BLACKONOMIC$
by James Clingman Jr.

Coalescence or Obsolescence; what’s it gonna be?

On June 6, 2008, I had the privilege of speaking at the Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce’s (MDCC) Business Empowerment Networking Series, thanks to Terry Wilson, Director of Operations, and Bill Diggs, President. I remain quite impressed with their professionalism and expertise. Having worked with many Black Chambers of Commerce across the country, I can say with confidence that Bill Diggs and his staff are right up there at the top of my list. More important is the fact that Bill’s leadership is reflected not only in his passion for his job but also in those who work for the MDCC; Diggs is an intelligent and dedicated brother who understands the power and importance of partnerships and collaboration, which cannot be overemphasized among Black people.

During my stay In Miami, I also had the opportunity to spend some time with the local President of Collective Banking Group, Dr. Joaquin Willis, and another friend of mine from Haiti, Jean Gervais. Once again, our conversation centered on working together, forming coalitions and mutually beneficial relationships.

Coalition-building is the best way for Black people to make the kind of progress we need to make in this country, especially when it comes to economic empowerment thus, the title of this article. Someone said a long time ago that Black people were swiftly becoming obsolete. From the agricultural economy to the industrial and mass production economy Black folks, in some cases, had it going on. Many individual Blacks did quite well with jobs in those areas. As we moved to the technology/information economy and now into the knowledge-based economy, the rules for survival have changed.

Are Black people becoming obsolete? I believe it was Marcus Garvey who said, “All the shoes have been shined and all the cotton has been picked;” he went on to suggest that Black people were no longer needed by white folks, therefore, if we did not change our ways when it came to business development we would indeed become obsolete. Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, and Garvey spoke of a time when we would have to consider the question if we did not awaken from our deep sleep and our dependence on the largess of others to care for us.

In my previous article I wrote about the Nationalist Black Leadership Coalition (NBLC). Initially it was called the Nationalist Black Leadership Council. The members decided to change the “Council” to “Coalition” because we did not want potential members to think the NBLC was some kind of hierarchal organization where a few “leaders” sat in authority and offered advice to the masses. No, we made a deliberate effort to be inclusive of all Black people, and we wanted to connote the value of coalescence among Black organizations and Black causes.

The NBLC is, in fact, a coalition of Black organizations and individuals who not only understand the importance of coalescence but are also willing to make the requisite sacrifices and do the work necessary for victory. I ask you again to go to www.bringbackblack.org and join the NBLC because together we are stronger.

Coalition-building is paramount, especially in this day and age, just like it was when Black people were outwardly treated like animals at worst and like third-class citizens at best. Our predecessors knew that in order to survive and thrive they had to join forces; they had to subdue their egos; they had to work together in support of one another; and they had to maximize their individual resources by developing collective strength. The results of their actions were Black business enclaves second-to-none. Can you say Black Wall Street?

In today’s world of instant everything, especially the Internet, we have the unlimited opportunity to work collectively toward building our own economic and social infrastructure. We can have virtual cities, economic enclaves, channels of communication, business ventures, charitable efforts, educational venues, financial assistance, investment initiatives, and many other advantages. But we will only have those things if we work together, if we coalesce rather than allow ourselves to become obsolete.

It is so important to our future that we set aside the envy and jealousy, the strife and acrimony, the ego-tripping and back-stabbing, and the psychological and physical warfare against one another. We must be willing to meet one another at our point of commonality and realize that none of us are safe from attack, none of us are above the rest of us, and none of us are immune from the lure of individual gain at the expense of our collective enslavement. If we learned to lean on one another more, as a result of having the proper relationships with one another, our collective strength would multiply exponentially.

There is a CD that I have written about called, Bring Black Back, by the MAAT Youth Group in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. I asked you to purchase a copy some weeks ago. On that CD there is a spoken word piece by Adrian Curry that educates us on the work of Marcus Garvey. (I reiterate, every Black household should a copy of this CD.) Adrian ends his tribute to Garvey with this: “Wake up, wake up! … If you don’t do what other races have done; if you don’t do what other nations have done; you, sir, will die!” Of course, Brother Marcus was talking to his people, Black people. He was imploring them to coalesce and guard against becoming obsolete.

What’s gonna be, brothers and sisters, “Coalescence or Obsolescence”? The choice is ours.

James Clingman He is an Adjunct Professor, Univ. of Cincinnati, Dept. of African American Studies on “Black Entrepreneurship”. He is the founder of the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce, served as its first Executive Director and President. Jim also writes a weekly syndicated newspaper column, Blackonomics, circulated via the National Newspaper Publishers Association. Watch for his column in your local newspaper. He is an Adjunct Professor, Univ. of Cincinnati, Dept. of African American Studies on “Black Entrepreneurship”. He is the author of numerous books including the new book, Black O Knowledge. Contact him at P.O. Box 62642, Cincinnati, Ohio 45262, (513) 489-4132.