6 Reasons Why People Don't Support Black Business

I came across a couple of articles that touched on why people don't support black business when they should. I gathered a short list of typical reasons from what I read.


1. Why support it when its leaving the community?


Many people don't feel its necessary to support back businesses since their dollars "leave the community just as quickly as it comes." But the reason this happens in most communities is because there are not enough black businesses and not enough people supporting them. But if people were worried about their dollars leaving the community shouldn't they take a chance on a black business, instead of willingly and deliberately supporting other races?

2. Their prices are too high!

Oftentimes, blacks have to do a little bit extra to get something to call their own in this racist society. So prices aren't going to be the cheapest.  But wouldn't you rather pay a little extra to help your community get out the cycle of oppression than to buy something cheaper, only to have your money immediately leave the community?

3. Service is terrible!

Because we place so much more value on white establishments than black ones, many of us already think either subconsciously or consciously that we aren't qualified enough to run a business. So as soon as you have one or two bad experiences with a black businesses, you are already convinced that they are all the same. The few black businesses that actually do have bad service continue to perpetuate the stereotype because there is only but so many black businesses.

4. They cant be trusted!


Black people have a hard time trusting other blacks in business because we are conditioned to believe that our people are less trustworthy, less knowledgeable and less fit to lead.


5. I watch T.V and I'm not convinced that it will be wise to support them

The media has definitely influenced our perceptions of blacks. We are constantly criminalized and labeled as dangers to society on the news and on televisions hows. These constant images continue to feed the stereotypes that make people less likely to trust blacks over non-blacks.

6. I'm trying to make it so why would I support them?

Just like in slavery days when masters put dark skinned slaves against light skinned slaves, our community is still very well divided today. We have a hard time appreciating other blacks do well. Most of us have the "token black guy/girl" syndrome, in which you take pleasure being the only black person "making it like the whites." But we have to kill the jealousy and realize what is really important which is supporting  one another.

http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/why-i-support-black-business-owners-dg/
http://www.blackbusinessnetwork.com/Home/

Black Lives Matter?

My Facebook timeline keeps blowing up about the Baltimore riots after the death of Freddie Gray. May he rest in peace. From discussions about genetic annihilation to pictures of students marching in the streets, it is clear that people are angry. We are sick of seeing our black men and women die in the streets while Police get off the hook. I don't condone the use of violence portrayed on the day of Gray's funeral but I can understand it. And thats what I think we all should start doing. Most of these kids are not affiliated with gangs but come from broken homes and have had direct contact with racism. Yet, we call them thugs and media outlets show more images of people looting than those actually cleaning the streets and showing love. Yes, black people have the right to be angry. But instead of using that energy to hurt and destroy, we need to be using it to invest in ourselves. If black lives matter so much, why are there so many black people refusing to vote in elections that directly affect our local communities? Because, our votes don't really matter right? But can't we at least try? Institutionalized racism continues to cripple our communities on a daily basis but most of us are not marching until one of us dies. This is a constant fight. Yet we want to act like what we do in our daily lives is irrelevant to the issue at hand. Look at our consumer power? Most of us put most of our dollars into white establishments built on racist principles than our own businesses and organizations. We shout black lives matter, but are we really living it? Do we truly believe this? If we matter, then why do we continue to think that success means wearing white designer labels, working in a company that we cannot call our own  and moving to white suburbia to distance ourselves from the "racially angry"? It takes a mentality to help fight injustice, not just marching with selfie sticks in inner city streets. We need to be aware of EVERYTHING we can do to uplift our communities. Just because we can't SEE our dollars or our VOTES like we see our men dying in the streets doesn't mean it wont make a difference.  "Black Lives Matter" is a LIFESTYLE. If you're not living it, don't shout it and don't write it on a poster. Yes, fight against police brutality. But it doesn't stop there. You have to live it. Vote. Use your consumer power to support your own instead of racist establishments. Read. Write. Speak positively about one another.Challenge your local authorities. You're not going to become healthy by working out when you  eat junk food everyday. A Lifestyle consists of more than one habit. You have to adopt them all to truly make a difference.

http://www.npr.org/2015/04/26/402353781/baltimore-protests-turn-violent

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/04/30/experts-you-can-t-break-your-own-spine-like-freddie-gray.html

But its 2015

It's sad that white students yelling racial slurs at black students continues to be a "thing" at my university. You can shout "Not on our campus!" or "It's 2015!" all you want, but it seems like these messages don't mean much at all. Im beginning to think that students are being racist for fun. Like its the go-to thing to do in a game of truth or dare especially since the worst thing that can happen is you being forced to go through diversity training. And that's only if the victim can memorize your license plate in the heat of the moment (most racial slurs on campus are yelled out of moving cars). 

I attended "Black Solidarity Day" a couple weeks ago. It was pretty interesting. I participated in various workshops that basically taught me how to properly respond to racist situations. It was great. But throughout the event, I couldn't help but think, what about the white majority on campus? Shouldn't there be events on campus that educate them how not to be racist? The focus seems to be on black students and how we should adjust to the campus life around us by being "respectful" and making sure we report incidents of racial bias. We even have a "racial bias" line we can call when these incidents occur. But the focus seems to be on us and us only. If I know exactly how to respond to a racist statement, would that change the mind set of the person that said it? Most likely, no. This is why these incidents keep happening. Because the blacks on campus are being "trained" but the whites are not. When we continue to have these "blacks only" forums on campus about race, we are telling white people "This doesn't concern you! You don't have to care because this is not your fight." But racism is everyone's fight regardless if you are not the one being hurt. 

White Privilege

There is a lot of controversy behind the phrase “white privilege” mainly because people just don’t understand the meaning of the term. Whites, particularly less fortunate whites, hear the term “privilege” and immediately get offended. If I am a white person and am disadvantaged in some way, then there definitely is no such thing as white privilege, right? WRONG. Im really tired of hearing people share detailed stories of their miserable personal lives in an effort to downplay the idea of white privilege. White privilege has nothing to do with your personal story. And that is what many white people fail to understand. White privilege can only be understood from a sociological lens. The term refers to how systems in our society work, NOT on individual narratives. 

NOT White Privilege: 

Ben who is educated, has a successful career, and has never been stopped-and-frisked  by police ONLY because he is white. 

White Privilege: 

 Ben is MORE LIKELY to be able to receive education, land a successful career, and not have to step one foot into a court room compared to George who is black. 

Our education system, our job market, our criminal justice system, the media  (just to name a few) are built on racial bias and continue to favor whites over non-whites. These are facts. Denying white privilege is like denying that the sky is blue. And the sky doesn’t give .02 fucks about whether or not you disagree that its blue. Its just going to be freakin blue. Its just the way things are. 

Let me put this in another way. Sam the breeder breeds yorkies and poodles. The yorkies usually go to happy homes a lot quicker than the poodles. If Simba the yorkie is the last puppy to be sold, does that mean Yorkie privilege does not exist? NO. Simba can cry all he wants about those two weeks he spent alone but at the end of the day, yorkies are MORE LIKELY to be sold first. Aside from your personal struggle, If the people that look like you are more likely to succeed than others who don’t look like you, you have a racial privilege my friend. 

Gina Crosley-Corcoran, a white woman who grew up in poverty once denied white privilege given her unfortunate circumstances. However, after someone directed her to  Peggy McIntosh's 1988 ," White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack." She began to understand what the term actually means. 

She states, "After one reads McIntosh's powerful essay, it's impossible to deny that being born with white skin in America affords people certain unearned privileges in life that people of another skin color simply are not afforded. For example:

• 'I can turn on the television or open the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented'
• 'When I am told about our national heritage or about “civilization,” I am shown that people of my color made it what it is'
• 'If a traffic cop pulls me over or if the IRS audits my tax return, I can be sure I haven’t been singled out because of my race'
• 'I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time'

Many of the privileges whites have, are unearned. If you're white, when you turn on the TV, you can easily find your race portrayed in a positive light. In elementary school, you were probably taught about the great accomplishments of people that look like you... every month. When you go to the mall, you can guarantee that you will see a model of your race on most of the advertisements. When you go to the store, you can guarantee that you’ll find a product that can treat your type of hair. When you are taking a walk in a rich neighborhood, you can guarantee that no one will call the police. When you go to the movies, the lead role will be most likely be played by someone that looks like you.

All in all, white privilege doesn't care about your personal story. It is what it is. And until we are treated equally, we cannot deny its existence.  

http://occupywallstreet.net/story/explaining-white-privilege-broke-white-person

http://amptoons.com/blog/files/mcintosh.html

Justice for [insert black man’s name here]!!!

 Another black man has been killed by a police officer. What's new? It seems like we can’t go a couple of weeks without yelling "Justice for [insert black man’s name here]!!". What kills me the most is the level of victim blaming when incidents like these happen.  Immediately after the man is dead, its now important for the public to know about his criminal record and how he has an “aggressive past.” We’ve seen it with Trayvon Martin, we’ve seen it with Mike Brown, we’ve seen it with Eric Garner. Now we’re talking about Walter Scott, another unarmed black man gunned down by police. But that’s not even everybody! Black men and women are profiled and become victims of excessive force by police on a daily basis. Many people are quick to justify the officer's actions saying  “Well, they should have never did [ insert action that may have provoked police].” Yes, people should be careful when interacting with police. However, that does not take away from the fact that these “interactions”  are more likely to  become fatal when a minority is involved. There is obviously racial bias coupled with poor training that lead to these fatalities. But sadly, the media wants to blame the individual.  

The other thing that annoys me is when people justify an officer’s actions by comparing what took place to what they would do in a similar situation. This is when things get problematic.  You are not a trained police officer so you should not be saying "if I were him.." Because honestly, what you would do simply does not apply here. Sorry.  There are some obvious flaws in Police training that need to be addressed. Police are not suppose to be acting impulsively like the rest of us untrained civilians. And when they do apply excessive force, they should be held accountable, not let off the hook. This is probably the main reason police brutality continues to happen today. Police think they are invincible simply because they hardly ever suffer serious consequences for acting inappropriately. It's time for this invincibility to end. Hopefully it will end when Michael Slager, the officer who recently shot Walter Scott  eight times in the back (I counted myself), is convicted of murder. But that's just wishful thinking... 

 http://www.cbs46.com/story/28625793/family-of-smyrna-man-shot-and-killed-by-police-demand-justice#ixzz3WTrL64HK

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/08/us/south-carolina-officer-is-charged-with-murder-in-black-mans-death.html?_r=0

6 Celebrities That Are Probably Bleaching Their Skin

Self-love is a common theme in the black community. Choosing to wear your natural hair is often the symbol of self-love. Another symbol is wearing your own skin. As crazy as that sounds, it isn't that outlandish given the large amount of skin bleaching products on the market that target black consumers.  The standard of beauty has long been lighter toned skin in our society which is why many black individuals choose to seek out skin bleaching treatments. Celebrities, are particularly known for purchasing such creams for business purposes which often involve appealing to a wider audience or... "whiter"  audience. Below is a list of 6 celebrities that have been accused on bleaching their skin. 

Sammy Sosa

 Sammy Sosa is a retired professional baseball player who is actually one of few celebrities that have admitted to bleaching his skin. He claims that he uses it for skin softening. 

Nicki Minaj

Nicki has long been accused of bleaching her
skin especially after sporting her blonde
wig. Appealing to a wider audience? Maybe.

Beyonce

Beyonce has been in the music industry for quite some time now so it is very easy to pull up a picture of this super star in her Destiny's Child days. You can tell she has become noticeably lighter and blonder over the years.

India Arie

This comes as a surprise to most people given India's self-love motifs in her music that many women of color praise. However, in her recent album cover she appears to be much lighter than she was when she first arrived on the music scene singing "Brown Skin."

Lil Kim

Besides the obvious plastic surgery, Lil Kim
has also been known to have bleached her skin.
Many people claim that losing her love Biggie Smalls to light skin music legend Faith Evans is the main reason Lil Kim decided to go for a lighter appearance.

Vybz Kartel

Vybz Kartel is also one of few celebrities that has admitted to using bleach cream. He
sees no harm in it and compares the practice to tanning and wearing weaves. He also
has even started his own skin bleaching line
for men.








http://bossip.com/1008294/light-is-right-15-black-celebrities-accused-of-bleaching-their-dark-skin-for-beauty/8/

http://atlantablackstar.com/2013/08/19/15-black-celebs-caught-whitening-their-skin/

Natural Hair Nazis

The natural hair movement is a beautiful thing. Embracing one's natural kinks and curls continues to be a powerful force against society’s  limited standard of beauty. The movement goes hand in hand with the fight for civil rights. However, there are some people who claim to be leaders of the movement but actually may be doing more harm than good. These people are known as "natural hair nazis." 

According to urban dictionary, natural hair nazis are "Black females with natural hair (hair that has not been relaxed) who believe that it is their responsibility to harass and scold other black women who choose to still relax their hair.” But, the definition is definitely  not limited to black women. Men can be natural hair nazis as well. These individuals tend to think that natural hair is one of the main signs of self love and true blackness and anyone who conforms to the white standard of beauty by relaxing their hair or wearing weaves is a disgrace to the black race and should be put in check. 

Most of the “checking” takes place on social media sites like Instagram where they often bully black women with relaxed hair or engage in nasty debates about what true blackness entails. Natural hair nazis are not an established group of people. You can simply be labeled as a natural hair nazi, for instance,  by re-posting a meme that says relaxed hair = self hate. Many people like blogger Lincoln Anthony Blades argue that natural hair nazis are focused more on dividing the black community rather than uniting it. I agree to a certain extent. But I do believe that Natural hair nazis are just trying to educate others about the undeniable origin of oppression that relaxed hair stems from. They are just going about about it the wrong way. Just like criticism from closed minded religious leaders, judgmental statements from natural hair nazis isn’t very effective in convincing black women to go natural. Instead of being angry, we should respectfully educate people about the origin of relaxed hair and then keep it moving. We can’t convince every body. If they are moved, let them be moved. If not, there is no need to bully or pull people down just because their opinions differ from your own. 

But Natural Hair nazis aren’t the only threats to the black community. People who say “natural hair isn't for everybody”  also have more intentions to divide than unify in my opinion. This phrase does so much damage that many people don’t realize. I once came across a hair stylist on Instagram who said that “Natural hair isn’t for everybody because some of y’all walking around here looking like a cast member from 12 years a slave.” Then she proceeded to say “choke yourself.” Ummm that was quite encouraging. I don’t usually engage in social media debates with people I don’t know. But her comments were so disturbing that I just had to say something.  I asked, "how is natural hair not for everybody when that is how God made them?" She responded saying that she was referring to people who cannot deal with high maintenance natural hair, often leaving it unkempt. That is the problem right there. Instead of discouraging people who want to wear their hair natural by saying it is not for them, we should educate them about how to properly manage it. Because at the end of the day, it IS for them because that is how God MADE them. They just weren’t taught how to deal with their hair. 

That all being said, Let’s help each other through positive education, not put each other down with nasty insults and then want to say we are helping the black community. Natural Hair IS FOR those with natural hair. Period. And people with relaxed hair have the right to have their own opinions about blackness. Progress can only be made through inclusion, not separation. Let’s focus on what unites us as a community instead of what separates us. 

http://www.thisisyourconscience.com/2012/10/dear-natural-hair-nazis-go-fk-yourselves/

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Natural+Nazi