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"General Motors didn't start out where it is: It started out as just a little rat-race operation."

A SHIFTING AFRICAN AMERICAN POPULATION?

A new study argues that the African American community presents another great opportunity. The report, commissioned by BET and based on U.S. Census Bureau data, shows that Black Americans are both more well-off and more suburban than previously thought. Overall, the report, entitled "African Americans in 2010," finds that the Black population is growing 34 percent faster than the population as a whole. In addition, some corporations claim they have recognized the importance of connecting with the African American segment and have developed a "marketing plan to help us reach our target." It's time for African Americans to pick up the gun, take aim ourselves and effectively tap into our own $900 billion plus in annual spending. Why should we continue to allow major corporations to benefit from our hard-earned dollars without them providing us with any significant level of economic reciprocity? Our communities, our businesses, our institutions and our young people deserve better. That would represent a real "shift" of the African American population. Isn't it time?  

For an entire year, the Anderson family committed to live-off of Black-owned businesses. Imagine that. Let it sink in. Could your money do that for an entire day? Week? Month? Year?  Here's a family of four living in suburban Chicago that made it happen. What a show of love for Black-owned businesses and their community. What a sacrifice and a living example of delayed gratification. Surely you know it was not always convenient. It was seldom easy. There were bad experiences. There were disappointments. There were threats of violence and charges of being "racists in reverse." Still undeterred, undaunted and unflinching the Andersons were able to to spend about 70 perecent of their annual consumption, nearly $70,000 with Black-owned businesses in 2009. This year, they are promising to push the experiment to another level  and shifting into what Maggie Anderson calls "movement mode."  They're looking to get other individuals and families to join with them in this experiment in self-help economics. 

For inspiration, they may recall the response Maggie received when she spoke at a church in Dallas, Texas. "Those people were in tears, standing on their feet," Maggie Anderson said. "To get that kind of reaction really made us feel like we were doing something for the community, that we were earning the respect of our community leaders." Why don't you try this in your City and family. 

The news release read as follows: "On Deck Capital will provide loans through Urban League local affiliates, starting in Philadelphia and Los Angeles and then expanding across the country.

The program offers one-year loans ranging from$5,000 to $100,000 at interest rates of 18 t0 36 percent. All the loans must be repaid through automatic daily "micro-payments" from the business' bank accounts.   

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