Posted on 11/26/2003 11:25:55 AM PST by Luke Skyfreeper
Forty years ago next week, a prominent black businessman, SB Fuller of the Fuller Products Company, addressed the National Association of Manufacturers.
Because Fuller refused to "toe the party line," his speech touched off a firestorm of rage that would lead to much of black America boycotting his businesses -- thus destroying much of his fortune.
Nevertheless, although his business enterprises were forced through bankruptcy, he managed to hold on to at least a portion of his wealth. When the great businessman died some 25 years later, at age 83, he was still quite a prosperous man.
SB Fuller was born into abject poverty. His rise to wealth and prominence has to be one of the great success stories of all time. It is hard to imagine a least likely candidate for success.
As a young man, Fuller started out literally penniless.
He was a black man in pre-Civil-Rights America.
To top that off, he was a black man with only a sixth-grade education.
And to top that off, SB Fuller's search for success began... during the Great Depression.
In 1935, Fuller started his first business, with only $25.
He would eventually become a multimillionaire who owned or controlled 9 different corporations.
Below are excerpts from SB Fuller's earth-shaking speech of December 6, 1963. [Note: I have edited out Mr. Fuller's use of the (then-current) word "Negro," replacing it with more current language.)
It's Not Racial Barriers That Keep Blacks From Prospering:
American Blacks Must Pool Capital in Order to Help Themselves
[Reprinted from Issues & Views Summer 1991, with phrasing edits]
[Address by businessman S.B. Fuller to the National Association of Manufacturers, December 6, 1963.]
. . . . It is contrary to the laws of nature for man to stand still; he must move forward, or the eternal march of progress will force him backward. This the black man has failed to understand; he believes that the lack of civil rights legislation, and the lack of integration have kept him back. But this is not true. . . .
In 1952, the average black man's income was 57% of that of the white man's, but in 1962 it was only 53% of his income. In a period of ten years, the black man's income had dropped 4 percentage points in comparison with the white man's income. The main reason for this is black lack of understanding of our capitalistic system of government. Capitalism is defined as "an economic system in which capital and capitalists play the principal part. Specifically, the established economic system of most modern civilized countries, in which the ownership of land and natural wealth, the production, distribution, and exchange of goods, the employment and reward of human labor, and the extension, organization, and operation of the system itself, are entrusted to, and effected by private enterprise and control, under competitive conditions."
This black America does not understand. Let's take, for example, distribution at the retail level. One-sixth of all people employed in America are employed in retail selling; 11,650,000 people in retail sales as of 1962. If the black man had the amount of initiative, courage and imagination required, he could control the retail selling in his own community. Since he represents 10% of the population of America today, he would be able to employ 1,065,000 people. There are 1,788,325 retail establishments in America and yet in New York City, where there are over 1,000,000 black people, they do not own over 15 businesses which employ over 10 people.
Unfortunately, blacks believe that there is a racial barrier in America which keeps them from succeeding, yet if they would learn to use the laws of observation, concentration, memory, reason, and action, they would realize that there is a world of opportunity right in their own communities. . . .
Because [the black man] does not own and control retail establishments in his own community, he is unable to stabilize his community. For every evening, at the close of business, the substantial citizen leaves that community and goes to another community to live, thus leaving black community improverished, and the wealth derived from the community through retail sales is transferred to the other community, thus building up that community. These merchants are not to be blamed for this, because the supply and demand must be satisfied. Since blacks do not supply the demand in their own communities, the white man must come in, and he takes advantage of the opportunity. Then blacks think that there is a racial barrier that keeps them from making progress. Therefore, blacks ask for legislation to remove the barrier which they automatically created themselves, due to their own lack of action.
The average black man believes that the purpose of business is to furnish jobs, but this is not true. The purpose of business is to render service and to make a profit, and by doing this, it must employ people. These people must be able to render service and produce a commodity that the businessman can sell at a profit. If not the business can no longer employ the individual. . . .
Black people must pool their capital in order to help themselves. They must establish retail sales organizations throughout their communities and also must go into light manufacturing where retail selling has already produced an outlet for the products light manufacturing can produce. This will enable blacks to help solve their own problems. . . .
Since our capitalistic system is a competitive system, the black man must learn to compete with his fellowman. He must not only seek jobs, but he must own establishments which will give jobs to others. . . .
[Courtesy of Hagley Museum & Library, Wilmington, DE]
I see it around me in the place where I work. I see intelligent and talented but lazy and sullen black people who think there is racism everywhere, and blame racism for their failures instead of taking responsibility for their unwillingness to focus and work hard. There are also some more thoughtful young black people who have made a rather painful decision to move forward and leave their friends and family in the ghetto culture behind while they achieve success. I feel sorry for them as I watch them struggle with one of the big ethical questions of life.
It's time for blacks to reject liberal plantation solutions. Those liberal solutions don't work. Look at the fruit of the tree... Liberal "programs" have taught blacks to fail. It's very sad.
This article really hits the nail. I've grown up near black neighborhoods and I notice more and more Asians control all the retail locations. They barely speak English but they work hard, save money, work harder, save money, and eventually buy a business and prosper. Most Asians in these communities all drive luxury cars and send their kids to a good college. The black people I know generally don't have business sense. They think the only way to make money is to be an entertainer, athlete, lottery or by suing someone. I know some of you will say I'm racist. But I'm also a minority (Hispanic) and only white men can be racist remember?
This is a general statement. I'm sure there are a few unique cases where black people move up through hard work and saving, (I know a few) but I'm afraid that's becoming increasingly rare.
Maybe that's the only way Democrats can keep blacks in their party, by keeping them poor. Rich blacks (or those on their way) eventually leave the party, don't care about politics or become repubs.
Arnold's never held elected office either, until last week.
Rice's list of non-elected-office accomplishments is impressive, and speaks for itself.
And as Schwarzenegger has demonstrated, electability does not necessarily depend on prior elected experience.
Having said all that, I definitely agree she would need to get some elected-office experience first if she wanted to be President. Executive is better. In other words, if she wants to be President, she really ought to run for governor.
However, I could visualize her serving as VP and then possibly running for POTUS. Again, if she wanted to, and the available indications are that she doesn't.
Had Booker T. Washington "won out" over W.E.B. DuBois, the world would be a much different...and much better...place.
Yes. I heard Rev. Jackson saying much the same thing just the other night ... NOT!
One help found the NAACP and died an American-hating communist.
The other was a good guy.
Although I know few facts about Ms. Rice's personal politics, it would be reasonable to assume that anyone with her level of experience in government with a conservative administration, her magnificent level of intelligence and fortitude, and her lack of an amoral personality (a la both Klintons) would be excellent Presidential material. Plus Bush like her and I respect George Bush's judgement any day!
Sure there are many who could be presidential material, but would Dr Walter Williams run and win? Just because there may always be someone equal or better doesn't disqualify her ability.
Being an elected official would add no more relevant experience (except maybe how to lie in a campaign) than she already has in her federal post.
After having read the autobiography of Frederick Douglass (an early 19th century slave), I concur.
This was a man that, through clever tactics, taught himself how to read at age of 8 behind his master's back.
If anyone tells you that they can't succeed or are disadvantaged because of the color of their skin, give them a copy of Frederick Douglass's autobiography...and then tell them to stop whining!
Black folks did that in Tulsa, OK in 1921. The dollar circulated in the community 26 times before leaving. Blacks owned and operated every conceivable legitimate business imaginable. The community was highly prosperous until white envious rednecks burned the community down, killing hundreds. Anyone else know about this story? I saw a documentary about it on TV. You can do a google search and read about it. Extremely interesting.
Also, I read this book some years ago. I think it was called "The Blue Book". I can't seem to find it anywhere now. But it was amazing. It was written in 1907. In it were biographies of Black folks in every endeavor you can think of it: banking, science, education, inventions, entertaiment, sports, business, agriculture, oil business, you name it. The book profiled highly successul blacks in these fields. There was one picture of a family of black bankers standing in front of their bank. They looked awesome. The book was full of success stories.
There were a lot of "black Tulsas" across America in the earlier 1900s to 1920s. When President Roosevelt came into office and introduced the "New Deal", seems like black folks haven't been the same since. Now the "black leaders" march down the streets arm in arm shouting "jobs, justice and peace".
My mother grew up on a farm in Fredericksburg, Virginia during the depression. Her father was a blacksmith and farmer. They were poor, but her father would never have considered accepting welfare. He worked hard to support his large family and they were happy, and NEVER without food. They just didn't have much money, but they helped feed the city folks in Richmond. My mother vividly remembers their yard being packed with the cars of the city folks who came to get something to eat on Sundays. My mother's father was a hard-working man who had a strong work ethic. They were poor and black, but believed that no one owed them anything.
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