I repeat: Dr. Watkins’ first point is accurate. All you have to do is go look at the majority of portrayals of Black people in mainstream media for 500 years. All you have to do is go talk to those Black people who you get along with, ask them about their experiences, and really open your ears and listen. I have spent too many years watching Black men and boys that I love go through what Dr. Watkins describes to not understand why Black men want and need something built for themselves that does not totally depend on those acculturated to see them and their success as a threat to their position, or personally offensive. After all, all a Black man has to do is suggest his people take a dime out of every dollar to support Black businesses for ONE day, and he is accused of wishing for “economic apartheid” — do you think, Ford, that anyone would come at you that way, in this culture, for such a suggestion? Do you think you would want to work for anyone who disrespected you like that? Do you think that a self-respecting Black man would want to depend on you for his livelihood, based on the evidence you have provided? And you consider yourself a white man who in his own opinion gets along well with most Black people! Think about it!

Dr. Watkins’ point 1 is accurate, even though there are Black people working. One out of every seven Black people is NOT working, and that’s among those that still come up on the unemployment lists — it is more like one in five. There are more reasons than plain racism for that — there is an education gap, a training gap, an opportunity gap, and we need more Black businesses to fill those gaps. Corporate America is not going to build a step-ladder across those gaps. Black people have to do it — now, if there are people of other races willing to help, that is wonderful. But we need to actually take responsibility and drive the process, and for that, we will need to have a business base that we support. If that is “economic apartheid,” we must, in the words of Patrick Henry, “make the most of it”!

I am not anti-white, but pro-black. Have been as long as I can remember. But I have a question brother? You guys advertise these type campaigns. However, how are we to know if this campaign was a success or failure – is someone going to come back and report to us in terms of numbers the result of the campaign and I hate to say this “like the other people do?” http://www.Jobcreationnow.com

I’ll go to town/cities such as Philly, Camden, and/or New York and spend most of my money with the brothers on the sidewalk. They may be ordinary brothers, Africans, and/or Muslim. I’m not too proud to shop among black vendors. I’ve been spending money with them for years and will continue to do so.

But let’s face reality. There aren’t many black businesses because blacks lack the type of unity that required to provide services for the public.