In my ongoing quest to be a better person, I keep biting off more than I can chew. In my last post, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised... NowSo What? I promised to be more positive and focus on ways that people can and do create change in the world by making different choices.
My recipe for change seemed so simple and foolproof last weekend- start with a base of black owned businesses, sprinkle in a dash of shameless self promotion, top with a dollop of Dan Price economics et voila- Positivity pie served up BOTB style, right on time for the New Year.
My strategy was sound. I’m starting to take this blogging thing more seriously, and research shows that readers want to hear positive stories, especially during this time of year.
Only MYStory kind of sucks right now.
My business is struggling, my unemployment got challenged by my former employers (who I am way too classy to put on blast but you know who you are), and now the state of Ohio wants back pay in excess of $2000. My sleep schedule is whacked and everyone in my house could use a few hundred milligrams of Zoloft.
And Donald Trump is still running for President.
But, I digress...
Personal worries. We all have them. To you, they might not seem like much, but to me, they are the lodestone dragging me ever downwards, drowning my optimism in a sea of despair.
Nowadays, when I find myself at a pity party of one I take my innermost worries to the altar and leave them in God’s hands.
Then I run up like a bandit at three AM and steal them back.
I once heard a pastor compare our spiritual burdens to a woman’s purse. Without the weight of them on our shoulders, we feel incomplete, so we take things to the altar, then snatch them back before God can address them for us.
I carry a big bag o’ crazy, both literally and figuratively, and I sometimes often struggle with letting go and letting God. My rational mind knows that worry changes nothing and that faith, not sight has gotten me this far.
But the anal retentive control freak who lives in me has issues with relinquishing control. So I find myself returning to the altar over and over again, forcing my mind away from my personal struggles and onto the broader collective struggle of living up to my faith.
My faith tells me that people are innately good, that white privilege is wrong, and that if white people ‘got it’, most of them would do the right thing voluntarily.
See? Optimism.
I keep clinging to the hope that if I can just help my church to understand the breadth and the depth of the plague of white privilege, we can be on the ground floor of a common sense renaissance that will sweep the state, and eventually the nation.
Yes, I do honestly believe this. Change is possible, injustice is everyone’s problem, and progress is each generation’s responsibility.
As a former community organizer, I know that change is incremental, and the closer you are to an issue, the less objective you become. I am intimately familiar with the one-step-forward, two-steps-back dance of social change that begun at time immemorial and will continue ad infinitum.
My rational mind knows that Christians are not exempt from this strange continuum, that no one is exempt. That doesn’t mean I have to like it.
I should tell you that people who go to my church read this blog. I was going to refrain from publishing this entry so as not to offend anyone, but the day I start writing for readers instead of myself is the day I will shut this blog down forever. (Can I get an AMEN?)
I don’t like being called articulate. It’s always uttered with such an undertone of condescending shock; as if I, a black female, am supposed to be intellectually incapable of navigating the language I have been speaking since birth. When I publish the first BOTB en Espanol, feel free to call it articulate. Until then, why not just say:
“You’re so much smarter than I thought a black person would be!”
I don’t like that every week someone tells me they don’t recognize me because I have changed my hair. My face doesn’t change. Ever. So next time just look at that.
I don’t like that five years into our ‘courageous conversations on race’, some members of my church still question whether or not white privilege actually exists.
Excuse me? What planet are you from and what color is the sky there? The very fact that every conversation about race is structured around consideration of white feelings bears it out.
I don’t like that our church’s version of equality is a white person and a black person standing at the front of the room. They seem to think this is akin to developing black leadership, when it actually has the opposite effect. By inserting a black ‘token’ into a structure of white power, all you are doing is assigning a white accountabilibuddy for development of black power, thereby clipping the black leader’s wings.
It’s all of the optics of equality minus any of the sacrifice. I feel like after five years of grappling with race and faith, the people who still don’t get it probably don’t want to.
That’s where my faith comes in. Ta Nehisi Coates says that whiteness itself only exists in juxtaposition to blackness, that white is not a culture, simply a state of implied superiority.
This is not an evaluative statement on white America or caucasians in general. It’s simply a statement of fact.
Italian Americans are a cultural group. ‘Whites’ are not.
Let me put it another way. Vanilla is a flavor. It is distinct. It has a source, the vanilla bean. It is not the absence of chocolate.
African Americans, or blacks, are a cultural group. The descendants of slaves carved out a distinct and diverse culture in their new homeland. The descendants of immigrants assimilated themselves into white society by divorcing themselves from the culture of their homeland, aka taking the bribe of white privilege.
In this way the privileges associated with whiteness become the defining quality of white culture, and any challenge to white privilege becomes a de facto attack on whiteness itself.
I can’t (and shouldn’t) expect white America to sign on for a wholesale dismantling of their skin based meritocracy. But I can (and will) keep believing that white Christians are capable of such selfless acts of love.
So instead of sugarcoating reality, I’m going to keep serving it up, BOTB style, complete with a side of irony and just a dash of shameless self promotion. Yes, white families do average 20x the amount of black families. Yes, white privilege is real. And yes, it’s your job to fix it. But don’t worry, it’s my job too.
Five Ways Individuals Can Change Black White Income Disparity
1.10-10-50
This is a lifestyle change that can be easily implemented if you have $50- $100 extra dollars per month.
Spare Change Version:
Every month: Volunteer 10 hours of your time to a non-profit organization that addresses the root causes of income disparity (poverty, education, criminal justice, food security, financial literacy, etc.). Try to match your volunteer activities with your personal and/or professional areas of expertise. For example, if you are a lawyer, try volunteering at your local public defender’s office. Homemaker? Why not sign up for story time at your local inner city library or HeadStart center. Donate 10 dollars to the organization to help fund the services they provide. Redirect 50 dollars out of your normal budget to a Black Owned Business(BOBz)*.
Game Change Version:
Every month: Find and promote 10 BOBz. Get creative! You can promote the business for free by sharing it on Facebook, following on Google+ or Twitter, you can even email or text a snapshot of their business card to friends and family. Donate 10 (or more) dollars to a BOBz crowdfunding campaign. Less than 1% of venture capital goes to minority owned businesses, so a little can go a long way on platforms like indiegogo, kickstarter, or gofundme. Redirect 50-500 dollars to BOBz by hosting an eight person dinner party at a black owned restaurant. For a list of Black Owned Restaurants by city, click here.
Make It Rain Version:
Every month: Replace 10 household items with items purchased from BOBz. This can be as simple as getting your LBGTQ friendly holiday cards off Etsy to making a major change like getting your produce direct from black farmers in your neighborhood. Invite 10 friends to join you every month in doing the 10-10-50 challenge. It’s okay if most of your friends say no thanks. If only two people a month say yes, your personal ‘action network’ is redirecting $1350 a year to BOBz. Reach back by donating 50 dollars to an organization that helps blacks break into your field or major. If you can’t find a program designed to help minorities in your field, email me- I’ll help!
This concept is slowly but surely gaining momentum through social media. The general idea is that BOBz run promotions on Friday to encourage shoppers to #BUYBLACK fifty two times a year. If every American spent just $1 in BOBz every Friday, we could generate over sixteen billion dollars in revenue by this time next year.
Spare Change Version:
Every Friday: Spend 5 (or more) dollars in BOBz. Share the hashtags #BUYBLACK and #BUYBLACKEVERYFRIDAY on your social networks on Fridays. If you miss a week, take 5 minutes to #FF 10 BOBz.
Game Change Version:
On Fridays: Challenge yourself by seeking out brick and mortar BOBz to support on Fridays. Take a picture of your purchase and share online under “I #BUYBLACKEVERYFRIDAY. Challenge your friends to get their post up before you. The last person to post buys a drink/appetizer/lunch for the first person to post each week.
Make It Rain Version:
Every Monday, pick a BOBz and email their contact information to your entire email list. Let your contacts know that you are making the conscious choice to fight racism and income disparity by supporting this business. Ask them to spend $1 or more at this business and email you a picture of their receipt by Thursday. On Friday, match the amount your friends invested during the week.
3. Organize a CA$H MOB
This is probably the hardest to do because you will need the cooperation of a group of at least 10 people (including yourself) to really make an impact. First, pick a BOBz you are absolutely nuts about-- if you don’t care, why should your friends and family? Contact the business owner and let them know you would like to organize a CA$H Mob on their behalf. The owner will usually offer your group a discount, free food, or some other tangible benefit (we business owners love when someone else does the advertising for us!) for supporting them.
Set a date that works for the owner and is convenient for the people in your networks too, like Saturday afternoon or Wednesday evening during happy hour. Plan your CA$H MOB at least two weeks out so you have time to promote it. Make a Facebook event and invite everyone you know! Generally, for every five people you invite that say yes, one or two will show up.
Make the event public so that others can come support the business as well. Be sure to include the name, address, and website for the business on the Facebook page, as well as any relevant housekeeping information (limited parking on the street, parking lot is around back, etc.) so shoppers know what to expect. Set a clear start and end time for your CA$H MOB. The idea is to boost the business by capitalizing on the Jones effect-- no one wants to be first, so by creating a ‘mob’ of shoppers you help validate the business as successful and popular.
Spare Change Version:
Short on funds? Why not host a digital cash mob for a favorite online shop. All the advertising is free and there is no legwork involved. Remember, the most important part is to pick a business you feel passionate enough about to ‘sell’ their vision to your friends and family. Digital CA$H MOBS run for one full day. For a list of BOBz online, click here.
Game Change Version:
Maximize the impact of your CA$H MOB by attaching it to a social group you are already involved with. PTA Mom? Why not organize a Back-to-school CA$H MOB at a BOBz retailer? Fantasy Footballer? CA$H MOB a Black Owner bar or restaurant during the playoffs or on SuperBowl Sunday! Remember to contact the business owner ahead of time so you can plan the event as co-conspirators.
Make It Rain Version:
Pick four friends that live in other states and challenge them to a CA$H MOB challenge. All five of you plan, organize and execute CA$H MOBs in your respective cities. Ask the store owner if they feel comfortable letting you know how much revenue they raised the day of the CA$H MOB. The friend whose business raised the most money wins the challenge,and the other four friends match the amount raised by the most successful CA$H MOB. You can give the winnings to a local charity or scholarship fund, donate it to the Detroit Water Project, which matches donations to turn back on the water for over 100,000 Detroit residents who are without running water; or even use it to buy meals for one of the half a million people living on the streets this winter.
Think about what you still have left to buy for Christmas. Now imagine that you wake up tomorrow and eighty percent of what is in your bank account is gone. The amount you have left is about what your black and brown neighbors are working with this Christmas.
Challenge yourself to do 80-100% of your christmas shopping at BOBz this and every year. Not sure where to find the BOBz in your area? See our list below:
Spare Change Version: This Christmas...
Game Change Version: ... Until Easter
Make It Rain Version: Every year from Christmas until Easter
5. Seed a BOBz Startup
I’m going to tell you a secret. If you get the Grande dark roast in a Venti cup with a syrup mix in and add your own cream, it tastes exactly the same as a latte and is $1.25 cheaper.
That’s $6.25 a week, $25 a month; $300 a year you’re spending on pressurized air. Why not take that money and invest it in a Black Owned Business (BOBz)?
Minority businesses received Less than 1% of 98 billion dollars in venture capital funding given out in 2015. Even so, Black women start businesses at six times the rate of the national average. #BlackGirlsRock.
Help close the gap by investing $25 each month in BOBz. You can share the wealth, or pick a business whose message you personally connect to and support them all year long.
You won’t miss it. Starbucks won’t miss it. It’s just a little change.
And a big one too.
Spare Change Version:
Invest five dollars a week in a different BOBz startup and share the startup through your social networks. Not only will you personally be contributing $260 in seed money to 52 businesses every year, you will be exponentially maximizing the chance of success for the startup, helping even the odds for minority business owners.
Game Change Version:
Calculate how much you spend on a monthly basis on indulgence purchases (like Starbucks Latte’s or Gel Mani/Pedi’s). Cut your indulgence spending in half and use the money to seed BOBz startups. Let your social networks know what you gave up and where you redirected the money using hashtag #IGAVEALITTLECHANGE. Your small sacrifice could spark a national movement.
Make It Rain Version:
Choose a crowdfunded startup that has particular significance to a status group you are a member of and commit to fundraise for them during the duration of their campaign. Homeowner? Why not choose a residential landscaping company like Hawkeye? Are you a mother or grandmother of young girls? Check out Princess Planet Fundraiser, a children’s entertainment brand that promotes princess characters of diverse cultural backgrounds.
Ask everyone you know that belongs to the same status group to support the business of your choice by donating at least five dollars a week to the startup. Match the funds you helped generate on a bi-weekly or monthly basis. Ask the business owner if they feel comfortable with you hosting a celebration banquet in their honor at the end of the crowdfunding campaign. By getting to know the owner of the business you helped start, you are laying the foundation for a lifelong friendship!
101 Black Crowdfunding Campaigns
- Get Leslie Into SAG ONLY 26 Hours left!
This is by no means a comprehensive list. If you own a BOBz or BOBz startup please add it in the comments section below. Include contact info and Facebook link if you have one. Check out my BOBz, Golden Goddess Cosmetics, and get 25% off on Fridays with code BUYBLACKEVERYFRIDAY.
