Page 12 - CEEM Shop February 2019

Los Angeles Sentinel, Co-Founder and Webb Enterprises
This Black History month is one for the books. With
2018 being an iconic year, 2019 is setting up to be just hotels, and theaters. Not only did it thrive but the
as high. Last year we saw a predominately all
African-American cast and production team make
history at the box o ce worldwide with Black
Panther. Not only was history made in numbers but
also with the black image. We saw ourselves as
winners and pioneers, not slaves and victims; and
cultures around the world widely accepted it. With
the success of Black Panther this past year, depicting
Black excellence and achievement, perhaps it is time
to make a shift in terms of our focus on black history.
We know we are great and have contributed much to
society, but what about Black Wealth? Black economic
history is rarely discussed.
What makes Black Panther so great for African-Ameri-
cans is we get to see an all-Black community thrive on together rst started to pay o . “By pooling their
its own. What many don’t realize is this is not the rst
time we have seen such a community. Almost 100
years ago Greenwood Avenue; known to some as
Black Wall Street, thrived. Home to over 600 business
including 41 grocery and meat markets, over 30
Blacks were pushed to the north and forced to create
their community: Black wall street was born.
It didn't just stop at unity. Support became a guiding
factor in success there. They were not only satis ed
with one member of the community creating a success-
ful business. It was a community thing.
[“The thing that...made it possible for them to build
Black Wall Street [was] the fact that when one person
built their business, they grabbed the hand of their
brother or sister and helped them build their business,”
says Mechelle Brown, program coordinator at the
Greenwood Cultural Center, a community gathering
place and historical archive.]
When it comes down to it, Black wealth is dependent
on the success of Black business and enterprise. Now
while times have changed and the Black community
has more opportunities than before, there are still many
roadblocks on the road to Black wealth. Some have
been able to navigate successfully and are bringing
others up as well. Enter CEEM.
CEEM is the Cooperative Economic Empowerment
Movement, founded by Webb Family Enterprises Inc., a
Black-owned business based in the Inland Empire. As
Paving the Way for Southern California’s Black Wall Street
Black dollar circulated “36 to 100 times in this
tight-knit community”. Today the Black dollar
doesn't last more than 6 hours in the Black commu-
nity. So this Black History month, I’ve come to ask
myself: what was it that they were doing right back
then with very minimal economic opportunity?
Unity is the word that stands out when I think of the
history of Black Wall Street. Due to the Trail of Tears,
Blacks found themselves in Oklahoma with the
Native Americans. After the Civil War, since many of
the blacks had been granted citizenship within the
tribes they were given parcels of land when the
treaties were signed between the United States and
the Native American tribes. It is then when coming
resources and welcoming blacks from the Southeast
seeking a better life, they were able to form dozens
of all-black towns in the region. “This became the
set up for success when oil was found in 1901 and
started the oil rush in Tulsa. Due to segregation
their website states:
o ces for professionals from doctors to lawyers,
“CEEM is a membership cooperative dedicat-
ed to increasing wealth, prosperity and
educational outcomes for the African-Ameri-
can community. Membership is open to all
residents of California who are willing to
make contributions in our e orts to promote
the wealth of African-Americans. Member-
ship cost is 100 dollars per person.”
Why do I nd CEEM so signi cant? Because it is so
similar to work that O.W. Hurley did in Tulsa that
resulted in what would become Black Wall Street.
Hurley purchased 40 acres of land which he only
sold to Black Americans, who went to develop the
community which took o because of the oil rush.
According to De’Von Walker, a Black Lifestyle Blog-
ger:
“ A philanthropist or nonpro t organization
puts in the e ort to help the community
without expecting anything in return...People
like O.W Gurley, with the resources and
determination for business in addition to the
heart and soul for philanthropy, laid a strong
foundation for Black Wall Street to grow.”
This is what CEEM is doing. In an interview with the
Page 2
Inc. CFO Kyle Webb said:
the things that we buy,” says Kyle in his interview
“We are looking to establish businesses with
with LA Sentinel. That idea is the same dynamic
people who have a requisite amount of experi-
that was present in Black Wall Street and what
made the Black economy thrive there. CEEM is a
ence and provide them an opportunity to
growing and shining example of how Black Wall
manage these businesses and then buy them
Street can be replicated in new and unique ways.
from us...We would reallocate that capital and do
the same thing with another potential business
Through cooperation, community, and unity the
road to Black Wealth doesn't need to be the road
person. We would also provide support services
for that business and allow it to grow.”
less traveled, but the road best navigated by our
community. It is clear that through coming togeth-
This movement helps to not only empower Black busi-
er and working together, Black Wealth can be
achieved as demonstrated by all those Black Busi-
nesses and their owners, but it also helps to provide
resources for them, connecting them with Black busi-
nesses of Black Wall Street.
nesses, suppliers and distributors for the services and
products they need. This is keeping the Black dollar in
circulation just that much longer, creating a Black-owned Sources:
(1)
business ecosystem.
Bhim, J. (2018, August 30). CEEM Invites
Public to get to know them at L.A. County Fair.
CEEM isn’t counting anyone out. Just as Civil Rights
Retrieved from https://lasentinel.net/ceem-in-
vites-pub-
leaders called for those of di erent ethnic backgrounds
to stand with them, CEEM calls for anyone who is in
lic-to-get-to-know-them-at-l-a-county-fair.html
support of providing opportunities for African-Ameri-
cans in their entrepreneurial endeavors to join the
(2) Luckerson, V. (2018, June 28). Black Wall Street:
movement. Diversity is one of CEEM’s Core Values.
The African American Haven That Burned and Then
Rose From the Ashes. Retrieved from https://ww- “We want to change the dynamic so that we own
w.thering-
er.com/2018/6/28/17511818/black-wall-street-oklahoma
-greenwood-destruction-tulsa
(3) Mills, D. (2016, April 16) DEEP GREENWOOD (TULSA),
OKLAHOMA (1906–). Retrieved from https://www.black-
past.org/aaw/vignette_aahw/deep-green-
wood-tulsa-oklahoma-1906/
(4) Montford, C. (2014, December 2) 6 Interesting Things
You Didn’t Know About ‘Black Wall Street’. Retrieved from
https://atlantablackstar.com/2014/12/02/6-interest-
ing-things-you-didnt-know-about-black-wall-street/
(5) Walker, D. 5 Reasons Why Black Wall Street Was
Successful. Retrieved from https://www.truehealth4ev-
er.com/5-reasons-black-wall-street-successful/