August 25th will mark exactly 400 years since the first Africans arrived at Jamestown, Virginia. These 400 years have been a story of triumph and also, overwhelmingly, sorrow. We now must determine what world our children and their grandchildren will live in, the next 400 years. The We Buy Black Convention isn’t simply a “thing” to attend or be seen at. This Convention is literally the place where we will set the agenda for The Next 400 Years and honor those who’ve paved a road for us to travel it.
Chattel slavery was our American genesis. For hundreds of years, we toiled as slaves. But we had hope. Emancipation, at that time, was our greatest hope and yet it was unrealized. The 13th Amendment gave way to “Slavery by Another Name,” a byproduct of the 13th Amendment’s slavery loophole — slavery was still legal as a penalty for criminal acts. Black life was criminalized and so slavery persisted well into the 20th century. The Civil Rights Movement offered another glimpse of hope. But since the passage of the Housing Act of 1968, Black people have experienced virtually no progress in America. At the end of 400 years, we are still an underclass.
We can sit in the front of the bus. We can successfully take legal action against individuals and corporations when we are explicitly denied access because of the color of our skin. Still, we cannot truthfully tell our children that we have created a world for them that is safe and in which they have self determination. This must change. The We Buy Black Convention is not simply a platform for Black owned companies to introduce themselves to Black consumers. It is not simply a place where experts will impart knowledge on a host of business topics, from opening a grocery store to how to utilize credit. We are asking the hard questions on this 400th year. You need to be there to hear the answers.
We Buy Black was never created to be a platform to discuss our issues — there are plenty of platforms for that. We Buy Black is about solutions and progress. We know what the past 400 years have been. We have a vision for what the next 400 should be. On Sunday we will have a moment of silence to mark this solemn occasion. But we will not dwell in solemnity. Rather, we will purposefully and forcefully lay out an agenda and roadmap to secure a different world for our children. If you have not secured your place at this year’s Convention, click here to do so now.
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