Americans Can Do A Lot For Themselves
Attacks by conservative politicians on affirmative action, welfare, food stamps and other entitlement programs have led to new efforts by some minorities to rely more on themselves and less on government handouts for their economic survival.
For example, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan announced last week that he plans to reduce dependency among his followers by opening several new mosques, schools and restaurants in Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York and Houston by 1996.
“With the climate of the country as it is,” Farrakhan said, “welfare reform, the attack on affirmative action - our people in America are going to have to learn … we must stop depending on others to do for us what we could, what we should, and what we must do for ourselves.”
In direct response to proposed cutbacks in government programs, Farrakhan said his organization will purchase up to 1 million acres of farmland to provide produce, meat and dairy products which will be sold in supermarkets in black neighborhoods. The controversial leader said his organization recently purchased 2,000 acres of farmland in Georgia and Michigan and will immediately begin hiring workers.
The Nation of Islam also plans to purchase trucks and trailers to begin a transportation operation and purchase a newspaper plant and television production studio which could lead to hundreds of jobs. It will also expand sales of its bakery products.
However, self-reliance is not a new concept among blacks, nor in the Nation of Islam. The religion’s founder, Elijah Muhammad, preached self-help and involved the Muslims in numerous business activities.
During the Depression and later, religious leader Father Devine operated several cooperative farms that produced enough poultry, meats and vegetables to feed thousands of poor Americans - blacks and whites - throughout the country. Dressmaking was another enterprise that brought huge sums to Devine’s economic enterprise.
He built a huge following and developed an economic empire with branches in New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Canada and several countries overseas.
During America’s most difficult economic times, he counseled the poor to save whatever they could, and to make purchases on a cash-only basis, avoiding the payment of wasteful interest that leads to overwhelming debt.
Father Devine was the best example of his own economic philosophy. The mission he created purchased dozens of properties around the country and turned most of them into profit-making institutions that made his church extremely wealthy.
Devine’s Woodmont estate outside of Philadelphia is a beautifully manicured 73-acre preserve that continues to serve as headquarters for his faithful followers, some of whom have been devoted to the mission for more than 50 years.
“There is much that people can do for themselves,” Mother Devine, his wife, and his successor as leader of the mission, told me during a visit to Woodmont on Monday.
“If you have faith and if you work hard and save and spend wisely, you can accomplish a great deal. That’s one of the things Father and his teaching instills in us,” she said.
Some African Americans can be counted among the wealthiest citizens in America, among them the owners of the Johnson Publishing firm, which produces Ebony, Jet and other magazines and the Johnson Products company, the manufacturer of personal grooming products.
Perhaps the most successful black businessman was the late Reginald Lewis, the CEO of Beatrice Foods. Lewis purchased one of the nation’s largest food distribution companies for more than a billion dollars.
Many other lesser known blacks have become millionaires, operating successful enterprises in a variety of fields, including insurance, auto dealerships, radio and television.
Still, self-help has its limits. Blacks remain among the last hired and the first fired. For more than 60 years, government programs have made it possible for these poor, unemployed Americans - and their children - to survive.
Yes, some welfare programs have created a dependent class of people who have dropped out of the job market because of the ease with which government handouts can be obtained. This situation has now led conservatives to demand an overall cut in government programs for the poor, thinking this will foster the work ethic.
Cutting wasteful spending is desirable, but there are millions of American families, black and white, who have no choice but to rely on government for economic assistance. Those who legitimately need government assistance must not be arbitrarily removed from the rolls.
Many of the unemployed poor would prefer to work, and, with proper help, could become an army of new taxpayers with new attitudes toward the job market, their families and themselves. And this requires a change in attitude among some politicians.
The poor would cooperate with government if they were confident that the job-training programs designed to get them off the welfare rolls were really for their benefit and would lead to decent jobs, rather than being punishment.
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