Page 8
■$Jortlanh (Dbserüer
March 02. 2011
Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views o f the
Portland Observer. We welcome reader essays, photos and
story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com.
Bit of Entrepreneurship by Necessity
A case for
eliminating
economic barriers
M arc H. M oriai .
T here is a silver lining in
the dark cloud o f the great
recession. A new C ensus
B ureau report reveals that
from 2002 to 2007 the num ­
ber o f black-ow ned busi­
nesses in the U nited States
increased by 60.5 percent to 1.9 m illion - m ore
than triple the national rate.
A ccording to C ensus B ureau D eputy D i­
rector T hom as M esenbourg, “ B lack-ow ned
businesses continued to be one o f the fast­
est grow ing segm ents o f our econom y, show ­
ing rapid grow th in both the num ber o f b u si­
nesses and total sales during this tim e p e ­
riod.”
T he reasons for this are m any, beginning
with the long history o f A frican A m erican
en trepreneurship in response to poverty,
high unem ploym ent and discrim ination.
by
C o n sid er the case o f M adam C.J. W alker,
the d au g h ter o f slaves w ho, in the early
1900s, turned her dream o f financial indepen­
dence into a hair care and cosm etics b u si­
ness that revolutionized the beauty p ro d ­
ucts industry, created good paying jo b s, and
in 2001. So in effect, w hat we are seeing is a bit
o f entrepreneurship by necessity. T h ere’s
also an econom ic independent streak, particu­
larly am ong em erging generations in the black
com m unity. Building a business gives great
satisfaction and cushions them from the shock
I
o f losing jo b s be-
/ had to make my own living and my c a u s e o f e c o -
» n*
r
i
. i
. n o m ic
dow n
own opportunity! But I made it! Don t cycles.
N ew
Y o rk
sit down and wait for the
S ta te le a d s the
c o u n tr y
w ith
opportunities to come. Get up and
more than 204,000
b la c k -o w n e d
make them!
b u sin esses, fo l­
low ed by G eorgia
""" and Florida. The
retail trade and health care and social assis­
tance sectors accounted fo r 27.4 percent o f
black-ow ned business revenue.
T he survey also found that in addition to
an increase in the n um ber o f black-ow ned
businesses, annual sales increased by 55
percent to $ 137.5 billion.
I recently called on federal, state and local
governm ents to develop a “hy p er-fo cu s” on
•- Madam C J. Walker, trailblazing African American businesswoman
m ade h er a w ealthy w om an and p h ilanthro­
pist.
Like M adam C.J. W alker, m any A frican
A m ericans m ay have turned to entrepreneur-
ship in the years covered by the C ensus
B ureau study because o f high u n em ploy­
m ent in o ur com m unities.
The fact is, black unem ploym ent never got
back dow n to w here it was before the recession
black- and m in o rity -o w n ed businesses. E v­
ery city, county, and state needs to have a
plan that focuses on sm all and m inority busi­
ness. .T here is a spirit o f en trepreneurship
out there that n eed s to be nurtured and
energized.
W hile the C ensus B ureau report is g en er­
ally good new s, w e know that black b usi­
nesses still m ake up only 7 p ercent o f all
com panies and they tend to be sm aller and
have low er gross receipts than o th er b u si­
nesses. B lack-ow ned businesses are also
often ham pered in th eir revenue grow th by a
lack o f capital, co n n ectio n s and contracts.
W hat I hope this report says loudly and
clearly to the investm ent com m unity is that
you are m issing an em erging m arket in the
U nited States. If m inority businesses are grow ­
ing at a faster clip than overall businesses,
im agine what the grow th rate w ould be if those
barriers were elim inated or lowered.
W e need the in v esto r co m m u nity to look
at this report and reco g n ize that they are
m issing an incredible opportunity.
Marc H. Morial is president and chief
executive officer o f the National Urban
League.
The Big Score in this Year’s Super Bowl
Public ownership
working beautifully
J im H ightower
For m e, the m ost significant statistic
com ing out o f this year's Super Bowl w asn't
the 31-25 score in the G reen Bay Packers'
h a rd -fo u g h t v icto ry o v e r the P ittsb u rg h
Steelers. N or w as it the $ 1.3 billion cost o f the
by
new , m onstrously huge foot
ball palace built by the D allas
C ow boys, w here the gam e was
played. R ather, the num ber that
im presses m e is 111,968.
T hat's the num ber o f people
w ho ow n the Packers—each o f
w hom is an ordinary G reen Bay resident and
d evoted cheese-head.
U nlike all 31 o f the other pro football
S l l H s i C r i h p f 503-288-0033
O U U d t I 1 DC’
Fill Out & Send To:
(O bserver
Attn-. Subscriptions, PO Box 3137, Portland OR 97208
$60.00 for 6 months • $110.00 for 1 year • $200.00 for 2 years
(please include check with this subscription form)
N ame :
A ddress :
or
e m a il
team s, the Packers aren't the personal p lay ­
thing o f som e rich fam ily o r profiteering c o r­
porate consortium . Instead, it's a non-profit
com m unity enterprise o w ned and m anaged
by local fans as a project, according to its
bylaw s, "intended to prom ote com m unity
welfare."
G reen Bay's citizens elect the team 's board
o f directors, and this hands-on and co m m u ­
nity-m inded board then hires and fires the
team adm inistrators and coaches.
Public ow nership m eans that no im pulsive
greed-head can sell the beloved Packers and
m ove them in the dead o f night to a cash-rich
big city. It also produces unm atched fan
support, even in years w hen the Packers do
poorly on the field.
In fact, if things aren't going w ell, fans
.T elephone :
Established 1970
USPS 959-680 _______________________________ _
47 47 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211
Jim Hightower is a radio commentator,
writer, and public speaker.
Advertise with diversity in
"nic Portland Observer
subscriptions@ portlandobserver.com
Tdortlanb (PhserUer
don't have to w hine helplessly about it on the
shock-jock call-in show s. A s citizens o f this
sm all city, they can talk directly to the team
m anagem ent. O r as shareholders, they can
vote to change m anagers.
Interestingly, at a tim e w hen po liticos and
pundits across the country are dem onizing
the very idea o f p ublic ow nership, the good
folks o f G reen B ay are show ing that it w orks
beautifully and adds im m easurable strength
to the com m unity.
N o t o n ly are th e se G re e n B a y e rs S u p e r
B o w l c h a m p s a g a in th is y e a r, b u t th e y 'v e
p ro d u ced m o re N F L ch am p io n sh ip s in th e ir
c ity th a n an y o th e r set o f o w n e rs h as
done.
Call 503-288-0033
ads@portlandobserver.com
^ ¡ SSionS. Manuscripts and photographs should he clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope.
All created design display ads become the sole property of the newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage without the written consent o f the general
manager, unless the client has purchased the composition o f such ad © 2008 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR
IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED The Portland Observer -Oregon's Oldest Multicultural Publication-is a member o f the National Newspaper Association-
Founded in 1885. and The National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, and The West Coast Black Publishers Association
Charles H. Washington
EDiroR.Michael L eig h to n
D istr ibu tio n M anager : M ark W ashington
C reative D irector : P aul N e u feld t
E ditor - in -C hiee , P ublisher :
news@portlandobserver,com
CALL 503-288-0033 FAX 503-288-0015
'
ads@portlandobserver.com
subscription@Dortlandobserver.com
P ostmaster : Send address changes to Portland Observer, PO B ox3137, Portland, OR9 7 2 0 8