As I have said before, real jobs are only created when there is a real market need. If I have a business selling beach balls in Montana, chances are it is going to fail. Why? Because there are no beaches in Montana. I would do much better selling ski equipment. As long as my marketing is on point my prices are competitive, my location is convenient, and the products are of a great quality, I will not only increase my chances of success, but I will need to hire more people to help me in my success. That is business 101. But we cannot expect career politicians with degrees in law to understand that.
Then I thought about the great Black migration where millions of Blacks during the early to middle of the 20th century began to migrate to the north. Not only were they trying to escape Jim Crow, they the were also looking for work. The government at that time cared little about us and did very little to address the ongoing problem of racial segregation in the south. With all the odds of the world against them, Black folks by the millions boarded trains, busses, planes, hitchhiked and took any other form of transportation they could to take them to the north. Cities like Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, Pittsburg, Baltimore and others began to see an influx of Black folks who were eager to work and to build their part of the “American Dream”.
Leaving the south was no small sacrifice as family members who for various reasons could not make the trip were oftentimes left behind. Those who could make the trip and found employment would oftentimes send money back home to family members who were in most cases living deep in poverty.
As we all know, the north wasn’t the perfect wonderland for Blacks. Business would oftentimes adopt some of the elements of Jim Crow. I remember my own mother telling me how she was told by a White woman at a drugstore (back when they came with a real live soda shop) in Philly that they did not serve Blacks. My mom became so angry that she reached for the nearest cup of water and tossed it at this woman. As my mom left the store, needless to say she was very frightened.
As for my father, one of his first jobs was driving a Mister Softee truck. I’m sure the money wasn’t great considering the fact that he had a young family to support. Like many Blacks that migrated north, my parents relied on other family members who had already established themselves in the area for housing and general support. In essence, these became halfway houses for friends and family who were making the transition to their newfound independence in the north. It was out of this spirit of community and survival that many Black-owned businesses were created, schools were established, and a new foundation of self-reliance was growing at a rapid pace.
With the present economy tanking on a daily basis, both sides of the political divide are looking to the rising Black unemployment rate as a way to score political points. Keeping Black folks in a state of pause while big daddy government figures something out seems to be the overall goal of the political world. In reality, government cares nothing about the many lives of people who are out of work. While millions of people are trying to figure out which utilities they are going to have to live without, government officials (including Obama) took their vacations.
For the Black American, Labor day was not just one day where we celebrated “work”. This was a lifestyle that was full of great sacrifices and ultimately great rewards. Like the generations before us, we cannot afford to wait for government to act. We need to recapture that same spirt of our prior generations and make a way where everything around us is telling us there is no way.
Labor day should not be a time for more government action. It should be a time for individual innovation.
The contrasts of Labor day of today and yesteryear
by Duane on September 6th, 2011 at 7:11 amJust recently I read where Rep. Maxine Waters is asking for a trillion-dollar jobs program (never mind the nearly trillion-dollar stimulis that was supposed to do the same thing. Why not ask the president what happen with all of that money?). She is part of the the belief that jobs are created when money (tax money) is spent.
As I have said before, real jobs are only created when there is a real market need. If I have a business selling beach balls in Montana, chances are it is going to fail. Why? Because there are no beaches in Montana. I would do much better selling ski equipment. As long as my marketing is on point my prices are competitive, my location is convenient, and the products are of a great quality, I will not only increase my chances of success, but I will need to hire more people to help me in my success. That is business 101. But we cannot expect career politicians with degrees in law to understand that.
Then I thought about the great Black migration where millions of Blacks during the early to middle of the 20th century began to migrate to the north. Not only were they trying to escape Jim Crow, they the were also looking for work. The government at that time cared little about us and did very little to address the ongoing problem of racial segregation in the south. With all the odds of the world against them, Black folks by the millions boarded trains, busses, planes, hitchhiked and took any other form of transportation they could to take them to the north. Cities like Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, Pittsburg, Baltimore and others began to see an influx of Black folks who were eager to work and to build their part of the “American Dream”.
Leaving the south was no small sacrifice as family members who for various reasons could not make the trip were oftentimes left behind. Those who could make the trip and found employment would oftentimes send money back home to family members who were in most cases living deep in poverty.
As we all know, the north wasn’t the perfect wonderland for Blacks. Business would oftentimes adopt some of the elements of Jim Crow. I remember my own mother telling me how she was told by a White woman at a drugstore (back when they came with a real live soda shop) in Philly that they did not serve Blacks. My mom became so angry that she reached for the nearest cup of water and tossed it at this woman. As my mom left the store, needless to say she was very frightened.
As for my father, one of his first jobs was driving a Mister Softee truck. I’m sure the money wasn’t great considering the fact that he had a young family to support. Like many Blacks that migrated north, my parents relied on other family members who had already established themselves in the area for housing and general support. In essence, these became halfway houses for friends and family who were making the transition to their newfound independence in the north. It was out of this spirit of community and survival that many Black-owned businesses were created, schools were established, and a new foundation of self-reliance was growing at a rapid pace.
With the present economy tanking on a daily basis, both sides of the political divide are looking to the rising Black unemployment rate as a way to score political points. Keeping Black folks in a state of pause while big daddy government figures something out seems to be the overall goal of the political world. In reality, government cares nothing about the many lives of people who are out of work. While millions of people are trying to figure out which utilities they are going to have to live without, government officials (including Obama) took their vacations.
For the Black American, Labor day was not just one day where we celebrated “work”. This was a lifestyle that was full of great sacrifices and ultimately great rewards. Like the generations before us, we cannot afford to wait for government to act. We need to recapture that same spirt of our prior generations and make a way where everything around us is telling us there is no way.
Labor day should not be a time for more government action. It should be a time for individual innovation.