I was speaking to my Haitian mother recently about retaining a lawyer for my cousin, neither of whom is influent in English. However, when I asked if I should look for a Haitian Lawyer, my mother immediately told me the last attorney she retained was a white woman. At first, I was angry and shocked because I am a defense personal injury attorney. Interestingly, one of the reasons I feel like I am an asset to my firm is because of my ability to understand and Speak Creole.
My firm deals with a lot of Creole-speaking plaintiffs and defendants. So, it has been advantageous for the firm to have someone who can speak and understand Creole. Yet, my mother was dismissive when asked if she wanted to retain a Creole-speaking attorney. As I contemplated what my mother said, I became less angry but more saddened by this harsh reality: the black community will forever be in bondage due to our lack of trust and confidence in one another. Our refusal to support one another has been more detrimental to our growth than racism itself. We cannot progress unless we have faith in ourselves and each other.
One dollar only spends about six (6) hours in the Black community compared to the seventeen (17) days a dollar spends in the White Community, twenty days a dollar spends in the Jewish Community, and thirty (30) days a dollar spend in the Asian.
According to a recent study, Blacks and African Americans continue to outspend their white counterparts across the country. In 2019, the national buying power of Blacks was $1.4 trillion. Unfortunately, our high spending power fails to translate into economic growth within the Black community. The buying power of the Black community impacts the U.S. economy tremendously. However, this strong buying power has done nothing to help us build financial success within the Black community because we are not spending those hard-earned dollars in our community. Black businesses in the Black community continue to struggle because of our selfishness and inability to trust each other.
This reality is hard to swallow. It shows that out of all the communities in this country, the Black Community is the least progressive one. In retrospect, Black folks are financially dependent not because they are not educated or work harder than anyone. Our financial growth remains stagnant because we don’t trust each other enough to invest in our communities and businesses. You cannot build wealth in a community unless you are willing to invest in that community.
The federal government has yet to put out any statistics regarding the amount of time a dollar stays within various communities. However, one does not need federally generated statistics to know the numbers represent some hard-to-swallow truths. According to Nielsen, in 2019, Black consumers spent $54.4 million in ethnic hair and beauty aids and $573.6 million in personal soap and bath needs. These numbers make the Black Community a power spending force.
Nielsen conducted a study in 2019 regarding the spending power of Black consumers in America. The study found that African-Americans are more like than the total population to say they shop at a high-end store. These high-end stores include Saks Fifth Avenue (63% more likely), Nielsen Marcus (45% more likely), and Bloomingdale’s (24% more likely).
Similarly, those Black individuals who took part in the survey stated that they prefer the physical shopping experience as opposed to only shopping. They are more impacted than others by engaging with in-store personnel. This report is hard to swallow for so many reasons. Firstly, Black consumers are more likely to be detained by security guards and be accused of shoplifting in those high-end stores. Secondly, Black Consumers are more likely to be treated with suspicions and derisions while shopping at those high-end stores. Lastly, despite what those survey takers say, Black Customers are less likely to be represented during their in-store visits as many of these high-end brands are more concerned with their white customers’ experience. So, why is it Black consumers continue to ignore Black brands for the brands that represent Whiteness?
Another sad truth from the Nielsen report is Black consumers are 20% likely than the total population to agree “I am willing to pay extra for a product that is consistent with the image I want to convey.” Let us unpack this “image” Black consumers would like to convey. It is well-known fact that Black people love to show off. If you are driving in one of the neighbors designated as “ghettos” on East Flatbush in New York, you will find several luxury cars parked on the street in front of a rundown, cockroach-infested public housing. To this day, I do not understand while spending so much money on a vehicle only to park it on the street where it would get vandalized, keyed, or even stolen.
African-Americans are more like than the total population to say they shop at a high-end store. These high-end stores include Saks Fifth Avenue (63% more likely), Nielsen Marcus (45% more likely), and Bloomingdale’s (24% more likely).
Black consumers who took part in the Nielsen survey stated that they prefer the physical shopping experience compared to online shopping. Black consumers reported that they are more impacted than others by engaging with in-store personnel. As a new entrepreneur, this report opened my eyes to so many uncomfortable truths.
In the report, it is noted that Black consumers are more likely to be detained by security guards and be accused of shoplifting in those high-end stores than the rest of the population. Black Consumers are more likely to be treated with suspicions and derisions while shopping at those high-end stores. And in spite of what those survey takers say, Black Customers are not represented on products and posters used in those retail stores. Those high-end brands are more concerned with their white customers’ experience. So, why do Black consumers continue to ignore Black brands for the brands that represent Whiteness?
Moreover, the Nielsen report indicates that Black consumers are 20% likely than the total population to agree “I am willing to pay extra for a product that is consistent with the image I want to convey.” Let us unpack this “image” Black consumers would like to convey. It is a well-known fact that some Black people love to show off. If you are driving in one of the neighborhoods designated as “ghettos” on East Flatbush in New York, you will find several luxury cars parked on the side of the street in front of rundown, cockroach-infested public housing buildings.
To this day, I still cannot comprehend why a person would spend so much money buying an expensive vehicle only to park it on the street where it would get vandalized, keyed, or even stolen. Even when Black consumers are struggling to pay their bills, looking expensive is more important to them. What many Black consumers failed to realize is that they’ve been financing their oppression. Just because something is expensive doesn’t mean it right for you. Many skincare products are selling for hundreds of dollars due to the name recognition of these brands. Yet, it only takes a little research to realize those products contain mostly water and cancer-inducing synthetic ingredients. Those high-end beauty brands can get away with misleading claims while their pockets get fatter because Black consumers are willing to pay for these products. After all, if the brand is “boujie” enough for the image they would like to convey to society, they don’t mind the dishonesty. It is childish and shortsighted.
The Nielsen report confirmed for me one uncomfortable truth and that is some Black folks simply do not like when other Black folks succeed. Too many of us view the financial success of other Black folks as a threat to their success. They want to be the only ones sitting at the table amongst the thousands of successful White individuals. The spending habits of many Black folks reflect their personal feelings concerning successful Black businesses. Investing in Black businesses is something that they find appalling. This is very demoralizing for many Black entrepreneur hopefuls like me. As a proud Black woman, I hope to build a skincare business that caters to our own needs. In truth, I am not as enthusiastic as I should be about this new endeavor. As a Black woman formulating skincare products for other Black women, I fear my business will be dismissed by my people due to the lack of trust that plagues the Black community.
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