Tony Brown's
COMMENTS
Message For Black Businesses
MS-: O.E.B. is • poet and
writer and she reads my
column in die Washington,
D.C., black papers.
And her regard for me is
—very high “one of the tni -
est civil rights comrades
we have left.” I quote her
not only because I'm flat
tered, but to show that
there is someone in die
public’s eye that she re
spects.
The remainder of her
letter was not kind to
“Mack politicians, black
use-to-be-civil rights lead
ers, Mack educators and
black entrepreneurs...they
wear talk out.”
Specifically, she is con
cerned about the enormous
self-hatred she sees ex
among Macks and
the exploitation of the
black “underclass” by
those who make it “They
forget where they come
from. This is the reason
why I will walk two and a'
half blacks from where I
live and purchase products
'from a non-black store.
“The black businesses
have unfair prices, they ^
have no community con
cerns and 70 percent of the
time, the store isn’t dean
enough. They have very
little respect for their cus
tomers and to.ahow cour
tesy seems to be a sin,” the
lady wrote.
Ms. O.E.B. wrote me in
the first place to respond to
my column calling an the
black consumer who
spends only 6.6 percent of
his-her purchasing power
with black badnesses to
increase it. The response to
the idea has been univer
sally excellent and scores
are responding to get their
Freedom Card for Black
Constaner Month in Oc
tooer.
But I am also getting one
objection to the ktea-jkom
virtually all of those who
are enthusiastic It is the
concern expressed by Ms.
E.OB
• In other words, the Mack
community is ready for
self-help and the redtetrf
button of its $170 billion in
purchasing power to Mack
businesses to create Jobs
and create new business
WPE*. baaed on
what I gat n n njralf.
ready to give Macks in
business a free ride. And
Macks are fed up with high
“““br
viir whether from a white
store owner or a black ooe.
The very people-blacks
in business-that our Buy
Freedom Month will di
rectly help are the very
ones who by their own in
sensitive behavior can
destroy that potential.
Ncigher is Ms. OJLB.
convinced, as I am, that the
Mack business person will
create mare jobs for
biacks if blacks create
more wealth for him or her.
But, Ms. O.E.B;; consi
der your options. The fe
deral government and this
country’s economy have
demoratrated that they
cannot-or will not-hring
joblessness below h per
cent for Mack adults or SO
percent tor duck teens.
-The hliefc h— h—
come his own worst enemy.
Black families are disinte
grating. Black children are
producing black babies into
a cycle of poverty. No
matter bow many affirma
tive action programs that
are started, we don’t
catch up with white in
come. Neither has the
large increase of blacks in
elected office dented the
problem.
Like the alternative or
not-buying Cram one «
other and sharing our enor
mous wealth-there is no
other alternative. And if
the consumer realizes the
relationship between
where income goes and
Jobs, families, schools, and
safe neighborhoods, he or
she can understand that a
business, black or white,
has an obligation to create
a clean, courteous ehviron
. ment.
But a defeated, down
trodden, hopeless people
win accept abase. And a
proud, productive people
will demand respect
Rl»ft business people
must live up to the needs of -
our community or they do
not deserve our support
But the ones who do must
not be lumped 111 with (lie—
deadbeats and destroyed
by guilt-by-association.
And finally, Ms. O.E.B.,
when you said out k»ve,
love returns; when you
send out hate, hate re
turns; when you send out
wealth, wealth returns;
and when you curse others
with poverty, poverty re
turns.
As a poet, you might
appreciate a verse from
Proverbs (4:28); “Keep
thy heart with aD diligence,
for out of it are the issues of
life.”_
If you would bleu those
of us who are weak be
cause we have lost in the
battle against racism or
those of us who have be
come angry and destruc
tive because we bate our .
blackness because we are
not white, you will give us
the love that we need to
survive.
“Whatsoever a man sow
eth that shall he also
reap.” Jesus taught, “By
your words ye are justi
fied and by your words ye
: are condemned."
Don’t bring disaster on
yourself by wishing (Bl
aster on those who have
failed you. You see, it all
boils down to faith, faith
even in those who don’t
- seem to deserve it.
"Tony Brown’s Journal”
TV series can be seen on
public television Sundays
on Channel 42 at 5 p.m. It
can also be seen on Chan
nel 98 Sundays at 6:90 p.m.
Please consult lt«Hwg«
TURN WHAT YOU DON7
NED INTO CASH! >»Aa
Sell It In The
uxnorte
Classified^
Ads ^
3760496
pi
The PTL Television Net
- amrlr f niHfWl
wide outreach to the hun
dreds of thousands of miss
ing children throughout the
United States. As a public
service for the National
Center for Missing and Ex
ploited Children
(NCMEC), PTL is provid
ing information on a daily,
weekly, and monthly basis
through network program
ming and puhHcattons.
Information providealh
chides the child's name,
hair and eye color, pre
sent age, where and when
the child was last seen, and
a picture. Those with in
formation are asked to call
NCMEC’s toll-free num
ber, 800*43-5678.
- Commenting an PTL’s
involvement with this
issue, PTL President Jim
Bakker said, “If just one
child is found throcgh our
efforts, it’s worth it all.
There is not a price you can
pecially a chUd YWehave
to take responsibility for
those who cannot defend
themselves.”
Twenty-six of the SO
secopd spots have been
produced by PTL-The In
spirational Network,
utilizing facilities at Park
Road Productions. Addi
tional spots will continual- ■
ly be prepared and mate- r
rial updated as it is pro
vided by the NCMEC. The
announcements are cur
rently being aired three to
four times daily on a run
of-schedule basis, making
PTL-The Inspirational
“"Network the flxsl ualiuual
television network to pro
vide missing children in
formation seven days a
week. PTL is also utiliz
ing the “Jim Bakker” pro
gram, “Heritage USA
Today" (a weekly maga
zine formated program),
the printed “PTL Satellite
Guide,” and the "Heritage
Herald" newspaper as
means of providing this in
formation.
Walter Richardson, Di
rector of Affiliates for
PTL-The Inspirational Net
work, S4id,~“Since thia is r
nationwide problem, we
feel it is our responsibi
lity as a national network
to provide these services to
the children' and their fa
milies.” PTL-The Inspira
~ tloual Network cm cully—
reaches over 12 million
homes throughout the
United States.
SELLING YOUR
CAR?
Advertise it-Hecel _
For as little as $4.40
you can reach almost
13,000 households
through our
Classified Ads.
GET RESULTS FASTI
Give us a col at
376-0496 or use
our handy mail-in
—onder-femrv on this
page.
Where He Gee* la As A Dad. I
• • • C®“e* OmtAgA King! I
vvqvg got chG gifts'*
\ FATHER LOVES BEST .•
..A
!> .V ' : . A e^e ■ ■ . -s' v... '•
Suns-20-30% Off
Sport Coafs*nm.» *49** i
Dress Shirts -_»■»/
Shoes_$19** w
2 pc. Casual Sets_*19** **