No More Talk: The 2020 Blueprint For Black Power

Photograph by Branden Eastwood / Redux

Get Angry

Read no further until you accept that no white person or institution will do anything to save you. Every inequity Black people in America face is, ultimately, rooted in white oppression. From chattel slavery, to strategically building interstates to decimate black communities and businesses, this is clear. There are millions of decent white people walking the planet but scarcely any who’ve committed their lives to Black Power; that doesn’t make them bad people, simply unreliable allies in our fight. 

Stop reading this until you accept that no one can oppress you, unless you give them the money to do so. Banks that finance the gentrification of Black neighborhoods, while denying capital to Black people, are the same banks Black people deposit their money into. Politicians who pass legislation to oppress Black people depend on campaign contributions from wealthy individuals and corporations; those individuals and corporations maintain their strength with Black dollars. White institutions — churches, businesses, schools and governments — that oppress Black people cannot and do not operate in poverty. Black people fund their oppression every single day.

Black people have financed the college education and affluence of many racists. Black people have helped many cruel white supremacists grow their companies and hire more white supremacists. At the same time, Black unemployment persists. It’s time Black people look back at their history in America and see every lash of the whip, lynching and rape. It’s time Black people recall every broad government policy designed to help poor whites, while excluding Blacks. It’s time to look at all of it and get angry as hell. It’s time to get angry enough to fight back. But how? 

The Way Out

Asian Americans are far less likely to be unemployed or homeless than whites. The reason is simple — a firm commitment to group economics. Black people must also embrace group economics, urgently. The most basic manifestation of group economics is “Buying Black.” That is, we must make a conscious choice to buy our goods and services from Black owned companies first, at all costs. If your initial reaction to that was, “Yeah, but…” this is not for you. An individual that will rationalize empowering those who raped your grandmother doesn’t hate oppression enough to escape it — we wish you well. To everyone else, you are invited to be a part of a revolution.

Buying Black must be done strategically. It cannot be seen as an act of charity — supporting that Black owned restaurant one time, as some sort of favor to them, will not move the needle. Black businesses need regular and consistent customers, in order to justify hiring and expansion. Without a predictable volume of business, well meaning (one time) purchases simply aren’t valuable. Buying Black, then, must be a lifestyle, an unbroken commitment. That might sound overwhelming to some, so let’s break it into bite size pieces. 

The Blueprint

Each month We Buy Black will identify a single product or service — one most people regularly consume — then provide a Black owned alternative to switch to. Permanently. Switching a single product or service to a Black owned company each month is manageable and since we’ll provide the suggestion, not very difficult. The impact of it, however, is mind blowing. Imagine 1 million Black people turning their dollar to a new company this year and continuing to do so, forever. Instantly, the owner would be a millionaire, one that would instantly need to hire a lot of Black people to service the demand. Each month, by simply switching one product or service, we will impact companies across this country and create jobs without anyone’s help. It’s that simple — one product or service each month, making a permanent switch. 

January

Laundry detergents have two basic categories. The first are detergents that clean pretty well but use chemicals that you would never want to expose your family to. In addition, many fabric softeners use chemicals that cause learning disabilities in children! On the other side are natural, eco friendly products that tend not to clean very well. Neither option is great but True Detergent has a solution.

True Detergent is powerful, yet plant based. It has no phosphorus or animal byproducts — it’s safe for the entire family. It is unquestionably powerful, doubling as a stain remover. It’s super concentrated, meaning you stretch your dollar further. For example, a 101 oz bottle of True Detergent will clean up to 101 loads. By comparison, a 100 oz bottle of Tide will only clean up to 64 loads. True is the real deal. 

Get True Fast!

You can order True online at www.thetrueproducts.com but if you need it quick and wish not to pay for shipping, you can look up local distributors on their website. Click here to find distributors in your area; many offer same or next day delivery in their local market. It’s time to stop talking and start building. Marching order number one is to replace your detergent with a safer, powerful product that will create Black wealth. Make the switch, permanently.

About Post Author

D'Juan Hopewell

I care about Black Power. Period. Currently working on creating jobs and funding new startups on the South Side of Chicago and writing here and there at HopewellThought.com. Follow me @HopewellThought.

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