What do you think is missing in the support of Black entrepreneurs?
Gary Stoddard, Southeast D.C.
We need some more Black consumers. The consumers need to support small Black businesses, versus taking their money and spending it with people that don’t care about them… That’s what’s missing: education about supporting your own.
Regina Deans, Capitol Heights, Md.
What’s missing is access to capital, that doesn’t take you through 500 stages to get $1000. Just genuine support for African American business owners and also a collaboration of African American businesses working together. I feel that we are too independent from each other. From my own experience, the Asians [and] the Ethiopians, they have their [own] organization that works together to help fund them. We have to work with banks and grants. Sometimes the deadline is too short and the information is put out to us last minute. I just don’t think there is support as far as our [Prince George’s County] Council people.
Kevin Perry, Oxon Hill, Md.
The community needs to come together to start supporting Black businesses like the way they support Gucci and all these other brands, the people [that] you will never see a day in your life. People have got to start supporting, but Black people also have to have good service too. There’s some lacking — not everybody — but I always feel like I would support Black before I support anything. Especially if the product is good, why not?
Francis Mellion, Southwest D.C.
Just support. I know D.C. does a few things, but the climate we live in now, we just don’t know anymore.
Compiled by Keith Golden Jr.
