"The Ebony Experiment" -- good or bad for us all?

The Los Angeles Times carried a story yesterday about a couple here in Chicago who have chosen to effectively practice Trinity United Church of Christ's controversial Black Values System.  The story doesn't mention whether the couple attends where the Obamas attended for almost twenty years, but Oak Park resident John and Maggie Anderson have initiated what they are calling "The Ebony Experiment,"  buying only from fellow African-Americans.

During the Obama campaign, anyone who dared to question Trinity's belief system was scorned as racist, bigot and minority hater.  Few dared to raise the topic and how a church focused on benefiting their own black community could affect a president's public policy.

Now the whole idea of commerical loyalty based on skin color is being heralded in the Tribune -- a way mainstream media for years has introduced controversial lifestyles.  But maybe the Andersons aren't so controversial.  

Should black buy from blacks and white support whites only?  Should we self-segregate in order to benefit our own communities?  Was Pastor Jeremiah Wright a trend setter when he established Trinity United Church of Christ's Black Values System, pointed at benefiting the black community?

Are you ready for a "Right Experiment" among conservatives?  Would love to hear your thoughts...

Comments

[spintreebob]

Christian Yellow pages; Black Yellow Pages; Latino Yellow Pages.

Some argue a city should only employ and contract with residents of that city and keep business local.

Some argue the USA should only employ and contract inside fortress America.

When to close the door? When to keep the door open? Does it matter which identity group is at the door?

A voluntary choice to buy from MY GROUP, or to buy from THEM is fine. But government should not coerce us into one way or the other. Government spending should be at a minimum precisely so it does not have much of an impact on the way people voluntarily vote with their money and their feet.

[Brian]

I'm with Bob. A voluntary decision by an individual or group, without coercion, is fine by me. I generally will buy from those I know, mostly because I trust them, but also because I want them to do well. If blacks choose to purchase from other blacks to encourage business ownership and self-sufficiency, more power to them.

[Alex]

The article says nothing about Jeremiah Wright or the Trinity United Church of Christ

[jorod]

Sounds like something the the black muslims cooked up once upon a time.

I remember a story about someone who tried not to buy anything made in China. It was nearly impossible.

[zorn]

With all due respect, I think some people here still have their 'politically correct' glasses tuned to a 3 or a 4. You need to turn them down to zero to get a good read on things. One way to do that is to turn things around. Try "I'm only going to do business with Whites, because I want to support Whiteness and the White community. Each time my family makes an expenditure – from consumer goods to professional services to real estate and travel – we will make an exhaustive attempt to utilize White businesses and White professionals. In addition to actual new expenditures, I will endeavor to convert all my standing contracts (e.g. loans, bills, subscriptions, etc.) to adhere to these parameters."

How does that sound? Racist?

What if everyone in my church or social group did this? We won't do business with non-Whites. Is this Racist?

It's a rhetorical question folks.

However, last I knew, it wasn't ethically questionable to only buy from non-liberals. So that might be o.k. "I'm not buying from you because you are actively working to destroy my country" sounds much more ethically defensible.

[IR Editor]

Agree, zorn...
Thanks for adding to the discussion.

[Ralph W. Conner]

Letter to the Editor: Chicago Sun-Times

December 23, 2008

Buying Black and Seeing Green

Cheryl Jackson described a black Oak Park couple’s pledge to “buy black” in 2009 (“Their Year of Buying Black,” December 20). Nearly four decades ago, then-president Richard Nixon pushed the U.S. Small Business Administration to sponsor black capitalism by creating minority enterprise small business investment companies within inner-city commercial corridors in the aftermath of urban turbulence of the 1960s.

With the incoming Obama administration, the federal government, currently bailing out big businesses, should also revisit the challenge of spurring creation of more black-owned businesses capable of providing the Andersons racial choice outlets for their retail needs.

Commercial developers like Joseph Sitt, chairman and CEO of Thor Equities and founder of specialty stores such as Ashley Stewart and The Children’s Place, is also chasing black consumer cash by developing and investing in high-quality retail properties in urban neighborhoods. Acknowledging that blacks are a growing demographic that is “under-served,” Sitt plans to invest $1.3 billion aggressively pursuing commercial urban in-fill projects over the next 24 months.

The “economic destiny” of the African-American population is not likely to be “saved” by massive expansion of black entrepreneurship capable of competing with Wal-Mart’s cheaper prices during this precarious recession. But African-Americans should continue to acquire the financial literacy about markets, venture capital, risk, and return on investment to achieve family income integration, which transcends racial considerations: The color is actually green.

Ralph W. Conner (rconner@heartland.org) is local legislation manager at The Heartland Institute.
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