, the Charlotte
Business League. We salute
their philosophical viewpoint
that black business ownership
_aad black managerial talent will
catalyze the altitudinal and
structural changes necessary to
bring about social justice in
America.
..You, the consumer, can help in
this effort by supporting com
petitive black owned businesses
that offer the products and ser
vices you demand. This can and
will be an important step toward
—reducing black ^unemployment^
welfare dependency and raising
expectation and black self
images.
THE CHARLOTTE POST
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NEEDED NOV/....UNITED COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP
BLACK AMERICA
ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES
'SLACK FOLKS THEMSELVES ARE GOING
TO HAVE TO WORK OUT MANY OF THEIR OHM
PROBLEMS, INSTEAD OF LEAVINGITUP TO THE
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND PROGRAMS?
- ROY WILKINS
Tony Brown’s Comments
Hade Slopped “FYetty Boy’ Floyd
-Did villi knim Ihnt Rnlpy,
Oklahoma was^and is -and
all-black town? That in
1903. when it was founded,
whites were not allowed to
live there?
Did you know that on
Thanksgiving Eve, Novem
ber 23. 1932, "Pretty Boy”
Floyd's notorious gang at
tempted to rob the Farm
ers and Merchants Bank at
-Bley?—
And did you know that
the black people, whose
hard-earned money was in
JJhaLJank. blew “Pretty
Boy's" gang into kingdom
come?
No. you wouldn't know
any of that unless you have
read I,eon E. Smith’s ex
citing book, "High Noon at
the Boley Corral." A
Detroiter, and a friend of
longstanding, Smith won
ders about the white
media's distortion by orqjs
sjon./ t .
' Why did the New York
Times write a three column
story on the foiled bank
robbery that destroyed the
Pretty Boy’ Floyd Gang,
but failed to state that the
dead or captured were
Floyd’s gang?"
I'm sure By now any
black or rational white
person knows the answer to
that question. We also un
derstand why Smith had to
-scrape together $4.500 of
hts owrr money to publish
his 92-page book.
And like the other self
made black publishers that
I have been writing about,
Smith has to sell his books
from his home Because Vhe
white-distribution mono
poly will not touch a mean
ingful black book. Smith
has set up Leeann Publi
cations, 18635 Wesford
Avenue. Detroit, Michigan
4H234 and sells his "spot
light on historical decep
tion" for only $4-313
H62-3407._
The author grew up in
Boley. the largest of sever
al all-black towns that
sprang up around the turn
of the century in what was
still known as Indian Terri
tory. Blacks were denied
residency in white com
munities. However, this
towns became landmarks
of self-sufficiency.
-Charles A. “Pretty Bov"
Floyd would announce in
advance what banks he
would rob-and do so. But
the movies about his
heroics never reveal as"
Smith’s book does, that his
gang was wiped out .by
blacks: in Boley, Oklahoma.
The book quotes "Pretty
Boy" as he warned his
gang: "Nigras ain’t got but
that one bank in this state.
That mean they ain’t gonna
give it up without some
-,body (tying.” He was right.
. ^XPfitty Boy" did not die
at BoMy, however. He took
his own advice. “'Pretty
Boy’ Floyd didn't want to
bother this little black
town. He used to hide out
with blacks. In fact, one
black man was said to have
a silver dollar for every
bank Floyd had robbed,"
Smith, who was turned
down by 20 publishers,
says.
Is there a demand for
black-affairs information
-such-as this'.' ti my.maTF"
response to our documen
tary on "The Black West"
is a yardstick, there is.
"Please continue with such
Drograms as this. It bene
"•rrts an of us;' especially our
children. We all need to
know about black contribu
tions and your method is
most impressive," wrote
James Thomas of Tor
rance. California.
Such programs as the
one I saw Saturday should
be shown weekly. We need
to know the contributions
-we made to 4his country,
especially our young blank
boys and men, added
Beverly A. Wilson of Cleve
land Heights. Ohio.
“Boley Corral" records
an example of authentic
black genius. Smith re
veals how they pulled off
their coup. “When activat
ed. the bank's alarm alert
ed four other stores on
"TWain Street.—The alarm
was triggered by lifting the
last dollar bills from the
teller's cash box connect
-mg—two two—electrodec
wired there. The four other
stores were electrically
wired to the bank."
The people you meet in
this autobiographic docu
mentary about Boley,
Oklahoma, sprang from
the most unique group of
-homesteading pioneers
The author's father was
r * the black eye wit
to the saga of
Oklahoma's pre-state
years, the Boley boom
years, and the "Pretty
Boy" days.
Although there is a de
mand for this information,
the black entrepreneur
must become the catalyst,
as Smith has. He has "dis
covered" America’s
history for us. We must, in
turn, "discover" Smith, if
^he circle is to be closed
Next season on iny Tele1
vision series, you’ll see me
telling Smith's story-at the
Boley Corral.
.-Tony._ Brow n’s Journal,”
the television series, can be
seen on public television
Saturdays on Channel 42 af
x p.m. It can also he seen on
Channels 30. Sundays at
1:30 p.m.: 58, Tuesdays at
7:30 p.m:; and 58, Sundays
at fi p.m." Please consult
listings.
By Rev. John Perkins!"
WALK
Your ’
TALK
Kev. Perkins
When Love Takes Hold
- -‘4jS
When I was seven months old my mother
died, leaving me to be reared by my
grandmother, a widow withl9 children of
her own. Uncles, aunts and grandchildren
helped make up a full household. My people
were bootleggers and my uncles gambled.
We understood what it meant to have the
police come to our house and carry off our
people to jail. That was part of my
upbringing in rural Mississippi.
somewhere between the third and fifth,
grades I dropped out of school to work oi*
the plantations. There I got my first lesson
in economics; after working a whole day the
man gave me 15 cents. My thinking was
strongly molded by the plantation system.
We children were brought up to be
-patriotic Americans. During World War II
we had calendars on the wall with pictures
of our generals on them. My brother Clyde
fought for the allies in Germany and came
back with several Bronze Stars and a
Purple Heart. We looked upon him as a
hero. But shortly after he got home he was
shot down in the street by a policeman.
-After that ,QUnla,mily decided it was better
to leave, so wje moved to California:
“* ® ■' * ,
I had never heard the Gospel of $esus
Christ. My only desire was to get ahead in
life. I felt that if I could accumulate some
wealth I would be happy. When the Korean
War broke out I was' drafted and spent the
next 18 months overseas. After being
separated from the service I was hired-as a
janitor by a new company in California.
Pretty soon I was moved into the mainten
ance department, then trained as a welder,
and then promoted to designer and layout
man. I was moving up with the company.
During the war I had married, and now
my wife and I joined a church because we
were told that is what people do when they
church, but as an institution it was certainly
not meeting any need of mine. I began
looking into the different cults, but again I
failed to find in them the peace or
contentment that I needed and wanted.
By the year 1957 we had three children,
and my eldest son was attending a little
holiness mission in Pasadena.They taught
the Bible with flannelgraphs in such a-way
that he could grasp it; and his behavior
became so changed by this that he would
come home singing Good News songs.
There was something in his life that was
being developed in a way that had not
developed in my life. I began to see
something beautiful in his life; he had a joy
and a discipline that I had never had.
Each Sunday my wife would take little
Spencer and the other children to Sunday
School and I decided one day that I would go
-with themr-R was-al tint Sunday-School »hat
I heard the Gospel for the-first time. I
iremember that they were teaching the life
ot tne Apostle Paul and I wondered why a
man would suffer so much for religion. I
didn’t see religion..as., having Hunt.much
meaning.
One night as I sat at home reading Paul’s
Letter to the Galatians, trying to under
stand the book and how law and Grace fit
together, I came upon Galatians 2:20.
Next week. Part two of When Love
Takes Hold.
from x^apiim Hill
Professional Sports Highly Unfair To Black Players
By Alfred:! I,. Madison
Special To The Host
Thirty six years ago.
Jackie Robinson, enduring
many threats and insults,
started the path that later
led to blacks being included
among the professional
sports A little later Bill
Willis and Marion Motley
broke the racial barrier in
professional football by be
coming members of the
Cleveland Browns, and in
the early IftM's three black
players broke the National
Basketball Association's
racial trend.
By 1974 blacks comprised
00 percent of all profession
al basketball players, 40
percent of professional
football players and 30 per
cent of professional base
bell players Notwithstand
ing. this phenomenal play
er representation and out
standing performance,
there have been only three
black baseball managers,
nearly a dozen black head
i coaches in basketball and
not one black head coach in
the National Football
League.
Kepresentative Augustus
Hawkins. Chairman of the
House Kducation and
l-abor Subcommittee on
Kmployment Opportun
Xtfrpda I,. Madison
•ties, because of his par
ticipation on the Citizens’
Panel on Equity in the
National Football league,
held hearings on the re
cruitment and hiring of
blacks in coaching
positions.
Mr Hawkins said. "The
NFL's national promi
nence makes alleged dis
crimination a matter of
major importance Fair
ness and equality of op
portunity are important
and necessary attributes of
this intensely media
focused institution which
has captured the attention
of millions of Americans."
The wit ness list consisted
of former and present play
ers of the National Football
l-eague, a Catholic Mon
signor and a research
scientist from Johns Hop^
kins University All of the
witnesses gave strong tes
timony which proved that
racial discrimination does
exist in the National Foot
ball League.
The National Football
league Association which
is a bi racial group has
taken the problem of the
lack of blacks in man
agerial. front office and
coaching positions to NFL
Commissioner Pete
Kozelle. who denied that
discrimination is a pro
blem. Mr. Kozelle stressed
the word "quality” Ini
urging league owners to
hire b|acks in coaching,
front office and managing
positions He also refused
to consider the Players'
Association suggestion for
an affirmative program At
the request of the Players'
Association. Dr Braddock
of Johns Hopkins Univers
ity made an exhaustive
study of NFL's hiring
practices Commissioner
Rozelle and the NFL have
ignored the discriminatory
findings of this study.
Evidence shows that
black athletes suffer from
positional segregation,
salary discrimination and
biased media treatment Fn
spite of the fact that blacks
have become dominant as
players, they have made
only meager inroads into
professional sports man
agement either oh or off the
fields.
Since professional sports
are highly competitive, and
winning is the goal, the best
players are sought. In a
disproportionate number of
instances in major, pro
fessional team sports, the
outstanding performers
are black Yet. coaching
positions are filled by
former players and blacks
are relegated to playing
positions that do not afford
them experiences of inter
action, training in leader
ship and chances for mobil
ity to managerial ranks.
The most central of
fensive playing positions tn
football are quarterbacks,
center, right guard and left
guard, and the rrfost cen
tral defensive playing po
sitions are left, right and
middle linebacker Three
positions allow for social
interaction, inter-personal
acceptability^nd coordin
ative decisions. These are
positions that blacks rarely
fill in the NFL. Blacks are.
usually, running backs, de
fensive backs and wide
receivers - positions coach
es rate as demanding
speed, physical quickness
and high motivation
achievement. The coaches
rated centers, guards and
quarterbacks as requiring
reliability, quick mental
comprehension and think
ing ability. These are the
positions that are consi
dered as giving training for
positions of management,
coaching and front office.
Emlen Tunnel! a Hall of
Earner was the first black
assistant coach and there
are only 12 in this modern
era, in the NFL, and no
black managers
NFL cites statistics that
most of their coaches
come from major colleges
and of course they don't
coasider any of the black
colleges as major, and
certainly their coaches are
black Many of these black
college coaches have done
an outstanding job. under
adverse conditions, includ
ing low budgets, poor
equipment and raids of
their most talented players
by the large universites.
Many outstanding black
players have come from
small black colleges,
firambling College, even
though small, has contri
buted more outstanding
professional football
league players than any
other college in the nation.
If black college coaches
can train the most compe
tent football players under
extremely inadequate con
ditions, it goes without
saying, that they have to
either be superior or at
least equal to their big
white college counterparts.
Many of the all pro players
ware trained by black col
lege coaches
White athletes receive '
numerous advertisement
opportunities such as
an opportunity is just about
closed to black athletes
The playing span of a
football player is only a few
years. However, the white
players can-look forward to
front office, coaching,
managerial and advertise
ment opportunities.
It has been said that
sports racial actions were a
role model for justice and
equity.
CAAOlM