TheStateOf . . . Black Small Business

It's still one of my favorite blogs. Read on...

The other day, I (J) was talking with a black woman that owns a large, successful business in Los Angeles and she said, "Big J, I can't find good employees. The smartest blacks are in white corporations. I'm left with the blind, crippled and crazy."

Similarly, as I wander and wonder around Los Angeles, I sometimes marvel at the number and intensity of Korean and Latino-owned small businesses. Cleaners, bakeries, restaurants, ice cream shops, clothing stores, etc. You name it, you can buy it locally in latino and Asian communities.

In contrast, in black Los Angeles, there are T-Mobile stores, franchises and big corporate stores like Target. I've noticed this in every other American city as well. This keeps blacks chained to the meager wages paid by corporations, rather than reaping the wealth built by business assets.

They ask some basic questions about this. Mainly why isn't there a small business base in the black community? Well I do believe it was had before desegregation but why don't we have it now? And is there a trend and what can be done about it?

I don't have enough answers but I do think it must change. If you want to believe that most blacks have run into problems with the law and it's difficult to turn it around unless someone out there is willing to take a chance with them. It could be said that other communities might be able to get away with that but blacks can't because there just aren't a lot of entrepreneurs out there.

Of course I can go into more cultural things. Say certain people like to get rich quick instead of making the necessary plans and decisions to profit. I wish I had an answer and it's something that should be pondered.