Newspaper Page Text
VOLUME 16 N 0.807
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Black spending a
boon to local area
B Economic forecasters predict that the rise in
black spending power will increase faster than
the rate of inflation and that successfully target
ing the African-American consumer will be the
difference between success and failure in many
businesses.
By Frederick Benjamin
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
Producers and advertisers alike
are paying attention to the steadily
increasing clout wielded by Afri
can-American consumers. Nation
ally, regionally and locally the
trend is unmistakable — blacks
are spending more and more
money. While many retailers
choose to ignore the trend, those
with the sophistication to do the
right kinds of analyses will un
doubtedly realize the benefits
where they will do the most good
— on the bottom line.
“One general advertisement or
product aimed for all consumers
misses many potentially profitable
market opportunities,” says Jef
frey M. Humphreys, director of
economic forecasting at the Uni
versity of Georgia’'s Selig Center
for Economic Growth, author of a
study on black buying power
throughout the state and nation.
“Estimates of black buying power
providea timely, cost-efficient, and
quantittive way for entrepreneurs,
marketing practitioners, economic
development organizations, and
area chambers of commerce to as
sess the size of African-American
markets,” Dr. Humphreys said.
Underscoring the robust nature
ofthe African-American consumer
the Selig Center study reports that
the nation’s black buying power
rose from $304 billion in 1990 to
$469 billion in 1996 — an increase
of 54.2 percent in seven years.
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This amount exceeds growth of
total buying power in the nation
by nearly 13 percent.
“Black buying power will grow
faster than inflation,” the report
concludes.
would like greater share
of African-American sss
By Sarena James
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
. AUGUSTA
Areablack business owners may
or may not be aware of the bur
geoning strength of the African-
American dollar, but they are
keenly aware of
their needs. Not all
black businesses feel
the same about the
level of support they
receive from black
consumers. Clearly,
some are more con
cerned about at
tracting the black
dollar than others.
Earnestine
Howard, owner of
Tina’s Shoe Gallery,
saysthat the largest
percentage of her
business income is
supplied by African
Americans.
“The black dollar
Gity manager:
No problem
with frat
house grant
By Sarena James
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
If city manager Randy Oliver is
concerned about suggestions that
there is something unethical about
building grants awarded to a local
black fraternity, he is not showing it.
Mr. Oliver told Augusta Focus
this week that he is not concerned
about grants made to the Alpha Phi
Alpha fraternity to renovate its fra
ternity house. Two sitting commis
sioners, Henry Brigham and Lee
Beard, aré members of the Greek
letter fraternity.
Commissioner Henry Brigham,
concerned with the tone of a piece
that ran in a recent article of The
Metropolitan Spirit produced a
document which showed the deci
sion to award the money to the
organization originated in a city
council committee meetingin 1994.
Mr. m served on that
body. ing to the Spirit ar-
A T
See GRANT, page 3A
The Law: Eviction looters draw fire .>~
Survey: Black men don’t trust doctors - P3B
' gyngMetropolitun Augusta, South Carolina and the Central Savannah River Area
In 1997, the ten states with the
largest black markets, in order,
are New York, California, Texas,
Illinois, Georgia, Florida, Mary
land, Michigan, North Carolina,
and New Jersey. Georgia and
Florida are among the nation’s
largest markets and, according to
rates of growth, ranked twelfth
and thirteenth, respectively. The
combination of size and growth
rate makes these two states at-
See BLACK BUYERS, page 3A
is very effective in my business. I
have built a clientele not just in
the Augusta area but also in the
Carolinas,” Ms. Howard said.
Rebert Gordon, a.k.a. “Flash”,
ownerof Pyramid Musi¢and Video,
‘hasbeen in the businesssince 1971
anid believes the black dollar hasa
“Black people
are thfe only|
group of people
who don’t realize
that our dollar
makes a differ
ence. We have
saved the busi
nesses of whites
and Asians,
but not our own
businesses.”
— Robert “Flash”
Gordon
TRV R
tremendous impact
on all businesses, es
pecially black
owned businesses.
“The black dollar
is basically the only
dollar we get. If we
depended on any
other group of
people, we couldn’t
pay our rent and
probably not even
our light bill,” Mr.
Gordon said.
However powerful
the black dollar may
be, there are still
businesses who
SeeIOCAL, page3A
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Betty Shabazz’s six daughters, including the mother of 12-
year-old Malcolm Shabazz, pose for a photograph at Jacobi
Medical Center in the Bronx last week. The women, speaking
at a news conference, thanked the world for its prayers
offered for their mother who was burned Sunday in a fire
allegedly started by her grandson Malcolm. Seated from left;
Gamilah, Malikah and Malaak. Standing from left; Attaliah,
Qubilah and llyasah. (AP Photo/Gino Domenico)
Hundreds of children honored at BL’s
courtesy of WTHB, Mary Kingcannon
and Sen. Charies W. Walker
See Page 13 A
Tiger stalks U.S. Open
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iger Woods watches his drive on the practice range at the Congressional Country Club on
in Béthesda, Md. The U.S. Open ends on Su at ressional. (AP Photo/Roberto Borea
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By Ron Sirak '
AP GOLF Writer
: - BETHESDA, Md.
From the very beginning, Ti
ger Woods has done the improb
able. A victory in the U.S. Open
would be a huge step toward the
impossible _ the Grand Slam.
Since the first Mastersin 1934,
the winner has gone on to take the
U.S. Open only five times, and not
since Jack Nicklaus 25 years ago.
Only Ben Hogan in 1953 added a
British Open title. He then skipped
the PGA Championshipbecause his
badly battered legs from a 1949 car
crash made walking the more than
150 holes of match play impossible.
No one has ever pulled off the
Ex-Black Panther
freed from prison
SANTA ANA, Calif.
Amid cries of “Free at
last!” former Black Pan
ther Elmer “Geronimo”
Pratt was released on bail
Tuesday after 27 years
behind bars on murder
charges he says were
trumped up by the FBI
duringtheturbulent 19605.
The scene outside the
Orange County Jail
erupted less than two
hoursafter Superior Court
Judge Everett Dickey, who
last month overturned
Pratt’sconviction, ordered
him freed to await a deci
sion on whether he will be
retried.
“Thank you from the
bottom of my heart for your
fair and courageous rul
ing,” Pratt, 49, said in a
husky voice. :
The courtroom wasfilled
with veterans of the '6os
who had come to see the
judge deal with one of the
last pieces of unfinished
business from the black
power movement.
Prosecutors are seeking
to get the conviction rein
stated. Failing that, they
could retry Pratt, though
they haven’t said whether
they will.
i€
12/31/99 |
| Wlfijfik
professional Grand Slam _ win
ning the Masters, U.S. and Britsh
Opens and PGA in the same year.
But Woods brings a thrilling
sense that anything is possible.
“We've got a guy out there who
has decided he wants to dominate
the game,” Nicklaus said.
See TIGERWOODS, page 6A
Pratt was arrested in
1970 and charged with
murdering schoolteacher
Caroline Olsen in a rob
bery on a Santa Monica
tennis court in 1968. He
was convicted in 1972 and
sentenced to 25 years to
life in prison.
Pratt insisted he was in
Oakland at the time of the
killing. He maintains he
was railroaded as FBl and
police sought to under--
mine the black Panther
movement in California.-
His defenders have long:
contended he was a victim
of a campaign of political
persecution by FBI Direc
tor J. Edgar Hoover.
Dickey overturned the
conviction last month, rul
ingthat prosecutors failed
to tell the defense that the
key witness against Pratt
wasaninfiltratorand paid
informant for the FBI and
police. The witness had
claimed Pratt confessed.
“It’s madness in there,”
Pratt said after walking:
out of jail on $25,000 bail. -
“You have pol:‘bul pris- .
oners on top of political -
prisoners. I'm only one of *
agreat many that...should
be addressed.” .