Business

Black Wall Street Spring

THE FLORIDA STAR — On Saturday, March 30th, an event was held at The Bethel Church to do just that. It was called Black Wall Street Spring, hosted by Gene Dot Com.

Published

6 years ago

April 10, 2019

Oakland Post

By Carmen Davenport

On Saturday, March 30th, an event was held at The Bethel Church to do just that. It was called Black Wall Street Spring, hosted by Gene Dot Com and I must admit, it was an amazing event. His first Black Wall Street event occurred in November of 2018, with a purpose of encouraging people to forgo Black Friday and invest in BOBs instead. That event was such a success, Gene Dot Com decided to hold another one this spring.

“The purpose for this event is to support small businesses,” states Gene. “I believe that if we support each other, then the black dollar will continue to exist and continue to be an impact. Sometimes people forget about the small businesses which are cornerstones for our communities and neighborhoods and tend to get past away due to lack of support.”

The event in Tulsa, Oklahoma drove his decision to create this event in Jacksonville, Fl. Gene expects for this event to grow and continue to be a beacon light for each other.

I had the personal pleasure of meeting many business owners who possess a true desire of bringing value to other peoples’ lives. Approximately 70 vendors to include 5 food vendors were on site. Approximately 30 vendors were unfortunately turned down due to a lack of space. Business owners displayed clothing, body care products, hair care products, jewelry, and natural oils. Service providers such as authors, financial managers, and realtors were in attendance. Teachings on managing children in managing finances were all available.

We are not able to feature all of the businesses but was able to capture a few.

Black Wall Street: What Is It and Why Should We Care

What is it Black Wall Street?

Information of one of the most traumatic events in the history of America is disappearing. Yes, literally. Court records have disappeared and this particular event was accidentally omitted from history books. This event is known as the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921, however, it is known by survivors as a massacre. Most of us are aware of the history of segregation and racial tension in America. Blacks were not allowed in white-owned stores, they were not able to use the same amenities whites used nor could they eat in places owned or occupied by whites. In many cases, whites did not want blacks around them.

Blacks in this area were barred from white areas, therefore, they built their own area for shopping, entertainment, surviving and thriving. This area called Greenwood was considered the Black Wall Street of America. There were 108 businesses, 15 doctor offices, 2 schools, 2 movie theaters, banks, pharmacies, barber shops, beauty shops and anything else needed for survival or entertainment. All businesses were black-owned and for blacks only. They dressed exceptionally and elegantly well, suits, ties, and hats for the men and elegant dresses, gloves, and hats for the women. Against popular belief, black people were and still are highly educated, extremely intelligent and most important, thriving survivors.

Since blacks were prevented from the use of white amenities, one would think whites would be satisfied. Unfortunately, that did not solve the problems whites had with blacks. The success of blacks became the next thing whites did not like. Many became jealous of what blacks achieved, such as possessing grand pianos in their living rooms. This jealousy created a range of emotions and whites only needed one little spark to blow the top off their frustrations.

Unfortunately, this little spark occurred on May 31, 1921. Dick Rowland, 19, a black shoe shiner entered an elevator as he had numerous times prior to this day. This elevator was operated by 17-year-old Sarah Page. The doors closed, a scream was heard from Sarah, the doors opened and both ran out of the elevator. Rumor mill was told of an assault which as time went on, turned into a rape by the time it went through the town. Dick was arrested the next day and taken to the courthouse. Approximately 1000 armed whites surrounded the courthouse requesting for Dick to be lynched. Blacks heard of what happened and also went to the courthouse armed to protect this young boy. The size of the black group did not compare to the size of the white group. An argument and tussle ensued between an armed white and black man. A weapon was fired and the white man was shot. This is the moment when literally, all hell broke loose.

That was the spark the white crowd was waiting for. Over 1000 whites headed to the prestigious town of Greenwood. They looted businesses, murdered black people and set fire to 35 blocks of black-owned businesses. 1,200 homes, 108 businesses were burned and over 300 black people were killed. The bodies of these residents have yet to be located. It is believed they were dumped in mass graves.

Survivors recalled seeing planes overhead shooting down as they tried to escape and dropped bombs on their community. For two days, the prestigious town of Greenwood burned to the ground without relief. There were a few survivors who lost everything. They had to create and live in a tent city. Over 2.7 million dollars in insurance claims were filed and submitted however, all were denied.

Why Should We Care?

Nielson 2018 reported American consumer spending at $13,032.30 billion. The Share of the U.S. White Population for 2018 was 76.4 percent with a Buying Power of $12.1 trillion. The Share of the U.S. Black Population for 2018 was 13.4 percent with a Buying Population of $1.3 trillion. The Buying Power of the Black community is expected to grow to $1.5 trillion dollars by 2021.

So you ask, why should we care? We should care because this is hard-earned money the black community contributes to society. We pay state and federal taxes to a society we fight daily to be recognized as equal. We strive to be treated fairly, we fight to protect the lives of our children and we are killed by the hands that should protect us. We are beaten and killed by people who will never like black people and who are never brought to justice. We are falsely or unjustly imprisoned with unacceptable jail or prison sentences as another means of oppression.

We march but our voices are unheard, we vote but our votes are stolen. Those are situations we obviously cannot control. What can be controlled is how each of us invests our hard earned money. If that means supporting Black Owned Businesses (BOB) for our voices to be heard, then we do so. Can you imagine the difference the black community can make by investing black money with BOBs? That is $1.3 trillion dollars placed back in the black communities. It could be invested to help fight homelessness, drive out drugs, provide proper education where our children can learn about their history, and create other black business owners.

This article originally appeared in The Florida Star.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

OP-ED: Offshore Exploration Promises Jobs, Affordable Energy

Don't Miss

AUTO REVIEW: 2020 Kia Soul

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of October 30 – November 5, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of October 30 – November 5, 2024

Published

21 hours ago

November 1, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Business

Chevron Reports Progress in Flaring, Emissions at Community Town Hall

At the first in a series of community town halls on Oct. 16, Chevron Richmond reported a reduction in year-over-year flaring incidents, both in number and duration, and detailed new technologies and processes that will further drive down emissions and heighten community awareness about operations. Chevron employees also answered questions from the community and listened to concerns at the town hall, which was hosted by Ceres Policy Research and held at CoBiz in downtown Richmond.

Published

5 days ago

October 28, 2024

Oakland Post

Community member Kathleen Sullivan speaks at the Chevron town hall. Photo courtesy Richmond Standard.

By Mike Aldax

The Richmond Standard

Chevron employees also answered questions from the community and listened to concerns at the town hall, which was hosted by Ceres Policy Research and held at CoBiz in downtown Richmond.

Similar town halls will be held twice per year over the next five years as part of a settlement agreement with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD).

The goal is to increase transparency about flaring and increase opportunities for the community to get answers to their questions about potential impacts to the community.

A key output is the creation of a Community Action Plan, or CAP. The CAP aims to create a two-way dialogue between Chevron and neighbors around flaring and environmental compliance.

“Chevron’s focus in this process is one of learning and engagement,” said Brian Hubinger, public affairs manager at Chevron Richmond. “We felt the most efficient way was to bring together a broad selection of community members rather than just think about what it would take to comply with the settlement agreement.”

The first town hall drew a few dozen members of the community, including Chevron employees, representatives of fence-line neighborhoods and members of local environmental organizations.

During the event, Chevron employees reported that 19 BAAQMD-reportable flaring incidents occurred at the refinery from October 2022 to September 2023 with a total duration of 270 hours. During the same period this year, 18 flaring incidents occurred with a total duration of 159 hours, marking a 41% decrease in duration.

Further gains are expected with the implementation of Flare IQ, set to be installed this year and next on all of the refinery’s flaring systems. Flare IQ is described as a supercomputer with an algorithm that gathers data from operations and enables employees to address potential issues before they occur.

Chevron also reported a 40% decrease in particulate matter emissions since the completion of the refinery modernization project in 2018.

In addition, flare gas volume related to Chevron’s new hydrogen plant project, built as part of the modernization project, decreased by 85% since 2019. The hydrogen plant has also reportedly made the refinery 20% more efficient.

“We’re really proud about that,” said Kris Battleson, manager of health, safety and environment at Chevon Richmond.

Neighborhood council leaders joined the president of the local NAACP in lauding the effort toward transparency and accountability. Among them was Vernon Whitmore, president of the Sante Fe Neighborhood Council and member of the 15-person CAP committee.

“The way we were able to talk openly and freely with Chevron – honestly, bluntly and frankly – while developing this program was very good,” Whitmore said. “And it was something that was well-needed at this time.”

Still, residents are skeptical, including Kathleen Sullivan, a longtime community advocate who also serves on the CAP committee. But she added, “you can’t complain about something and not be involved in the solution.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Bay Area

S.F. Mayor London Breed Meets with Black Businesswomen Supporting Her Campaign

San Francisco Mayor London Breed met with 50 supporters at Cafe 22 in San Francisco’s Union Square hosted by cafe owner LaRonda “Sug” Smith, who is also president of the Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association. Wearing a royal blue pantsuit, Breed happily greeted the group of seniors, business owners, and longtime community members.

Published

5 days ago

October 28, 2024

Oakland Post

San Francisco Mayor London Breed addresses her supporters at a Meet and Greet at Cafe 22 on Mason Street in Union Square. Photo By Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

Wearing a royal blue pantsuit, Breed happily greeted the group of seniors, business owners, and longtime community members.

The mayor stated that the race is a close one competing with wealthy opponents, however she feels confident in her track record of accomplishments, qualifications and being a native San Franciscan.

“My opponents may have the money, but I’ve got the people,” she said .

In response to COVID-19’s impact on Black-owned and serving businesses, in 2020 Mayor Breed launched the African American Revolving Loan Fund, providing zero-interest loans of up to $50,000.

In 2022, Mayor Breed ensured the loans nade to 51 businesses were forgiven. Through her ‘Opportunities for All’ initiative she ensured all 13- 24-year-olds have access to paid internships and a career pathway. Since its launch in 2018, the program has made over 10,000 placements. Ninety-five percent were people of color and 23% were African American.

In 2022, Mayor Breed launched the Black 2 San Francisco initiative hosting HBCU, Historically Black Colleges and Universities for summer programming, a part of her downtown economic recovery and revitalization efforts.

Launched in partnership with the San Francisco Department of Public Health and Expecting Justice, Breed provided a monthly income of $600-$1000 to expecting mothers of color to reduce the economic stress that leads to racial birth disparities.

The program was the first of its kind in the nation and will expand from 150 recipients to 425. Breed helped fund a new small business hub at the City’s African American Arts and Cultural District.

In 2021, Mayor Breed proclaimed Juneteenth as an official City holiday, celebrating the Black community’s resilience and emergence from slavery.

Mayor Breed also reinvested $60 million of City funds annually to assist the City’s Black community in breaking a cycle of poverty.

Business training assisted 350 entrepreneurs,

Over 50 businesses entered or renewed leases,
1,000 residents completed workforce training,
Over 50 families and seniors secured mortgages and 6,000 households were provided nutritional support.
1,000 hours of mental health support and 38,000 young people were provided support
Nearly 1,000 youth recieved literacy and mentorship support, and nearly 40 educators were supported.

“A people that are 5% of the population, should not be 40% of the homeless population or condemned to poverty,” said Breed. “It’s not all about the numbers, but the overall disparity.”

Breed says she understands the plight of the underserved and is a mayor for all people but the data shows the African community left behind.

“When you uplift a community, you uplift the City and we invested in the Latino communities and in the Stop Asian Hate movement with resources to address those challenges,” said Breed. “Because ultimately, as mayor, it is my job to serve and protect all of the City.” “I’ve helped over 20,000 exit homelessness and increased our shelter capacity by 70%.”

The attacks Mayor Breed has experienced recently have reminded her that being a Black woman, you have to work twice as hard and yet be unfairly and overly scrutinized. However, Breed says she will continue to fight to lead San Francisco for another term.

“Mayor London Breed is for our people and all people in this city,” said LaRonda Smith who was awarded a proclamation from the mayor’s office. “This city is her community, she cares and has supported so many communities, organizations, and small businesses to prove it.” The event also served a celebration of Cafe 22’s three years in business at 325 Mason St. in San Francisco.

Attendees included business owners Del Seymour of Code Tenderloin, Velma Landers and Idella Hill of the ABWA, and Julianne Banks.