To Whom Will You Be Giving Your $$ This Holiday Season?

“Black Friday” is looming around the corner which means the holiday season is about to officially be upon us. But here’s my angle. While we’re preparing to be jolly, deck the halls and jingle bells, I just want to check in with everyone to see how much of these tidings of great joy are going back into our communities. This is not going to be one of those finger-pointing, condemnation pieces. I don’t operate in that zone. So let’s just call it a memo to Black America or a call to attention.

Sometime over the next few weeks I will do what I guess you could call my version of holiday shopping. It will occur at three of my favorite Black owned businesses that I frequent throughout the year. As usual, I will buy books written for Black children as Kwanzaa gifts plus a few essential items for myself. That’s it for me. I understand that many who have small children go all out in the realm of purchasing gifts. So my question is during all this holiday spending what percentage is going back to the community? As a matter of fact, what percentage of your annual spending do you feel has gone back to the Black community? Is it 20%, 10%, 2.5%, 0? Are you familiar with Black owned businesses in your area? What about service providers such as doctors, mechanics, repair men/women? If you drop change into the Salvation Army bucket on your way out of Wal-Mart do you drop a little dough into the pot for the organizations in your area that cater directly to the needs of our communities? How about any of those programs and events that you oh so fervently “like” and retweet online? I bet a nice Paypal contribution would bring some serious joy to their world. Social media has definitely solidified its place in the movement but virtual activism will never supersede real life actions and contributions.

See, Black Enterprise says that the Black spending power is estimated to reach $1.2 trillion dollars by

2015. That’s practically tomorrow! If that’s the case, what do we have to show for it? It’s got to be more than well-stocked shelves of hair and hair products, rims, electronic gadgets and children and adults rockin the flyest, most expensive gear. My Facebook newsfeeds indicate that many of us do recognize the despair our communities are facing. We acknowledge there’s work that still needs to be done. We want change but do we realize that change ain’t coming for free? Have we considered the possibility that WE ALREADY POSSESS much of the finances we need to make change occur? Well, with that said, here are a few quick suggestions.  

• Make sure that at least some of that holiday dough you’re dishing out is going to Black owned businesses.
• As you plan for the new- year, allocate a certain amount of funds per month to go to Black owned businesses and/or orgs. Can you spare $10 a month? That’s a whopping $120 a year.
• Become a Black owned business.
• Teach your children the importance of investing their money back into the community. Teach them to become a business owner we can invest in!
• Link up with friends to designate a particular business or organization to bless each month. This can also be done with the online network you have acquired.
•  Make a donation to a community school or check to see if you can contribute to any children or families in need.
• Consider incorporating Kwanzaa into your holiday celebrations and put that Ujima and Ujamaa into practice year-round!
• Offer your time or skills if you can’t give money.

As a community, we have to work harder at putting our words into action. We have to do more and right now. We are making a lot of other people rich. Please don’t let Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, Footlocker, Macey’s or any other major retailer benefit tremendously from your hard earned money while you spend less than $50 in your own community. We will not begin to flourish until we begin to feel we are worthy of self-investments.

complain less. We are in the process of pumping out a tremendous chunk of our collective spending

On that note I would like to wish happy holidays to all and remember that your value as a parent, spouse, friend etc., is not relegated to how many gifts you are able to place underneath a tree. It’s only that way if you allow it to be. It is the love that your family and friends will remember. It is the love that will endure and sustain. It’s the love that will compel us to invest in us!

 Peace