It’s 2012, an election year, and every other word coming out of the mouths of political candidates speaks about jobs and business.
What does this business talk mean to Florida’s and America’s black business owners?
The answer will come in an investigative report about the status of black business in one of America’s largest states.
The Gantt Report has agreed with two award-winning black journalists to put together a comprehensive report on black business achievement, the laws that were written to assist and enhance black business and the state, local and other agencies, departments and offices that were allegedly designed to create more black business opportunities.
Readers are encouraged to contact The Gantt Report by going to my website, allworldconsultants.net, to let us know about your black business success stories or black business horror stories.
Has your media business been getting government and private sector advertising in this time of election-related extreme profit-making by white-owned TV and radio stations?
Has your construction company or professional services company gotten substantial contracts or sub-contracts from government or private-sector builders and developers?
Has your company been helped or hurt by Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) offices that primarily focus on “certification,” rather than focusing on getting more blacks involved in purchasing transactions?
Contact us and tell us your black business story. No one will write our story but us and no one will tell our story but us.
Black business prosperity is important because black businesses hire black workers. There were far more successful black businesses 40 years ago than there are now.
Once upon a time, blacks could buy everything they needed in black communities from black vendors and black businesses. Nowadays, many African Americans will drive past five black restaurants to get to a Taco Bell or a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet.
All black businesses are catching hell. We can’t get business loans, we can’t get mortgages and we can’t keep our customers, in some instances.
Governments are quick to go on trade missions in exotic countries and foreign locations but when will there be missions in the ghettos and barrios of America?
Gov. Rick Scott, explain to me how Florida is a “business state” when there are only two business from Florida in the Black Enterprise list of top 100 black businesses in America?
Black elected officials, tell me why, even though you are quick to send out weekly press releases to black media, none of those releases talk about bills you have sponsored or pushed that will help black businesses make more money?
Numbers never lie. And the number of contract opportunities for black businesses in the public and private sectors is worse than dismal.
Don’t talk to me about “minorities” and business. White women and Hispanics, in terms of business, are not in the same class as blacks.
So, readers, help us put this story together about black business in Florida and in America. Share your experiences and ideas with us.
There is power in black community unity and in black business unity. We need to put an end to the current Black Business Boondoggle.
Lucius Gantt is a consultant based in Tallahassee and author of the book Beast Too: Dead Man Writing. He may be reached at allworldconsultants.net, where you can also like The Gantt Report Facebook page.
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