In 1968, the late James Brown coined the phrase, “Say it loud. I’m black, and I’m proud.” Noted as one of the signature songs of the 1960s Civil Rights struggle, the song served as a constant reminder that blacks should be proud of their culture and heritage and in that, should support each other in order to excel.
As we move toward the halfway mark in Black History Month, don’t forget about the black businesses here in town.
Throughout America you can find people of the same race, background or culture supporting businesses in their respected sub-communities every day; and blacks need to do it too.
In order for the black community to flourish, blacks need to band together and help one another succeed. And why not start by supporting black-owned businesses?
Two years ago the FAMU student government association and the Web site TallahasseeBlackPages had a free expo in an effort to expose everyone to the businesses that blacks own in Tallahassee.
It has only been 42 years since the Civil Rights Act was signed into law, and blacks have done tremendous things to uplift the race since then.
Just think about it.
Next time you need to buy books or clothes, deposit a check, file your taxes, look for a new place to live or get a bite to eat, have the black-owned business in mind. If everyone just did a little, you would be surprised how much things can change.
And if you don’t know of any black-owned businesses in Tallahassee visit www.tallahasseeblackpages.com.
Katrelle Simmons for the Editorial Board.