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Gradually, my activist brain kicks in imagining a vibrant cannabis industry full of black entrepreneurs and consumers co-existing, working together, growing businesses and making significant impact in this new "green rush" industry. I begin thinking how can I help create a "Wakanda Effect" in cannabis.Why? Because we deserve it especially after surviving the "war on drugs" years when being black with an ounce of weed meant serving significant jail time.Why not reap some of the benefits of legalization? Yes black folks do consume pretty much at the same rate of other ethnicities however, our participation in and contribution to this growing industry is poor at best.
Furthermore, the top cannabis branded companies should be seeking us out. Meaning talk is cheap put your money where your mouth is and make significant efforts to engage black consumers who in turn will purchase your products. Question, how many of the top 25 cannabis brands in the USA and/or Canada have a Chief Diversity Officer who is a member of their executive leadership team? Bottom line diversity is profitable. Tip of the day, engage black consumers because we have the power to move a brand from obscurity to notoriety. We can successfully put our own flavor, attitude, and culture into a project with little to no experience and make it an overnight success.
Black entrepreneurship emerges as a tool for survival in a world where systemic challenges persist. By overcoming odds and supporting Black-owned businesses, we pave the way for a thriving future. This paradigm shift, although intimidating to those benefiting from the status quo, promises positive change for both the business community and families.
Supporting Black-owned businesses contributes to the cultivation of a new generation. Through this initiative, young black children can grow up in communities with successful entrepreneurs as role models, fostering an environment where everyone has a fair chance at success. It is a collective effort to break free from detrimental narratives and build a legacy of prosperity and empowerment.
The power of the Black dollar extends beyond mere transactions; it holds the key to community growth, economic empowerment, and the eradication of systemic disparities. Redirecting this immense financial resource towards Black-owned businesses, especially in real estate, serves as a catalyst for change. By supporting each other, we dismantle the cancerous mentality that impedes progress and lay the foundation for a future where everyone can thrive. The economic influence of a $1.7 trillion spending capacity equals the combined gross domestic product of Mexico, Canada, and Italy. It is now imperative for the Black community to initiate a transformative change in our financial habits, emphasizing the crucial significance of investing in ourselves. Prioritizing self-investment involves directing our spending towards initiatives that directly contribute to the prosperity of Black households, fostering the transfer of wealth to future generations. Recognizing sustainable homeownership as the primary means of wealth creation for the majority of Americans further underscores the importance of this financial strategy.
If you happened to be passing a small building on the corner of 21st and X streets, on November 1962, you may have heard the slow peck of a typewriter, or the chatter of a few dedicated individuals as they stuck stamps to the outside of an unusual 4-page newspaper.
The black money scam, sometimes also known as the "black dollar scam" or "wash wash scam", is a scam where con artists attempt to fraudulently obtain money from a victim by convincing them that piles of banknote-sized paper are real currency that has been stained in a heist. The victim is persuaded to pay fees and purchase chemicals to remove the dye, with the promise of a share in the proceeds.
A Ghanaian native caught perpetrating the scam revealed the tricks of the trade to ABC News Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross.[1] Authentic US$100 bills are coated with a protective layer of glue, and then dipped into a solution of tincture of iodine.[2] The bill, when dried, looks and feels like black construction paper. The mass of notes are real construction paper; when the victim picks a "note" for cleaning, it is switched with the iodine-coated note. The "magic cleaning solution" is actually crushed vitamin C tablets dissolved in water. In another arrest, ordinary raspberry drink mix was found to be the "magic cleaning solution". Solutions of calcium hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide have also been used as washing agents in the scam.
Research suggests that when people have access to living wages and financial resources, they tend to make efficient use of both. During the pandemic when millions of Americans were out of work, credit card balances on average actually declined, thanks to the living wage assured by more generous unemployment benefits. Despite evidence to the contrary, the myth prevails that the people in poor communities of color would more easily thrive if only they used their resources better. One example of the pervasiveness of this belief is the myth that the lifespan of a dollar in black communities is only six hours.
The source of this myth is a self-help book called, Talking Dollars and Making Sense: A Wealth Building Guide for African-Americans. In a segment about the topic on the black-owned cable network TV One, TV journalist Roland Martin contrasts the six hour figure with the lifespan of a dollar in the Asian community (28 days) and in the Jewish community (19 days).
Several federal government agencies like The Federal Reserve Bank and The Bureau of Labor Statistics produce data on black spending patterns. However, their data also does not show how often money circulates within a neighborhood.
That said, private market research organizations such as Nielsen and the Chicago-based Target Market News also track black spending patterns, and their findings cast even more doubt on the claim that Black consumers are less likely to direct their purchasing power into their own communities.
''Let your dollars march for you,'' declared Benjamin L. Hooks as Black Dollar Days began Sept. 1 throughout the nation. The ''black dollar'' represents black people's buying power in the form of $2 bills and Susan B. Anthony $1 coins. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) launched the five-day campaign Sept. 1 to encourage American enterprise to help black Americans through hiring them, promoting them, and negotiating contracts with minority enterprises.
''Money can do more for us than pay our bills,'' says Mr. Hooks, the NAACP's executive director. ''Our black dollars can be our tool for better jobs, for getting business to utilize black professionals, black service firms, and black producers. They tell business we will spend our money with people who give us a fair share of their expenditures.''
* Black Bostonians will offer $2 bills or Susan B. Anthony $1 coins every time they use public transportation over the Labor Day weekend. And they will also shop downtown with the same bills and coins.
''Public transportation and downtown businesses show black people no respect when it comes to hiring and promoting them or dealing with minority firms,'' said Henry Owens Jr., president of the Boston branch of the NAACP.
Monitor journalism changes lives because we open that too-small box that most people think they live in. We believe news can and should expand a sense of identity and possibility beyond narrow conventional expectations.
According to the report, the African American population in the United States reached almost 43 million in 2012, representing approximately 13.7% of the U.S. population. Black buying power continues to increase, rising from its current $1 trillion level to a forecasted $1.3 trillion by 2017, which keeps Black consumers at the forefront of social trends and media consumption.
Many retailers and Fortune 500 companies have developed African American advertising teams and have also dedicated significant amounts of resources towards tapping into the steadily increasing buying power of Black consumers. These major institutions and corporate juggernauts have the resources and totally understand the importance of advertising to Black consumers; however the majority of African American businesses, here in the United States, cannot boast the same successes and ability to effectively reach the African American consumer.
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