Baltimore: The Greatest City in America?

It’s not unusual for me to be asked my opinion on issues unrelated to business, and this weekend in Baltimore was no exception. I’ll admit sometimes it’s difficult not to weigh in on gut-wrenching issues likethe deaths of Black men at the hands of police, the crushing poverty in inner cities, or the seeming failure of public education. I leave civil rights and social justice issues to those who soldier on the battlefields. The events in Baltimore, however, required me to shift my focus and offer economic empowerment as a solution to the disparities in the Black community.

Walking the streets of Baltimore and talking with U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) and other political leaders, exchanging ideas with Lance Lucas – President of the Greater Baltimore Black Chamber of Commerce, and listening to the energy of young Black residents, it brought home how much Baltimore is like every other major U.S. city.

Baltimore is a classic example of what happens when residents are locked out of legitimate earning opportunities afforded through business ownership. A city of nearly 700,000, whose population is nearly 70% Black, buys less than 5% of its goods and services from Black-owned businesses. Instead of investing within the Black community, Black individuals are taking their hard-earned dollars and investing in corporate companies. These are the very same companies hiring less than 1% of Black people for executive level positions. I’ve seen this scenario time after time as I travel the country, including time spent in St. Louis and Ferguson following the senseless death of a young Black man.

Rather than continued off-shoring of American jobs, consider the impact of corporations on-shoring jobs back to cities. People with jobs create a tax base, which is something any municipality can get behind. We must stop placing bandages on this problem, and begin spending resources on sustainable ideas that allow Blacks to participate in the American Dream. One that Blacks helped create.

I am not ignoring the horror of police brutality or its flashpoint trigger of community outrage, but it’s easy for me to paint a picture far different than what I witnessed this weekend if the economic opportunities were anywhere near fair and equal. And there is no question in my mind that, given the opportunity, Baltimore’s Black residents would earn, work, give, share, learn and care about their city just the way pundits believe they should.

It struck me that Baltimore was the home of one of my heroes – the late, great Reginald Lewis, the man responsible for the first BILLION DOLLAR leveraged buyout orchestrated by a Black man. Lewis’ acquisition of food giant, Beatrice International, forever changed the range of possibilities for Black businessmen and women. His book, “Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?” forever changed my life and I’m sure the lives of countless aspiring entrepreneurs.

It is disheartening to imagine what the life of Freddie Gray – who grew up only blocks away from the neighborhood that gave rise to the brilliance of Reginald Lewis – may have been if his world was filled with a vibrant local economy. What if he had been at work instead of being sucked into a world of racial profiling and community policing gone awry?

What if governments – local, county, state and federal – realized that the exclusionary practices that are commonplace in America are as much responsible for the deaths of Freddie Gray…and Michael Brown…and Walter Scott…and Eric Garner as any encounter with police misconduct? The refusal of policy-makers to make the connection between the discriminatory spending of public dollars and its failure to impact ALL of their constituents is as deadly as any choke hold or bullet.

Yes, Black Lives Matter, and Black-owned businesses give real meaning to those lives. Black businesses hire Black people and reduce Black unemployment. Black businesses contribute to the tax base of their communities and create opportunities for concerned citizens to impact public education. Involved residents, able to earn a living, are more likely to be attuned to – and make demands of – their local governments.

Baltimore, as I’ve said, is not unique. Well over 60% of Black Americans live in major metropolitan cities, and I assure you that the pittance Baltimore spends with Black-owned businesses is typical in other Black communities. As we’ve often said, if each of America’s 1.9 million Black-owned businesses could earn enough to hire just ONE new employee, there would be NO Black unemployment!

Don’t let the televised images and chatter mislead you. Black Baltimoreans know exactly what they want and need to make their city what it should be – a slice of American Pie. The same pie which has been historically forbidden to African Americans.