Texas, a state with the largest black population and purchasing power, is a natural place to grow black-owned businesses, says a Dallas mega-church pastor behind ongoing and emerging efforts to create black wealth.
Rev. Frederick D. Haynes, pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church, challenged the 12,000 parishioners of the Dallas Church and others to “100 Days of Buying Black”.
The campaign began on September 23 and will run through the end of this year as part of the 100th commemoration of the Tulsa Race Massacre. The goal of the challenge is to continue the legacy of Black Wall Street by strengthening the economic base of the black community nationwide, Haynes said.
While the concept of helping black businesses isn’t new, Haynes said it was important to keep adopting and expanding it as wages and purchasing power rise.
Black purchasing power in Texas led the states with $ 148 billion in 2020, followed by New York and Georgia, according to the annual report by the University of Georgia’s Selig Center for Economic Growth. Last year, “Africa’s economic clout revived the US consumer market like never before,” rising 14% to $ 1.6 trillion, the report said. That equates to 9% of the purchasing power of US consumers.
To date, 1,500 people have registered on Friendship-West’s website to spend more than $ 300,000 in expenses.
“It’s not responsible for any of us,” said Haynes.
He’s not of the generation rushing to the computer, but he knows that word of the challenge gets around and that others across the country are making a conscious habit of spending money in black shops.
“For me it’s just an economic habit, part of my routine,” he said, reciting a popular saying: “We’re not new to it. We are loyal to it. “
100 Days is just the latest attempt by Friendship-West.
Rev. Frederick Haynes has pastored the Friendship-West Baptist Church for 38 years. He spoke at a hearing at Southern Methodist University a few years ago about federal regulations to combat college loan predation.(Ashley Landis / Photographer)
The building of the church 20 years ago was looking for black businesses. And in 2016, the Church founded West Wall Street, a frequent public shopping event to discover Black-owned stores.
An original West Wall Street store – 2 Sisters Sweet Creations – has grown enough to move into its own business. Sisters Yolanda Beldsoe and Deidra Keener opened their first bakery on N. Hampton Road in DeSoto in mid-December. They have hired Black’s own plumbing, painting and flooring companies to run their business and design their newly updated website, Bledsoe said.
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A dessert charcuterie board from 2 Sisters Sweet Creations. The sisters Yolanda Beldsoe and Deidra Keener will open their first bakery on N. Hampton Road in DeSoto in mid-December 2021.
They found the stores in the Church directory. Bledsoe said she knew “absolutely, that’s how others find us”.
Damond Fields, owner of the Sankofa Kitchen on Camp Wisdom Road, said it was difficult to measure the impact of 100 Days of Buying Black because “Pastor Haynes’ church supports us every day.”
Fields has operated its combo restaurant and black cultural products store for 20 years. He said the support of Friendship-West was a key to its success. The 4,000-square-foot building houses his restaurant, which is known for its turkey burger and other healthy vegan and meat dishes. The retail store sells cultural products, books by black authors, and skin care products.
“We’re rebuilding business communities that were necessary because of Jim Crow, and now we say we can have businesses that create jobs and a strong community in return,” said Haynes.
Friendship-West has partnered with other organizations to support black-owned businesses, including the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, founded in 2003 and named after the late New York pastor, writer, and professor emeritus at Rutgers University who served during his Active career was the boards of the United Negro College Fund and the National Urban League.
Haynes serves on the board of directors for the conference, which is comprised of progressive African American religious leaders, their communities, and social justice activists representing nine denominations.
Several efforts started last year following protests against the assassination of George Floyd are ongoing. This includes the partnership between Google and the US American Black Chambers Inc. to redesign Black Friday as “Black-Owned Friday”.
Dallas-based digital artist and photographer Temi Coker is part of that effort. According to a Google poll, 66% of consumers who actively support black-owned businesses say they use digital tools to find them.
Google advises black-owned companies adding a black logo to improve their results on searches like “black-owned restaurants near me”.
According to the US Census Bureau, Black or African American owned approximately 124,551 businesses, of which approximately 28.5% were in the health and welfare sectors.
That was the highest score in this category for any minority group. The 2018 report published in January found that around 18.3%, or 1 million, businesses were minority owned and 19.9% of all businesses were owned by women.
Twitter: @MariaHalkias
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