It’s not personal it’s Business
By Nana Watson
Columbus NAACP President
It’s not personal it’s Business. This is a common saying of those who are in business. For the past three years the NAACP has worked tirelessly to help those in business to get a foothold into many governmental and private entities, businesses who normally would not have had a seat at the table.
Our organization fought hard and battled long to guarantee that Black businesses would get a fair share of the economic growth of our city. Our organization as a whole fought for inclusion goals and to strengthen existing diversity programs.
Yet, as hard as we have fought for inclusion, it has been equally as difficult to get Black businesses to join our organization. There is strength in numbers, and we are stronger together yet we have not seen a return on our investment of the time and energy we spent over the past three years to assist minority businesses.
As a result of the lethargy of Black business owners, going forward, we will be taking a much broader comprehensive approach in expanding our vision. We will be making a concerted effort to focus our energies in the areas of Voter Registration//Education, Affordable Housing, Health Care, Engaging our Youth and Veterans rights. These areas persistently plague the Black community and we now will focus our time and attention to make solid inroads in these areas.
The focus in 2019 there will be a heavy push on Voter Registration and Voter Education. In 2020 there will be new Voting Machines it is imperative that the Black Community MUST be properly educated on how to use the machines.
Yes, we need the support of the Black business community and their memberships. Those we have fought hard for to get contracts, win bids and be granted purchase orders.
We need everyone to support the goals of the oldest Civil Rights Organization in the Country as we continue to witness nationally those who would attempt to turn the clock back to an era that held us back and kept us from moving forward.
As we continue on, we also must not overlook others that need our assistance, the homeless, the sick and the veterans.
It’s not Personal. It’s Business.
More information on the Columbus NAACP can be found online at http://www.naacpcolumbus.org
Published in
