WHAT IF I TOLD YOU THAT BLACK PEOPLE COULD INCREASE THE ASSETS OF OUR COMMUNITY BY 100 MILLION DOLLARS IN JUST 30 DAYS! What would you think if I told you it would require virtually no organization, or leadership to do it? Probably you would say that I was crazy, but all I ask is that you hear me out. Let's call this the "BLACK BUILDING BLOCKS PLAN" or BBBP.

For the BBBP to work, all we need is for you to do your part. No groups to join, no meetings to attend, and no dues to pay. No annual dinners, no board meetings, no bookkeeping, nor headquarters needed. All that is required is for you to keep doing what you routinely do now, with one small, but critical difference.

During the next 30 days I want you to do 2 things. The first is to take an inventory of how much you spend, and where you spend it in any given month. The second is to resolve to spend, or save, or invest, an additional $100 dollars per month more with Black people.

Now before you exclaim that you are financially strapped and could not afford to do it, let me explain how most of us can indeed support the BBBP. Each and every week I do the following: buy gas for the car, purchase newspapers and magazines, eat lunch and sometimes dinner out, and restock the refrigerator with food.

Periodically I have to buy common essentials like; batteries, soap, deodorant, medicine, and hardware items. Every month I dry clean my clothes, and have my hair cut. Each month I imagine most of you ladies have your hair and/or nails done. It's nice to talk about doing businesss with Black car dealers, real estate agents, insurance brokers, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, bricklayers, lawyers, doctors, and dentists; these are the "big ticket items".

We certainly must go to our people for these large and lucrative business transactions, but the REAL ACTION is with the "little items"! Now, If what I am about to say does not apply to you, then ignore this musing, or pass it on to someone to whom it does apply. After doing some thinking, I realized that despite ll of my "Black" rhetoric; I either was too tired, just did not think about it, was too far away, or thought it was too inconvenient for me to patronize Black businesses.

Recently I decided it was time to quit being such a damn hypocrite. I did the monthly inventory and discovered that with really very little effort I could put at least a $100 a month into the local Black community. Each month I fill up the tank at least 4 times for a minimum of $50. My hair cut costs $10, and I easily spend $40 on dry cleaning. There's my $100 dollars, no sweat, and I have not even included the daily lunch, dinner, and/or snack. Factor in reading materials and those common necessities, who knows, I might be able to redirect a whopping $200!

What do I have to sacrifice to achieve this minor miracle of responsible consumerism? Simply taking a little time to plan my travels to stop by one of the Black owned service stations to gas up. Stop going to the white owned cleaners, and develop the habit of going to a Black owned one. A couple of the times that I eat out, go to a Black owned restaurant and drop the fast food crap. When I have to pick up the infrequent necessity, consider a Black merchant who has what I need. Also I guess it would not hurt to finally begin saving each month and put a few dollars in the Black owned credit union and/or savings & loan. Hey, I might get to like this, I feel better already, with my practice beginning to match my words.

Finally, I am doing something real and palpable. I know you are probably thinking what difference could this little exercise make-Well, consider this, if one million of us directed $100 each month, Black businesses and financial institutions would realize an additional $100 million cash flow each month. In a year 1.2 billion additional dollars would flow into the Black economy! Decide to become a BLACK BUILDING BLOCK today. Remember no meetings, no dues, no sweat. Try it; no bother, no fuss, and trust me you'll feel better too. Hey, it's JUST A THOUGHT..Stay in the paint!!!!