By Vincent L. Hall
Let me engage and urge toward joining a movement. Pastor Freddy Haynes and Friendship-West started a campaign called “100 Days of Buying Black.” You know Freddy. Haynes is that preacher who always be talkin’ that “Black stuff!” You know, the kind of stuff you don’t want your White friends, to know we think!
Pastor Haynes always reminds us that “if you take a text out of context, you usually end up get- ting conned! So let me set this up for you.
My daughters and I shared a standing joke. Whenever we went shopping, I posed the question; “Do you want to go to White World? They would usually say yes. White World was code for Northpark Mall.
NP is my favorite mall in the world. My point was to expose NP as an example of White folks having a good time making each other rich. The 100 Days of Buying Black drive is not an attempt to discriminate. It’s a push to elevate. We need a significant increase in Black business creation, from food services to finance. Danielle Ayers and Abeni Haynes stated the mission.
“Friendship-West is committed to economic justice in supporting Black-owned businesses, advocating for just lending practices, and working towards comprehensive sustainable community development. For five years, we’ve provided an opportunity for Black entrepreneurs to promote and sell their goods and services at West Wall Street. In 2021, we’ve commemorated the 100th year since the Tulsa Race Massacre through events and advocacy.
We will close out the year by observing the last one hundred days of this centennial Sankofa moment by promoting 100 Days of Buying Black. We are seeking to encourage people across the nation to spend their dollars with Black-owned businesses for 100 days to increase the sales and growth of those businesses. Our goal is to continue the legacy of Black Wall Street by circulating our dollars within the Black community to strengthen our economic base.”
I am on this train, and their Facebook Page shows that others are buying black too.
I almost shouted Hallelujah when walking into a former co-worker’s business and noticed that he collaborated with another former Southwestern Bell/AT&T employee. Once inside the doors of “Smokey D’Z BBQ,” I saw a refrigerator full of “Absolutely Edible” desserts.
Derrick and Nikki J don’t know each other, but their stories are similar. Nikki J had a penchant for baking back in the1990’s. Her “Sweet Potato Thang” will make you “Slap Yo Mamma” and ask Patti Labelle to leave the building. Absolutely Edible has made pastries and specialty cakes for everyone from the city hall to the Governor’s Mansion. In addition, she networks with a diverse group of small businesses.
Derrick was selling his BBQ from a pit on street corners. His smoke was so prodigious that people would hunt him down. They both had some real consternation about leaving “corporate America,” but they took a chance. 100 Days of Buying Black simply seconds their motion. If they are to be, it’s up to me (we).
Derrick and I “dapped” it up. He is an incredible saxophonist and was giddy telling me about his club and bar additions to the Duncanville store. Whenever I run across Nikki J, she glows be- cause she made a life in her calling, rather than just a living for someone else who calls the shots.
Derrick asked me about my “Trap Golf” shirt, and I told him that my son-in-law Wayne Birch has his own brand. Cedric the Entertainer and Steph Curry wear it and do so with pride. We talked about our mutual stylist Anthony who has done hair for stars, pro ballers and became the attaché to Michael Baisden.
While I was reveling in all of this, my phone rang. Reverend Sharon Harris, the owner of E’s Haven (Three Generation of Elizabeth’s) Academy, is brilliant at molding the minds of young boys. When my two daughters left her, they were far above the learning spectrum for their ages. So I hooked her up with Jamil Byrom, a world-renowned drummer, so he could provide lessons to her students.
My publisher Cheryl Smith and others realize that we can’t make it without each other. We need 100 Years of buying in Black World because we have been shopping in White World for the past 400 years and it ain’t working! Let’s make “Black Friday,” “Black Friday” for real.
Vincent L. Hall is an author, activist, and an award-winning columnist.
