Dr. Boyce Watkins on AOL Black Voices: Being a Black Entrepreneur

Filed under: Dr. Boyce Money

One of the things I consistently scream from the rooftops is the importance of African Americans embracing the art of black institution building. One type of structure we should focus on building in our community is the economic institution (which I discuss in my book, "Black American Money."). That means learning the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and making sure our kids learn the same thing. This doesn't imply that you should be a completely independent entrepreneur, but it does mean that you may want to figure out how to have a side hustle or two. In tough economic times like these, you have no job security if you've only got one job.

To discuss these matters, I brought in my resident expert on entrepreneurship, Ms. Danielle Douglas. Danielle is the CEO of Inspire Enterprises, and knows quite a bit about starting and running a business. I love speaking with Danielle because she is also proficient in the area where people of color struggle the most: Finding money. I've always felt that economic freedom in a capitalist society is one of the primary keys to your spiritual, psychological and social freedom. Therefore, in order for black folk to become truly liberated, we must let go of our addiction to mass consumption and begin to embrace the power of economic upliftment. An understanding of conscientious capitalism (not money-grubbing behavior that pillages our community) is important for our advancement as a people. We must all invest in something.

The interview is below, enjoy!

PRODUCTION PLAYER! DO NOT DELETE.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments