The state of Black business in America today is getting better. The perceptions by others outside our culture are not as extreme as in the past. Perhaps in part, to America having a Black Nobel Peace Prize, nominated President.

The problem, however, still remains within our community.

How we perceive ourselves, has been and remains a problem. It has been etched in our minds over years that somehow we are inferior in certain areas. Taking care of "business" is certainly one of those areas.

When I say "etched", I mean that we have been conditioned and programmed to have a set of beliefs about ourselves, which for the most part are negative. This programming has been handed down from generation to generation, without us in many cases, ever being aware of the invisible "mental triggers" which can control our behavior.

Don't believe me? OK then. Try getting in front of a group of Black people from varying backgrounds, age groups, education and income levels, and simply say in a volume loud enough to be heard, "A Nigga ain't ....".

And then listen, as the group will chime out on que, what they perceive is the answer to the end of that sentence. They will shout out or say the exact same four-letter-word, that starts with an "s" and ends with a "t".

It doesn't matter if those people ever even met before the proclamation was made. There would still be a "unified voice" in finishing the comment. And those that didn't utter the word, probably still thought it in silence.

That should make you go ...."hmmm". How can that be? Where did they get that idea from? Who taught us that? What's the reason behind it?

continued....