For Willis, it was a lesson in advocacy for African Americans: Black residents should have been focusing on creating local businesses and a thriving economy, rather than going elsewhere to succeed, he says.
Actually disagree here. They should have been playing politics. Its not an issue of production, but an issue of people-relations. Those new bussinesses would have failed.
Seems like Lincolh heights lacked politically shrewd leaders. Deals needed to but cut in the background with various white groups, shins needed to be metaphorically broken of hostile groups, unions needed to be formed at nearby work places in adjacent cities staffed by black people, lawyers needed to be hired, tactical concessions needed to be made, favorable white political candidates needed to be bought off or financed, and so forth.
The strategy of building for self foolishly assumes that nearby white towns and the overall county would allow them to build if they kept to themselves. Recall that earlier, in the same article, the author notes that the whites were worried that if black people developed their own bussiness dustrict , it would threaten their interests, hence why the districts were cut in a way that excluded economic engines or why the county formed like Voltron to disenfranchise them after city creation.
If the smart residents had returned from college to build in their hometown, the county seat would prevent them from moving forward due to zoning, or not granting bussiness permits, or product dumping to make black products artificiallly expensive, or poaching, or outright buying out that town's local city council. And direct violence was still an option prior to the 70s.
A minority grant was created in south florida for blacks in the 80's. Guess who came thru and took the resources... Cubans. black people can't prosper without the government helping in some way. it is what it is. it's not about begging, it's about getting what you're owed.
