My standard monthly expenses

1. Rent - Apartments owned by white folks
* Do I have any comparable quality black owned options in Austin? No.

2. Utilties - phone, gas, cable, electricity, internet - all owned by white folks

* Does anyone know of a black owned utility provider? I don't think there are any black owned ISP's in austin.

3. Car Payment - Honda makes the car, but the money goes to Ford Motor credit, who are owned by Caucasian Americans, but since they paid off Honda initially, I guess I give Asians a good chunk of my money there.

* Are there any black owned Car Makers or major financial lenders?

3. Insurance - Geico - white folks again.

* Black owned insurance companies operating in the State of Texas - ? Possibly, but since I get insurance through my folks, I haven't looked into it.

4. Maintenance - Oil changes, Car washes, Gas and Scheduled maintenance - Local Honda dealership owned by white folks, mostly employing Latinos. Car Washes - I buy the supplies from Hi Lo and do it myself. Hi Lo owned by white folks. Exxon, owned by white folks.

* Black options - none

5. Student Loans and Credit Card - White folks again.
* Black options - none that I know of.

6. Groceries - HEB, Randalls's (Texas Grocery stores) - owned by white folks who are good ol boys.

* Black options - Charlie's Food Spot on east 12th street. It's not close and it's a convenience store. There are some Frutaria's, so I could support Brown business (which is far easier to do)

7. Restaurants - Finally an area where black folks at least have some businesses.

- Carribbean way - a Jamaican spot
- Stubbs BBQ - A nice sitdown BBQ spot on the white side of town, owned by black folks. They have a gospel brunch on Sundays.

But black folks don't own pizza spots, Chili's type restaurants, nothing on the lake...., no fast food chains

I could go on, but I think you get the point. When I need a dashiki or a new copy of the Isis Papers, I'll head on down to the Black store. If I need a haircut, Kings and Queens barber. But those are the only areas in which I run into black businesses.

For purchases I don't make every month there aren't really that many options. Where are the black office wear designers. I mean I would love to rock a dress shirt designed by and for black folks. But FUBU, like every other black/hip hop designer, make clothes for teenagers. I have a professional job like the other 66% of African Americans in the middle and upper class. My boss isn't going to approve of me rocking some tims and a hoody.

When i want to buy hard goods, there aren't any black circuit cities. Where is the black IBM or Apple?

Even when I buy hip hop, 90% of the money I spend goes to white folks in one way or another. I don't even go to the only black music store because they only carry cd's and tapes. I buy vinyl.

If I were Asian or Hispanic I might have some more options. But being black, the fact that most of my people are employees and not employers stops me from doing so.

k. orr