Call: Habari Gani
Response:_________?
4. UJAMAA (Cooperative Economics) [oo-jah-MAH]
To Build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.
I gave the call to my family and friends today and they are doing poorly. What is it about this economic thing that many of us don't get. Most African Americans failed this cultural test. Some did not even know that a response was required. Some responses went like this "...Habari Gani, yea, and what does that mean..? or hmm, you got me. Or they would try to be slick and just say Habari Gani back,Lol.
The Cultural Reality is clear, no culture - no economics. The Jewish community where I live has good cultural literacy and good economic, it is interesting how these things go together in the real world.
This leads me to the lead picture of this article. Some of my "Afro-centric" Cultural Citizen friends may as well have said, "What the H$ll is Kwanzaa?" I say this to point out that their is a big gap between the noise about Kwanzaa in our community and the practice.
Nowhere in the seven principles is a gap more noticeable then in UJAMAA. African Americans before the Civil Rights Battle had to do business with each other. After the battle, with the advent of "integration", it has been said that we do business with everyone but us. The Black beauty supply business is a prime example. Sam Ennon CEO of BOBSA points out that the manufacturing and distribution segments of this African American customer focused industry is no longer controlled by Blacks.
Before we start looking excessively to Obama, or anyone else, for Black business support we better start looking at ourselves and how we fix these gaps between principles and Practice. Having said that, Black Business is in favor of the President.
Black Business Builders Club - From Douglas to King to Obama
Speaking of how to run a Black Business, the President's winning campaign is a good new wave example, he included everyone as customers, raised more then half a billion dollars in less then two years and beat all his competition,. YES WE CAN!
Obama is a politician, and in America politics is the tool for managing money, that is, who gets what economically. The good news is, we voted for him and he has an obligation to us as constituents. The President was hired by the American people to fix the economy, initiate "Health" Care Reform and end the Iraq War. If he does just the Economy and HCR he will have helped the business in our community immeasurably. A rising tide lifts all boats.
Speaking of boats, The President has launched what I have called The Green Moon Shot (take American business Green to the future). We better get on our President's Green Boat as it comes through our community. My Christel ball tells me that the business future is not black or white, it is green and we need to be seen as green$.
Bottom line how did the President measure up to UJAMA in his first year. Well Bush and the forty thieves gave our money to the Banksters for three pieces of paper, No monitoring, no going to jail and no requirement to pay the money back. The President is fixing that error and getting our money back. He has stopped the economic Bush Bus from falling further into the ditch. "Health" Care Reform has passed both houses. I give the President's first year performance regrading the principle of UJAMA, a "B+".
What is your rating?
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