As thousands of people from all walks of life journeyed to Selma and Montgomery Alabama to commemorate and celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday, those in leadership boasted about the economic impact on the areas, the question is who benefited economically? It certainly was not the Black community, why, because we don’t own any significant businesses anymore.
According to the Alabama Department of Archives and History, 1929 documents of the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce, Blacks owned many businesses in what was called “Uptown” or “Dark Town” and Monroe Street was right at the heart of it.During “Jim Crow”, Blacks were prevented from patronizing white businesses. This forced us to create our own businesses and transact with each other. The black dollar circulated within the community several times over before leaving, bringing rise to hundreds of successful black businesses. The buying power of black people during that era was used to strengthen our economic power base and create wealth.We had businesses such as shoe making and repair, newspapers, savings and loans, movie and art theaters, and hotels just to name a few. We were doctors, lawyers, tailors, farmers, engineers, architects, inventors, organizers, etc. We all lived in the same neighborhoods. We got along, we had morals, and we serviced the needs in our own community. What happened?
At the end of Jim Crow in 1965, integration became legal. Since that point, black dollars have beenleaving our community, which is like an organism losing its’ blood. Andeven though we extract $1.1 Trillion from the U.S. economy; our dollar only circulates 0 to 1 time in our community! We have become consumers rather than producers.Blight, hopelessness, crime, and death are the result! HAS INTEGRATION FAILED US? To view a panel discussion go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LQlCNQuJng
Author Unknown
