Oak Park couple travel far and wide to buy only from black-owned businesses
Ebony Experiment encourages other African-Americans to do the same
By Ted Gregory | Chicago Tribune
March 9, 2009
Maggie Anderson drives 14 miles to buy groceries, which might seem curious given that she lives in bustling Oak Park. She and her husband, John, patronize gas stations in Rockford and Phoenix, Ill. They travel 18 miles to a health food store in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood for vitamins, supplements and personal care products.
The reason? They want to solve what they call "the crisis in the black commu- nity." They want to, as they say, "buy black."
The Andersons, African-Americans who rose from humble means, are attempting to spend their money for one year exclusively with black-owned businesses and are encouraging other African-Americans to do the same. It is part experiment, part social activism campaign.
They call it the "Ebony Experiment."
Reminds me of back when the boycott of white businesses came about in S. Carolina over the Confederate flag issue, many businesses actually profited because the "shrinkage" went much lower.
For those that don't know of the term "Shrinkage" in retail establishments, it's generally attributed to shoplifting. :lol: :lol: