Black to Business

Otis Tucker Think504.com As a great-grandson and grandson of an entrepreneurial family, I studied the history of Black Businesses in this city. I looked at the rise and fall (and mostly fall) of Black businesses in New Orleans. I believe it is very important that we know how Black Entrepreneurship has gone in similar fashion for many. Hopefully, the pitfalls and potholes of the past can be learned from and then avoided. Hopefully, the hardships and failures become fewer. Pain But No Gain What happened to our iconic Black-owned New Orleans based businesses? What happened to Mercadel and Slaughter and James and Hewitt and Washington? And whatever happened to Keeler and Hamps and Metro and Richard’s? Why did some go away? Just vanished!! And why did others just get knocked out politically and replaced? How did a few grow to prominence in one era but cease to exist in another? Black businesses make our communities stronger and safer. Black businesses hire Black people and pay them more than other businesses. Our city is stronger when Back businesses are strong. Yet we see no studies about sustaining local Black businesses are conducted. No study exists about why these businesses shrunk and...