Fourth in a series on the 7 Principles of Kwanzaa : Ujamaa is a relic of the past?

Well, surely one isn’t talking about the Black community when the phrase cooperative economics is mentioned, that’s Ujamaa in Swahili?

...there are successful businesses owned by Blacks,
but normally it has nothing
to do with community cooperation...

When this writer thinks about cooperative economics, the groups that come to mind are Asian-Americans, along with Jewish-Americans, then Polish-Americans, then Latin Americans. Get my drift?

Of course we can say that there are successful businesses owned by Blacks, but normally it has nothing to do with community cooperation, or cooperative economics within the Black community. Not even the Black churches have a history of working together except when the recognition is nondescript, meaning that it is deemed advantageous to have your name somewhere when you realize that you can't be the only dog in the game.

Take the HIV epidemic, one outreach worker is quoted as saying “Trying to bring churches together for a compassionate cause is like trying to make the devil dress up in drag”.

Let’s go beyond the Christian base and look at the unique brand of the Black Muslim religion under Farrakhan. From the pulpit he preaches a brand of Ujamaa. Hence, the Muslim community in Chicago has models of successful businesses, according to the principle of Umajaa.


On the other hand, the modern Christian mega-church pastor preaches prosperity but seems not to care where the money is coming from. Cooperative Economics only concerns the mega church's interest which is not necessarily the greater Black community.

While neither of the aforementioned can be seen as ideal examples that enhances Black unity across the board or holistically, Blacks are hard pressed to find viable alternatives within its own community.

It becomes, literally, insane when we find other cultures (primarily Asian-Americans) taking the unique tastes of the Black culture and build wealthy businesses. Who can fry chicken better than Lee’s? Or, no body make’s chitlin’s like Uncle Yen.

And once again, to be fair historically, and out of necessity, Blacks have known what it is to own their own stores and to preside over robust business districts. Remember Rosewood, Florida? Remember Pennsylvania Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland? Remember Dowling Street in Houston Texas? Remember Auburn Avenue in Atlanta Georgia?

Can you indeed remember the distant past where many urban settings thrived under Black enterprise?

If anything, it seems that ‘preserving the past’ successes might be the closest thing that the Black community has left to reference any economic cooperation. Atlanta with restaurant businesses like Ma Sutton and night clubs like Henry’s Grill once were “Black” establishments, own by Blacks, but like so many other Black businesses they have succumbed to the passage of time. (See: Black Atlanta). They’ve become only a collection of relics, just as Baltimore’s once glorious Royal Theatre has nothing but a cheap sign left to remind people of its glory days and a statue of Billy Holiday to be found somewhere on the Avenue, one that people loathe.

So, the truth is that once upon a time, black business had proliferated to a point where its very existence synergized with the culture of Blacks, mostly in urban settings. But, just like the principles that have been covered so far in this Series--Ujima, Kujichagulia,and Umoja-- Ujamaa points to an intrinsic value that illustrates a collective self-love and that in turn promotes collective cohesiveness.

For some reason, it would appear that Blacks are unable to adhere to the wholesomeness of the Kwanzaa principles, and in so doing have cast away the potential of a profound enterprising culture that should help sustain the community even when times are rough. (See: What Happened to Kwanzaa?)