Buy Black - Empowerment Experiment of Maggie and John Anderson of Chicago Getting News and Supporters...
I just found out about the buy black "Empowerment Experiment undertaken by John and Maggie Anderson of Chicago, who are buying only black products -- and having a doozy of a time finding products to buy that are from black reputable retailers.(You'd think in a big ol' black city like Chicago -- I'm from the South Side of Chicago and black -- they'd find a lots of products to "buy black" from, but I see they're actually living in Oak Park, a Chicago suburb, so that does make a difference.)
Okay, but I see in the below video they found a great grocery store in Chicago -- the only black-owned fresh food/grocery store in Illinois! -- called Farmer's Best located at 1424 West 47th Street that has all this fresh food daily. Next time I'm in the Chi, I gotta remember that... ...and Maggie found shoes at Sensual Steps Shoe Salon at 4518 S. Cottage Grove, Chicago, Illinois -- hey, do you all have size 11? John found a dry cleaner and a basketball buddy in Evan's Cleaners at 1510 Madison Blvd. in Maywood, Illinois...Phone: (708) 681-5118 And importantly, Maggie found a great hangout spot in my old stomping ground of Hyde Park in Park 52 Restaurant at 5201 S. Harper Ave. in Chicago, Illinois -- Phone: (773) 241-5200 -- That food looks good. I want to go there!
Will you buy black with John and Maggie Anderson?
Ay yi yi, the thought of it all at once sends my head into a tizzy, relocated here in the lush green valley of Ohio. I just searched the black pages for grocery stores in Akron, and got no results. Can that be true? Maybe I just didn't try enough names. I think the Henry's Acme store near my old church went out of business from lack of customers. I don't even know if I ever shopped there. Guilt inducing me now...
Anyway, I see their buy black empowerment experiment website, but I can't find their Facebook page for the life of me. Hit me up with a link, will ya? Anyone who knows it, please leave a comment.
I even searched for black-owned banks in Chicago and it only turned up one on the Black Pages. Is that really right? Our family has been dealing with Seaway National Bank on Chicago's south side for years, and all this time I've been thinking it's a black bank!
If we could just get a little more organization this growing movement may prove successful, if it's meant to be.
Maggie says she calls the Chicago Urban League when she needs to find a black-owned business. I'm trying to find a better place to find black-owned businesses online.
Of course, how'd you like it if there were a "Buy White Movement"...
...I can hear the argument now. Some would say there's been an unspoken "buy white movement" for years, and harken back to the days when blacks had to buy black because our ancestors weren't allowed in white stores.
It will be really interesting to see how this buy black thing turns out.
Comments
In Arkansas for every business like mine which is in Internet Marketing there are dozens of barber and beauty shops not to mention fish and barbeque restaurants, but when I want to find a black doctor, lawyer, construction worker I am made to feel like I am doing them a favor for wanting to do business with them.
I am all for empowerment but if the Anderson's are having this type of problem in their own back yard that doesn't speak well for the rest of the country.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 7:35 am | Reply
This thought of only buying from a business because the business owners color seems very wrong. What if a person decided and published that they would only buy from “White” owned businesses? What if there were the “National White College Fund” like the “United Negro College Fund”? This does more to drive people apart than bring them together. I dream of a day when we are Americans. I grow very tired of Washington DC with the Republicans and Democrats, I am ready for the American Party made up of all Americans for the advancement of America.
Dream Big,
Frank TX
liz Says:
Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 8:55 pm | Reply
I have been posting comments on this story at MSNBC.com.
This is the utmost in ungrateful bigotry by the Anderson’s. It’s the worst economy since the Great Depression, jobs are being lost at a staggering rate, in some places unemployment is in the double digits, and these people want you to only “buy black”????
This infuriates me to no end. How totally stupid is their reasoning. The black owned businesses are going to end up getting hurt by it because of the obvious resentment white’s feel by this movement. It’s a slap in the face for all white American’s have done to help black American’s succeed.
After all, it wasn’t like the black slave union decided to have a meeting and take a vote to end slavery….Black slaves were HELPLESS to help themselves and white abolitionists through the strength and grace of God stepped up to the task before them and ended slavery. Would you boycott a store owned by the descendents of Abraham Lincoln?
The stupidity and self-serving nature of this “movement” is so tasteless it’s nauseating. Oh and keep in mind that this makes for a great ticket to step up a political or television career. Mrs. Anderson is a very nice looking woman. Believe me, I would be shocked if her “movement” didn’t include political and/or personal aspirations for her future career. This is stupid beyond words. Stupid, racist, divisive, hateful, ungrateful, and will in the end fail. Just like the million man march that boycotted Washington D.C. stores (many of whom are black owned) and the day without immigrants movement. They are in your face, confrontational, and do little to create good will between races.
Why do so many (not all) black American’s forget the whites who fought and DIED for their freedom and well being??? I’d love to have a one on one discussion with Michael Basin…the black uber-racist radio talk show host who despises white people. How ignorant!