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Suppose black women got tired of the litany of bad statistics and frequent character assassination in popular culture and decided to throw up the deuce. What if they walked away and took all of their resources with them?
If they ever decided to engage in a series of targeted withdrawals of their time, talents and treasures, they would quickly cripple nearly any institution they targeted. The black church would collapse. Most civil rights organizations would fall apart. Many consumer goods companies would immediately go in the red because a withdrawal of black women's dollars would destroy their profit margin.
Let's state the obvious. Black women have tremendous economic power. According to a study by Lattimer Communications, black women control 85 cents of every dollar spent in the black community. Our buying power is estimated at over $565 billion.
There is nothing new about black women using the power of economic sanctions to challenge powerful institutions and individuals. In 1955, Jo Ann Robinson, head of the Women's Political Council, worked to launch one of the greatest displays of massive economic sanctions carried out by black folks in U.S. history -- the Montgomery Bus Boycott. You can read about Mrs. Robinson's experience in her memoir 'The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Women Who Started It.'
Just three years ago, my readers reached out to sponsors and successfully defunded a piece of multimedia crack cocaine being peddled by Black Entertainment Television. So yes, if this massive withdrawal of black women's economic resources actually occurred, it would have a devastating impact on any target. That's not a new concept.
What is new is the context in which these more recent conversations are taking place -- within the very public relationship battles between black men and women. Economic sanctions (or divestment) are not being recommended as a tool for empowerment, but rather as a punishment for black men's perceived failures. This frequent suggestion is often bandied about in the black blogosphere. A popular manifesto expressing this desire is offered by the blog Von's Black Consciousness. The blogger advocates that black women should separate from black men and create their own black-male-free utopias:
We need a matriarchal society governed by a commission of successful black women (not a president). "For us by us" will be our motto. Everything and everyone outside of black women and black children will not be our concern.
Under the new black feminist movement black women can network, start businesses (take back old businesses---the black hair care industry) lean on each other for support, bring back that "village" needed to raise children and work together to solve pressing issues. We can centralize our wealth and help each other climb the ladder to success. Black children can get ahead in the world with proper education (funded through the matriarchal society). We can help each other become homeowners and grow our wealth. The sky is the limit. (Von's Black Consciousness)
While I am a strong proponent of black women imposing economic sanctions, and implore them to "stop funding foolishness," I tend to avoid these discussions like the plague because the likelihood of changing any minds on the matter is minuscule. But I was asked for my opinion and here it is:
Discussions like this are great for the Internet because they immediately drive knee jerk angry reactions from readers. They press all the right buttons -- black women's fears of never finding a mate and black men's resentment for being branded with a broad, unflattering brush. These discussions are always guaranteed to generate lots of commentary, and a furious exchange of angry recriminations, yet do very little to address the underlying needs of black women. One need only look at the recent viral video Black Marriage Negotiations to get a glimpse of the level of vitriol and mutual disdain some black women and black men are willing to heap upon each other in the public sphere.
I suspect that those calling for a male-free utopia have not experienced many functional relationships with men. Male allies are a powerful asset to any woman in business or life in general. It's no less dehumanizing to characterize all women as sex objects than it is to characterize all men as merely sperm donors. In other words, there's a whole lot of black pain flying around in these conversations about black women "withdrawing" their resources. Some of the worst strategic financial decisions you can make are those made in the middle of extreme pain.
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As I look back over the past four years as an accidental entrepreneur, the greatest lesson I could share with someone starting out is that you never know where your help will come from. I'm not about to peremptorily declare who is and who isn't willing to help based on whether or not they have a penis.
Gina McCauley is the CEO of the Blogging While Brown Conferenceand the blogsMichelle Obama Watch and What About Our Daughters. She is currently completing her first book, 'Michelle Obama Watch.'
Comments: (169)
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By: lynn on 11/12/2010 11:10PM
You shouldn't be shopping at the korean beauty supply stores ever!!! they have been dogging bw for years. i will buy my stuff from a white man before i put a dollar in the pocket of a korean and by the way i shop at a african owned beauty supply store.
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By: sistergirl on 11/13/2010 7:49AM
hmm. I have contemplated this idea for some time after reading the article about kenyan women who left the hateful males in their community to establish their own community and have been THRIVING ever since.
I honestly don't see what's the problem with black females establishing their own separate, strong communities the way that these kenyan women have. we decide who is allowed to enter (and yes that may include strong, productive black men), support each other and establish our own black female wall streets across the nation. the majority of black males, sorry to say, just are not loyal to black America and not making power moves. are we going to continue to let them slide along off the hard work of black women?
go into any hood in the nation -- we already have these female enclaves. all of the women are the heads of households and keeping the community afloat while the men scurry around trying to "get in where they fit in." it's just not right.
while I feel that the author was trying to tip toe around the issue, I think it's silly not to consider the power of developing this type of movement. black women in the US finally dropping the anchor of hateful media, corporations and black males who do not support us? it's about time. make them step up their game to get into our space. like kanye says our presence is a present kiss our azzes. I think it's a marvelous idea and honestly don't care what anyone has to say about it
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By: sistergirl on 11/13/2010 7:53AM
hmm. I have contemplated this idea for some time after reading the article about the kenyan women who left the hateful males in their community to establish their own community and have been THRIVING ever since.
I honestly don't see what's the problem with black females establishing their own separate, strong communities the way that these kenyan women have. we decide who is allowed to enter (and yes that may include strong, productive black men), support each other and establish our own black female wall streets across the nation. the majority of black males, sorry to say, just are not loyal to black America and not making power moves. are we going to continue to let them slide along off the hard work of black women?
go into any hood in the nation -- we already have these female enclaves. all of the women are the heads of households and keeping the community afloat while the majority of the males (not all, some are hard workers and support their families) scurry around trying to "get in where they fit in." it's just not right.
while I feel that the author was trying to tip toe around the issue, I think it's silly not to consider the power of developing this type of movement. black women in the US finally dropping the anchor of hateful media, corporations and black males who do not support us? it's about time. make them step up their game to get into our space. I think it's a marvelous idea and honestly don't care what anyone (especially enemies of black women) has to say about it
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By: Sus7637 on 11/13/2010 10:05AM
YOUR RIGHT ON THE MONEY ABOUT YOUR COMMENT! ALL THEM ASS HOLE CHINESE AND KOREAN AREN'T DOING US ANY FAVOR... WHEN WERE THE ONES DOING THEM A BIG FAVOR KEEPING THEIR PREDJUDICE ASSES IN BUSINESS!
IF BLK WOMAN AND BLACK PPL IN GENERAL HAD ANY COMMON SENSE UPSTAIRS.... THEY WOULDN'T GIVE THEM THE TIME OR DAY KEEPING THEM IN BUSINESS. (BUT THEY DONT)
THEY BUILD THEIR STORES IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND HAVE THE AUDACITY TO FOLLOW YOU AROUND... AND ACT FUNNY WITH YOU LIKE WE ALL NEED THEIR BUSINESS. PLZ! THEY TAKE US ALL TO BE CRAZY FROM WHAT THEY ALREADY SEE ABOUT BLK PPL.
THEY WOULDN'T DO IT TO A PUERTO RICAN BECAUSE THEY KNOW ABOUT THEM STANDING UNITED AND WOULDN'T COME IN THEIR STORES GIVING THEM BUSINESS.
BUT WITH THESE CRAZY PPL OF OURS, ALL THE RACES SEE THEY COULD JUST DO US ANY OLD KINDA WAY WHEN BLK PPL GO RIGHT BACK IN THEIR STORES AND BUY... WHEN MANY ARE TOO STUPID TO KNOW WHEN THEY'RE BEING INSULTED.... WITHOUT MORALS TO EVEN CARE.
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By: CC on 11/10/2010 4:57PM
Putting the ego of black men and the libido of black women aside, you have to be kidding me. Black women can't get along amongst themselves. They have layers of falsities to peel away starting with the hair on their heads, eyes, and the nails on their fingertips. Their outward appearance is what drives them with the crazy idea that that is all that matters. With that comes their arrogance, impatience, and rudeness targeted toward each other. No one took the "black hair industry" away they gave it away by buying into the sensationalism of the media and gave the blood sweat and tears of generations to the corporations who mass produce these looks and even the attitudes that the black woman wears today. 'Because all black women wear weaves right? and all black women have attitudes right? These things don't come from the black man, who by the way has his own set of problems to deal with from the hand society has dealt him. The problem is a major portion of "African Americans" (another label) have bought into the stereotype that was created for them and now these stereotypes are becoming legacy. So now you want to push black men out of your picture and become some 'Black Women Amazon group" okay whatever. Keep it up with these, "buy myself out of this whole messed up situation", your just sucking yourselves deeper and deeper into a black hole. Why don't we try something more authentic like humbling ourselves and being more receptive and sensitive to each other, so that we may have a chance of surviving in this recessional society. Stop blaming each other and put the blame where it belongs, the corporations that are draining the life out of you. Stop giving to them and give it to each other. There still is a glimpse of hope in the confusion we live with everyday.
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By: Vickiss on 11/10/2010 5:23PM
The author of this article is extremely confused , and really does not have a clear understanding that we are all in a global system system of white supremacy.
We need to be focusing on the white supremacists that are in charge of every institution in this country that make it difficult for black and other non white people to even have a decent relationship with one another.
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By: e on 11/14/2010 10:42AM
there it is - the white supremacy comment. i knew if i read long enough ,i would find it. every story on black voices has some ignorant fool throwing out the " blue-eyed devil, white people are the reason for our problems " bu**sh*t. do what you want, black women. it sounds fine to me. but, all of you black people know, if white people started creating stores and pagents and tv shows and congressional caucuses for white people , by white people , we would be called evil racists and shut down by the aclu and naacp . double standards and you know it.
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By: Katnip on 11/11/2010 7:04AM
Are you kidding me, the last thing we need is to seperate ourselves from each other. Remember,
"UNITED WE STAND, DEVIDED WE FALL". Let this be a lesson to you clueless people out there, seperation won't solve the problem.
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By: Perry on 11/11/2010 8:13AM
I do believe there needs to be a study on WHY SO MANY OF OUR BLACK WOMEN ARE PRESENTING THEMSELVES AS GAY. THIS SURELY HAS CAUSED A WEDGE BETWEEN BLACK MEN AND WOMEN. IT SEEMS THERE ARE AS MANY GAY BLACK WOMEN AS THERE ARE GAY BLACK MEN.
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By: NixB2 on 11/11/2010 9:11AM
I can't believe after 130+ years coming from slavery in this country. This is the topic that comes up on Black Voices Comments. We still have a long, long way to go. We are a group of people who are so divided. We still don't have good grounds to stand on. Our men are still the suspect in any crime, incarcerated, our women are still sometimes displayed as angry. We still seem to be the first to die in a many movies. We have the worst health issues. Even with the current President SOME people have the nerve to say racism is gone. If our women were to stand on there own. Our race, culture, and nationality would be done.
Is this the legacy we want to have.....
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