A Hard Truth We Must Face, My People ✊🏾 My brothers and sisters, let’s have an honest conversation. We pride ourselves on being intelligent and capable, yet when it comes to common sense and unity, we sometimes fall short. Too often, we rush to join, support, and promote white-owned businesses that sell us the illusion of independence. They trick us into thinking we own something, but in reality, we are just feeding into their system. Meanwhile, we hesitate to give Black-owned businesses and opportunities the same energy, trust, or investment. Why is that? Let’s be real: we often overlook the potential of ideas and creations born within our community until someone outside of it—often a white entrepreneur—copies the idea, repackages it, and presents it as their own. Only then do we pay attention, as if their validation somehow makes it more legitimate. This mindset doesn’t just hurt us; it fuels a system that profits off our creativity, culture, and labor while leaving us behind. This is a hard pill to swallow, but it’s the truth. We are being monetized by a system that doesn’t have our best interests at heart. And the hardest part? Sometimes we are complicit in this cycle. Centuries of systemic oppression have conditioned us to doubt our own worth and look elsewhere for approval. But we don’t need anyone’s validation to recognize the greatness within our community. It’s time to wake up, family. Let’s start actively supporting Black-owned businesses. Let’s invest in our own people, our own ideas, and our own futures. Let’s stop waiting for others to show us the value in what we create and start seeing it for ourselves. The power has always been ours—we just need to believe in it and act on it. This journey won’t be easy, but it’s necessary. Together, we can break the cycle and build something truly ours. Let’s uplift each other, celebrate each other, and reclaim what’s always been ours. 💪🏾💡🖤 Drop a ✊🏾 in the comments if you’re ready to support Black excellence and build our own table. Let’s keep the conversation going. 🗣️ #SupportBlackBusiness #BlackExcellence #Unity #BlackEmpowerment #OwnTheNarrative