4A
EDITORIAL AND OPINION/Cl^arlotte $o0t
Thursday, July 27, 2006
^f)e CI)arlotte
The Voice of the Black Community
153/ Camden Road Charlotte, N.C. 28203
Gerald O. Johnson ceo/publisher
Robert L Johnson co-publisher/general manager
Herbert L White editor in chief
OPINION
Vast wealth
isn’t the only
key to changing
countless hves
You don’t need to be a Warren
Buffet to make an impact
Recently, the nation’s wealthiest man, Warren Buffett, gave
the philanthropic world a shot in the arm by pledging $37.4 bil
lion worth of stock from Berkshire Hathaway, the company he
runs, to five charitable foundations.
He earmarked $31 billion of that for foundations run by the
second wealthiest man - Microsoft founder Bill
; Gates.
Buffett told reporters that he hoped his actions
would encourage others to follow suit. "I would
hope that a few of them would pick up on this
model; I think it’s a sensible model,” he told
reporters after making
the announcement in June.
Although African Americans tend to associate
the concept of philanthropy with the very rich, our
community has historically been a generous and
giving one - whether it be time or money. The civil rights move
ment of the 1960s didn’t start with the March on Washington or
in some corporate boardroom.It began in church basements and
living rooms across the nation. Civil rights crusaders didn’t rely
upon the wealthy to help them out: They built their own net
work of philanthropy.
In 1999, the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research found
that 54.4 percent of blacks gave money to charity from 1988 to
1996, compared to 75.2 percent of whites. Given that the net
worth of Whites exceeds that of blacks by more than 10 times, it
stands to reason that our community is less able to give as much
financially.
But what is most telling about the generosity of our communi
ty is that African-Americans took the top spot on the 1997
National Survey of Philanthropy and Civic Renewal’s civic
engagement index, followed by whites and then Hispanics.
When blacks don’t have the money to give, they give their time
and energy.
Since the early 1970s, ethnic philanthropy has taken great
steps - at least financially, thanks in part to improved economic
situations for blacks. From 1973 to 2004, the per-capita income
of blacks increased 70 percent from $2,521 ($9,284 in 2004 dol
lars) to $15,758, while that of whites rose 57 percent, from
$4,361 ($16,060 in 2004 dollars) to $25,203.
In the African-American community, charitable giving begins
early. Blacks tend to begin volunteer work during high school or
college and go from there. They often take on leadership roles in
organizing events, joining boards. Their ability to make contri
butions is often combined with a willingness to leverage money
through fund-raising events, matching gifts and donations from
firms etc.
The purpose of our commimity’s philarithropy tends to be to
"create pathways” for people excluded from access and opportu
nity, according to a 2004 survey of minority philanthropists by
the City University of New York’s Center on Philanthropy and
Civil Society. Blacks also tend to prefer giving to institutions
they have personal ties to than organized philanthropies, the
center found.
The 21st century is going to be one of great demographic
change for the United States. By the end of the centmy and
maybe even earher, our nation is expected to be the first without
a majority ethnic group, demographers predict. Things are going
to be very different. Whether the change will be good remains to
be seen and depends on us as a nation.
If the current divide between whites and ethnic minorities
isn’t narrowed, our democracy will be in peril. That’s why we
need to invest in our future generations by financially support
ing organizations and programs that'seek to shrink economic
and political and education gaps between the races.
As the nation becomes more multicultiu-al where no ethnic or
racial group dominates, our community will need to continue
and strengthen our commitment to "civic tithing” and take it
into new directions.
The first phase of the civil rights movement back in the 1960s
set us on the road of political empowerment. Now, it’s time for
the second phase - economic empowerment. And we must adjust
our gaze to the younger generation of donors. According to the
Center on Philanthropy study, these donors believe that access
to financial power will close the remaining social, pohtical and
economic gaps that exist between whites and ethnic minorities
in this cotmtry.
They have different priorities for their money than their older
counterparts who helped finance the first phase of the civil
rights movement in the 1960s. They’re more interested in gain
ing access on Wall Street than marching on Washington, They
tend to send their money to programs that emphasize individual
attainment and employ a business model of operation.
So let Warren Buffett serve as a role model. You don’t have to
be rolling in money for your contribution to make an impact. Let
history be an example of that.
As autho^ Isaac Asimov once wrote, "No sensible decision can
be made any longer without taking into account not only the
world as it is, but the world as it will be.”
Our community must embrace change if we want to stand
upon the shoulders of our predecessors and achieve our dreams.
MARC MORIAL is president and CEO of the National Urban League
Bush’s bigotry of high expectations
George W. Bush - or his
speechwriters -understands
the indignity of slavery and
its impact on the United
States. I was at the NAACFs
national convention last
week when Bush said;
“For nearly 200 years, our
nation failed the test of
extending the blessings of lib
erty to African-Americans.
Slavery was legal for nearly a
hundred years, and discrimi
nation legal in many places
for nearly a
hundred years
more. Taken
together, the
record placed a
stain on
America’s
founding, a
stain that we
have not yet
wiped clean.
‘When people talk about
America’s founders they men
tion the hkes of Washington
and Jefferson and Franklin
and Adams. Tbo often they
ignore another group of
foimders — men and women
and children who did not
come to America of their fi:ee
wiU, but in chains. These
founders literally helped
build our country. They
chopped the wood, they built
the homes, they tilled the
fields, and they reaped the
harvest. They raised children
of others, even though their
own children had been ripped
away and sold to strangers.
'These founders were denied
the most basic birthright, and
that’s freedom.
"... 'They toppled Jim Crow
through simple deeds: board
ing a bus, walking along the
road, showing up peacefully
at courthouses or joining in
prayer and song. Despite the
sheriff’s dogs, and the jailer’s
scorn, and the hangman’s
noose, and the assassin’s bul
lets, they prevailed.”
Sitting there in the
Washington, D.C.
Convention Center, I remem
bered hearing Bush utter
similar remarks at the
National Urban League’s
2003 convention in
Rttsburgh.
“Recently, on my trip to
Africa, I visited Goree Island
in Senegal, where for cen
turies, men and women were
delivered and sorted and
branded and shipped. It’s a
haxmting place, a reminder of
mankind’s capacity for cruel
ty and injustice,” he said at
the time. ‘Yet, Goree Island is
also a reminder of the
strength of the human spirit,
and the capacity for good to
overcome evil. The men and
women who boarded slave
ships on that island and
wound up in America
endured the separation of
their families, the brutality of
their oppressors, and the
indifference of laws that
regarded them only as arti
cles of commerce. Still, the
spirit of Africans in America
did not break. All the genera
tions of oppression under the
laws of man could not crush
the hope of freedom. And by a
plan known only to
Providence, the stolen sons
and daughters of Africa
helped to awake the con
science of America. 'The very
people traded into slavery
helped to set America free.”
The problem with Bush is
that he uses aU the right
words while, more often than
not, doing the wrong thing.
Let’s take the landmark
University of Michigan affir
mative action cases. On Jan.
15, 2003 - Dr. Martin Luther
King’s ‘ birthday - Bush
announced his opposition to
two Michigan programs, one
for undergraduates and one
for the law school.
Again, there was the stud
ied compassion; “I strongly
support diversity of all kinds,
including racial diversity in
higher education... ”
Then the real George W.
came out: “At their core, the
Michigan policies amoimt to
a quota system that unfairly
rewards or penalizes perspec
tive students based solely on
their race.”
A Supreme Court dominat
ed by Republican appointees,
disagreed. 'The court' upheld
the University of Michigan’s
law school program while
striking down a more num-
bers-oriented undergraduate
admission program.
Even more disturbing than
Bush’s duplicity is his wfiling-
ness to manipulate or mis
state the facts.
In announcing his .opposi
tion to the Michigan pro
grams, Bush said: “At the
undergraduate level, African
American students and some
Hispanic students and
Native American students
receive 20 points out of a
maximum of 150, not because
of any academic achievement
or life experience, but solely
because they are African
American, Hispanic or
Native American.
“Tb put this in perspective,
a perfect SAT score is worth
only 12 points in the
Michigan system. Students
who accumulate 100 points
are generally admitted, so
those 20 points awarded sole
ly based on race are often the
decisive factor.”
Tb be blunt. Bush hed about
the Michigan undergraduate
point system. It was not
restricted to people of color.
Bush neglected to note that
20 points was awarded to any
disadvantaged student,
regardless of his or her color.
He did not mention that 20
points were automaticedly
awarded to all scholarship
athletes. He ignored the pro
vision that allows the univer
sity’s provost the discretion to
give 20 points to any student.
He also was disingenuous
in discussing the SAT points.
Yes, a perfect SAT score was
worth only 12 points. And
that’s because the University
of Michigan gave greater
weight to grades than stan
dardized tests. A straight,-A
student, for example, was
awarded 80 points, more
than seven times ffie weight
given for a perfect SAT or
ACT score. Even C-students
were awarded 40 points
under this system.
In discussing African-
Americans, Bush likes to talk
about the bigotry of low
expectations. I am more con
cerned about the bigotry of
people for whom we have
high expectations.
GEORGE E. CURRY is editor-
in-chief of the NNPA News Service
and BlackPressUSAeom. To con
tact Curry or to book him for a
speaking engagement, go to his
Web site, www.georgecurry.com.
Tragedy/comedy of hair-raising losses
The saddest part about this
issue is the fact that we could
see this one coming.
Now that it has hit its
mark, right
between , our
eyes, maybe
the pain will
be severe
enough . not
only to get om
attention but
also to hold our
attention long
enough for us
to rally our forces and fight
back. 'The black hair care
industry has, once again,
become a hot topic among
folks other than Kca^ans.
Now that an investigative
documentary has been pro
duced about the industry,
obviously shocking black peo
ple once again, maybe some
of us will resolve to do some
thing to reclaim at least a
portion of that vertical mar
ket. After all, the last time I
checked, no one is using black
hair care products except
black folks.
'The documentary discloses
information, none of which
was news to BHCI insiders, •'
about the ownership of stores
and distribution of hear prod
ucts sought and bought by
black people. The main point
of the report centered on the
fact that Koreans own and
control, and I do n -an con
trol, the overwhelming
majority of the distribution
and sale of black hair care
products, which includes
shampoos, conditioners, oOs
and creams, and those fash
ionable hairpieces our sisters
love to wear.
Some black folks have seen
this coming since the 1980s,
especially if in light of the
infamous but prophetic com
ments by then Revlon execu
tive Irving Bottner and the
subsequent “funeral” and
boycott of Revlon Products
headed by Jesse Jackson.
Man, where is Jesse now?
We sure could use another
fimeral.
Nevertheless, as we looked
on, and in some cases collabo
rated in the demise of black
control of an industry that
brags about Madame Walker,
Annie Tumbo-Malone,
Anthony Overton, S.B.
Fuller, and many other black
hair care pioneers, the
Koreans have used the past
20 years or so to build their
businesses and create wealth
for their families. Oh yeah,
we still get to look good, and
we are quite willing to pay for
it, but is looking good better
than “doing good” - for your
self?
'The three questions again
come to mind: What? So
what? Now what? At this
stage, since we have ignored
the “so what?” stage, we must
deal with the “now what?”
What are black people going
to do, if anything, about this
situation? On the video, there
are calls for boycotts, which
could be done simply by buy
ing yoior products at black
owned stores that get their
products through black
owned channels of distribu
tion. Oops, I almost forgot; we
don’t have very many of
those, do we?
But, we do have some, so
let’s start there. We also have
a relatively new organization,
called BOBSA, the Black
Owned Beauty Supply
Association (see bobsa.org or
call 650 357-0073). Every
venture begins with a first
step, so om “now what?” step
must be taken from where we
are, with what we have, and
with whoever will go. If black
people are serious about
slowing down the Korean
Black Hair Care Express and
revving up an economic
engine of oiu own in this
industry, we had better get
busy buying from one anoth
er, expanding the black chan
nels of distribution we
already have, creating invest
ment pools to build ware
houses and wholesale facili
ties, and all the other things
it take to become “players”
once again.
BOBSA is advocating for
those changes and more, but
it needs help from you, the
consumer, on two fronts.
BOBSA needs you to become
a working member and sup
porter, and it needs you to
cornmit to redirecting your
spending. In addition, if you
are serious, you should locate
every black hair care prod
ucts store in your area and
ask the owners to support
BOBSA by becoming mem
bers. From that effort a
nationwide database can be
developed and posted on
BOBSA’s Web site, and no
matter where you are in the
country, you can find a black
o-wned store from which to
purchase your products.
Now these suggestions are
not coming from an expert in
the industry; there are folks
who know much more about
this than I. Call upon them
and get their ideas; use them
as consultants to help recap
ture a portion of YOUR mar
ket. Do everything it takes to
hold on to what is probably
the last vestige of an industry
developed and maintained by
black people.
Let’s 'write a happy ending
to this tragicomedy. One
more thought: Don’t envy the
hair that Brandy wears; buy
your own, from your own.
JAMES CLINGMAN is a pro
fessor at the University of
Cincinnati.