Are you buying black? (Baltimore, Upper Marlboro: home, unemployment, schools)

[sittilove]

Recently came across a new website, sort of like a Black Yelp, that tries to facilitate supporting black businesses. Tuloko.com. It has a mobile app as well.

It stands for Tulsa, Oklahoma. For those of you who don't know about "the Black Wall Street"--a prosperous black district that housed black multimillionaires, great schools, etc, but was burned to the ground and destroyed in 1921--read about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa_race_riot.

The philosophy behind "buying black" is that it helps to recirculate capital within those same communities that usually have lower income, struggling/failing schools, unemployment (hence crime), etc. but also just happen to be predominately black. So buying black is not a call to racial resegregation--its a call to putting our actions where our words are and helping the children in these struggling communities directly rather than running from these communities, gentrifying them, and letting the situation fester for someone else to deal with (or the incarceration system, which ever comes first), then rinse and repeat with the next generation.

Black businesses in DC (as well as Baltimore, Philly, Atlanta, and other major cities) are featured, but I'm sure there are a bunch of businesses that should be added that you might know about (users can add them ourselves).

[Mos82]

Interesting, I'll check it out

[BBC99]

I think this person was joking.

[Quaker15]

Originally Posted by sittilove

The philosophy behind "buying black" is that it helps to recirculate capital within those same communities that usually have lower income, struggling/failing schools, unemployment (hence crime), etc. but also just happen to be predominately black. So buying black is not a call to racial resegregation--its a call to putting our actions where our words are and helping the children in these struggling communities directly rather than running from these communities, gentrifying them, and letting the situation fester for someone else to deal with (or the incarceration system, which ever comes first), then rinse and repeat with the next generation.

Few points:

1) You're not helping those poor children in the struggling communities. These businesses and majority of the profits go to individuals who are not struggling and having hungry children waiting at home for them to bring back a loaf of bread.

2) Buying black, buying white, etc. is a call for resegregation.

3) Let free market dictates what people want.

[mrcnkwcz]

Originally Posted by Quaker15

Few points:

1) You're not helping those poor children in the struggling communities. These businesses and majority of the profits go to individuals who are not struggling and having hungry children waiting at home for them to bring back a loaf of bread.

2) Buying black, buying white, etc. is a call for resegregation.

3) Let free market dictates what people want.

I don't see how #3 is somehow being violated here. There is no coercion involved. Choosing to buy based on the race of a given merchant is in fact consistent with 'free market' ideology.

[Quaker15]

Originally Posted by mrcnkwcz

I don't see how #3 is somehow being violated here. There is no coercion involved. Choosing to buy based on the race of a given merchant is in fact consistent with 'free market' ideology.

It's not based on the ideology of the best service or the best products, but based on the ideology of the color of the skin of the owner of the business. That's the ideology you're supporting?

[bufflove]

Originally Posted by Quaker15

It's not based on the ideology of the best service or the best products, but based on the ideology of the color of the skin of the owner of the business. That's the ideology you're supporting?

Yes, supporting minority or female or locally or American-owned (etc. etc.) businesses isn't some newfangled idea. Not sure where you're from that this concept is confusing to you. Some people don't auto-buy from Walmart and China and instead consider where their money goes.

[lee_in_beechtree]

Originally Posted by Quaker15

1) You're not helping those poor children in the struggling communities. These businesses and majority of the profits go to individuals who are not struggling and having hungry children waiting at home for them to bring back a loaf of bread.

This is another bad assumption.

Not all businesses are profitable and some are, in fact, struggling.

And you are forgetting about the employees of said businesses.

If black-owned businesses are in areas that are predominantly black, and those areas have "lower income, struggling/failing schools, unemployment (hence crime), etc.," then there is a good chance that some of them have needy owners and/or needy employees.

[lee_in_beechtree]

Originally Posted by sittilove

Recently came across a new website, sort of like a Black Yelp, that tries to facilitate supporting black businesses. Tuloko.com. It has a mobile app as well.

It stands for Tulsa, Oklahoma. For those of you who don't know about "the Black Wall Street"--a prosperous black district that housed black multimillionaires, great schools, etc, but was burned to the ground and destroyed in 1921--read about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa_race_riot.

Black businesses in DC (as well as Baltimore, Philly, Atlanta, and other major cities) are featured, but I'm sure there are a bunch of businesses that should be added that you might know about (users can add them ourselves).

Thank you for informing the community of this website. This is a direct link to it for those wishing to take a look at it.

My wife and and I are Caucasian, and we frequent a great black-owned restaurant in the town of Upper Marlboro, the Olde Towne Inn. It was not in tuloko.com's database, so I just added it.

[lee_in_beechtree]

Originally Posted by bufflove

Yes, supporting minority or female or locally or American-owned (etc. etc.) businesses isn't some newfangled idea. Not sure where you're from that this concept is confusing to you. Some people don't auto-buy from Walmart and China and instead consider where their money goes.

Excellent point!