For many African Americans, owning a business is a means of being independent and "making a way out of no way." Money was always important, initially as a means for slaves to buy their freedom from servitude. After the Civil War, many blacks were hopeful, working with the newly created Freedman’s Bank to buy tailoring or barber shops, as well as grocery stores. Filmmaker Stanley Nelson’s PBS-aired documentary, narrated by Tamara Tunie, describes the epic struggle of African Americans to use their brains, skills, and hard work to rise to prosperity, or at least a decent standard of living. Blacks suffered a triple blow when white swindlers looted the Freedman’s Bank, Reconstruction ended, and punitive Jim Crow laws were instituted. The film looks at the related roles of black newspapers, the Great Migration north, and the fierce white backlash, particularly in a prosperous black business district in Tulsa, OK in 1921, when envious and bigoted whites rioted, leading to hundreds of injuries and deaths. Every step forward was followed by temporary defeats, such as the Great Depression, the urban riots of the 1960s, and a loss of capital for black-owned businesses, although some blacks eventually gained entry and acceptance into white corporations. Other topics include a growing black middle class, and the appearance of publications such as Ebony, Jet, and Essence, which allowed blacks to control their own narrative. The music of Motown achieved a crossover landmark in its appeal to white audiences, while a prouder and more assertive image led to success in hair care and grooming products, the financial juggernaut of hip hop and rap, and the more rarefied realm of high tech. Race-related economic inequalities still plague America, but blacks continue to draw inspiration and lessons from the hard-won gains and challenges of the past. Drawing on numerous examples, coupled with historical anecdotes, this is highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)
Boss: The Black Experience in Business
(2019) 120 min. DVD: $24.99 ($54.99 w/PPR). PBS Video. ISBN: 978-1-5317-1005-7. Volume 34, Issue 5
Boss: The Black Experience in Business
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