Detroit tribune. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1933-1933, 1933-09-30
SHARP'S
EYES
tspssi.l To Tn. rribuns)
WHY MORE NEGROES DO NOT
SUCCEED IN BUSINESS

Negroes do not make a success II
business. This summer i have tried
TO make a special study--and fint
out the answer. and think ! have
arrived at the conclusion. 1t !.
lack of cooperation. and lot Of
Jealousy thrown into the bargain
Have you ever noticed that when 9
Jewish person starts a business
that all OF the Jews in the neigh
borhood will flock to that particu-
lar store. and 1t Is very seldom q
failure? The same thing holds
good when a person of almost any
nationality starts venture. Their
own people boost them, and help
them to succeed.
But how about our people? DO
they help each other? | have stood
on several corners in South Phil
adelphia. for hours. In front OF
large drug stores. drug stores
which were run by whites--drug
stores which were stocked with
everything that any one could ask
for. I watched the people as they
entered to make purchases. ninty
percent of the people who entered
these stores were Negroes II is the
money of the Negroes which en-
ables these white merchants to
keep their shelves and closets well
filled with fresh new supplies. But
suppose one of our people should
go to one of these same merchants
and ask for a job. Would they get
Il? The h n c g are they
would not. or il they did. il would
he only the most menial-such as
washing the windows. or shining
the brass, or scrubbing the floors.
This is not only one store OF which
| am writing. have watched per-
haps a dozen In the vicinity of
South Street In Philadelphia. and
what is true~of this city. probably
holds good for other cities.
Yet right around the corner. not
more than three squares away is
little store. small drug store.
operated by Negro. A man as fine
as any man whom | have ever
known. He Is graduate of one of
the finest colleges i'm the United
States. and is we'll qualified TO dis
pense drugs. He is an honest. law
abiding. religious mana man
whom any one would be benefited
by knowing. But his shelves are
almost empty. his electricity has
been turned off. He has only few
coal oil lamps to light his little
store. His trade has fallen to al
most nothing. II our people who
trade at white stores would pat
ronize him. he would be able TO
have one of the finest drug stores
in South Philadelphia.
The same thing holds good
not only for our people who arc
in business but in other lines. !
have in mind a magistrate of Phil
adelphia. Last year he ran for
United States Representative
There are enough Negroes in that
city to have elected him with an
overwhelming majority. But did
they elect his? They did not! And
why Because we do not stick to-
getherl How can We expect other
people TO be for us, II we are not
for ourselves? Take our own Green
Pastures-when we played in
Washington last winter, our own
show, which we had worked hard
to make a success. But I'm that city
our people were Jim Crowed.
What did they do about II? Moth
ing-Absolutely nothing. They com
placently accepted a special per
Torrance played for them after al
of the rest OF the people OF the
city had seen the show--Can any
on imagf~e Jews or Irishmen. or
Italians submitting so tamely to
such an outrage? Jews would get
together and buy the theatre and
liberalize its policy. Irishmen
would perhaps throw few bricks,
and the Italians would probably
throw something more formidable.
Almost any people as numeri-
cally strong as we are, would dem
onstrate their displeasure in no un
certain way; but we accept what
ever is given us, and say Whats
the use of fussing?' And yet we
are surprised that we are not re-
spected. There is no way that we
will be. respected until We respect
ourselves. The first steps that we
must take to respect ourselves, Is
to stand firmly together to respect
our own people, and to bend every
energy to help them. to make them
prosperous. In so doing we will be
helping not only them. but our
selves. and our race as we'll.