blacklivesmatter — InspireU Blog

My heart is so heavy. I'm sick and tired of these fathers, daughters, community leaders, sons ending their lives as hashtags #. I'm sick and tired of the excuses and irrational conclusions our fellow Americans are forming around the #blacklivesmatter movement. I'm sick and tired of the fear I feel for my 2 black sons to grow up in a nation who thinks they are less than.

In 2016, we have seen hundreds of black men get executed at the hands of white police officers. Yet not one conviction. And now we have videotaped acts of hate and still NO justice. Today, I must be apart of change, action and reform. We ALL must be apart of change.

How can we change things? How can we show #blacklivesmatter? How do we get legislation changed? How do we get Wall Street, Washington D.C., Hollywood to pay attention?

MONEY IS OUR POWER!

Did you know the Black buying power is expected to reach $1.2 trillion this year, and $1.4 trillion by 2020? (University of Georgia’s Selig Center for Economic Growth)

WOW!!

According to The Atlantic, Black America is the 15th largest economy in the world in terms of Gross Domestic Product. That is the size of Mexico based on the World Bank data. What does this mean? It means companies, entertainers, and other forces outside of the black community want our business and dollars $$, but don't investment into our communities,don't promote causes effecting our community and definitely don't provide jobs for Black people. We must take our power back and support black businesses and other businesses that are invested in finding solutions to this AMERICAN PROBLEM!

(Companies Using their voice: Pandora Internet Radio, Google, Facebook, Chevrolet etc)

Put Your MONEY Where Your MOUTH Is!

List of Black-Owned Businesses & Banks:

Black Owned Business Directory

Black-Owned Banks & Credit Unions

Maya Brown's List of Black Owned Makeup Lines

The Savvy One- Buying Black Owned: 50+ Black Farms, Food or Meat Markets

In this article posted by David Love on Atlanta BlackStar, Dr. Boyce Watkins noted, " we need to harness that wealth. " He stated, " . . . with over $1 trillion {amount blacks are spending}, one can buy: 1,000 NFL teams; 3,000 predominantly white universities; the annual budget of 1.4 million charter schools across the nation; pay the tuition at Howard University for 50 million students for an entire year; buy 854,000 community centers; purchase NBC, ESPN and CBS and still have $1 trillion left over."

We can end unemployment in our own communities by providing a quality product/service, excellent customer service and a sound financial foundation. Let's work together and strengthen our communities.

Here are some other ways to provoke change in our

local communities across America.

PRAY. "Jesus 'said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (John 14:6, New American Standard) We CAN NOT fully depend on that job, our government officials, our 2 degrees, our family. He shall supply ALL OUR NEEDS! Prayer Works!
PROTEST. Let's gather in peace and with a plan. Come with your empowering signs, friendly faces and love in your heart.
SERVE. When we are in places of power, you have more influence on policies and community action. Example: Jesse Williams made a profound speech at the BET AWARDS that pissed off some people. A petition was started to have him fired from his show Grey's Anatomy where we plays Dr. Jackson Avery. The petition stated that his remarks were racist and was a hate speech against law enforcement and white people. Well, I guess they didn't know who his boss was! The creator and writer of Grey's Anatomy is Shonda Rhimes a BLACK WOMAN and the President of ABC Entertainment, Channing Dungey is also a BLACK WOMAN. Let's not forget Nne Ebong is the Senior Vice President of Drama Development for ABC Studios. #blackgirlsrock
WRITE. Your words have power. Write letters to your legislators and congress members.
Sign the Petition to create a federal law enforcement agency that supervises the behavior of all law enforcement agencies (LINK)
CREATE or PARTICIPATE in community organizations. (LINKS, Inc., National Urban League, NAACP, Big Brother, Big Sister, etc.) Get plugged in!
HAVE THE CONVERSATION. Talk with your friends and family about solutions, feelings, and fears.

Disclaimer: #BlackLivesMatter is NOT a terrorist group or a group promoting violence. The movement is truly screaming, #blacklivesmattertoo. It was not created to exclude and divide. The media is perpetuating hate by twisting the message to #onlyblacklivesmatter. Don't be fooled!