A Strange but Sad Truth

Years ago, there were ‘ghettos’ or ‘ethnic neighbourhoods’ if you prefer in most 1st World countries.

New York City, for example, has it’s enclaves, ‘China Town’ ‘Little Italy’ “Harlem” “Crown Heights”, etc.

Russians will move to Brighton Beach where the food, the shops, the bars, the Churches are all Russian.

Indians (people from India) will live in the East Village or Richmond Hill.

Japanese will live in Astoria, Queens.

If you go to these neighbourhoods you will find the businesses are owned by and patronised by those in the neighbourhood.

African Americans, especially during the time of segregation had their own neighbourhoods.  Harlem and Bedford-Stuyvestant are two of the most well known.

Before 1964 African Americans shopped at Black businesses, ate in Black restaurants, went to Black hotels.   The racism and ghetto-isation made the communities fairly self-sufficient.

After 1964 something happened which was devastating to Black businesses; an end to segregation.  When segregation ended, African Americans began to shop at businesses owned by whites.

This caused Black restaurants, banks, insurance companies to virtually disappear.

Even though the number of Black owned businesses has increased over the years, they make up less than 10%.

Simply put, instead of going on Vacation to the Black owned hotel they went to a white owned one.  And since no one else went to the that Hotel, it closed.

Today, the only standard black business which still exists is the barber shop.