I am making a decision.

Starting this Black Friday and through this Holiday Season, I am committing to complete my holiday shopping exclusively at Black Owned Businesses in my city of Chicago, Illinois.

This year has been more difficult for race relations than some that I can remember.  First, I am young and I am white, so I have to admit my sample size of injustices is quite small.  However, I have seen enough to conclude that while we as a society may have come a long way from where we began, we have yet a long way to go.

I am not going to include platitudes of racial justice here, citing and quoting great leaders who have spoken much more eloquently on the subject than I ever could.  If you need that, just google it.  Instead, here is a fact:

According to a comparison of the United States Census Bureau and the Survey of Business Owners published by BlackDemographics.com, Black/African American Businesses are severely under represented in our nation’s economy.

I often hear from white friends, “it is not a race thing, it is an economic thing.”

First, I entirely disagree.  To ignore race in our nation is to ignore the history of our nation, and to ignore history is to be ignorant of the present.

BUT!  For the sake of argument, let’s just say it is indeed an “economic thing” and not a “race thing.”

In that case, I invite you to put your money where your mouth is.  Join me.

Buy Black.  Help correct the “economic thing” as means of addressing the “race thing”.

Make a conscious decision this year to buy at least one gift or more from a Black Owned Business.

During this holiday shopping season, I will write about the shops I visit and will include links of how to get there and how you too can commit to this effort.

I would also appreciate this to be a dialogue.  Email me your thoughts:  dan.kleinman@me.com.

OK.  Until next time.

Happy Thanksgiving.