stop gentrification Cold at the LINE 36th and Filbert Street.

From 400 A.D. -- In the Black Library of Alexandria, Egypt (The Major Branch)...


By Brother Tracy Gibson

I have not done this yet, but I think if I asked a group of Black youth if they had ever bought a lottery ticket, many hands would go up. By the same token, if I ask a group of Black youth How many of them had invested in the stock market {In Black companies} or bought stock in Black companies, I don't think the majority of hands would go up at all. Is this the fault of the White man? Yes. The School system the White man largely controls does not teach much about investing in Black companies through the stock market and How this can help our entire Black community. I have to also ask where are the Black scholars, Black thinkers, and Black School Executives who don't ask why we don't have these things in the curriculums and why our Black students are not saving money, putting money in Black banks, etc.? Let's over ride the White man and his influence for about 9000 years. If you know of any Black youth about 20 or 25, they can make a great amount of money on the stock market if they invest consistently for 40 or 50 years. I Am 60 and I Am just getting the message. There is a great deal of Hope for Black youth, but they have to start changing some behaviors and think more in a can-do Way and more positively. For Black youth, this means only two pair of sneakers, few new clothes and less hot tickets for Hot movies and Hot live concert events. {I have to remind you that some stocks pay dividends, so you may only have to do without for a short time}.  It mean investing in the stock market instead  of buying so many consumer goods and doing the proper research on the net to find the correct and proper stocks to buy. Investing in Black stocks is a Way to stabilize Black communities, bring about Black prosperity, help Black institutions like Black schools, Black churches, Black Think Tanks, Black sororities and Black fraternities, and Black Social Service agencies. The best stocks are those with companies that have the kind of good or great values, ethics and standards you want to emulate or perpetuate. Read the company's Mission Statements and read their Annual Reports back a few years. Find out what their values are and if they match or compare to some of your best, good and highest values.  (If you buy stocks in companies that don't treat their workers correctly, have clean air-conditioned factories, places for people to eat, pay good wages, good health benefits, etc. you are really supporting the oppression of People who probably look just like you -- People of color in usually a foreign land.). I think this would not be a good thing. Choose good stocks with good companies that really care about their workers, the industry they are in, the environment and people in general. Read up on How to establish good ethics and good values for yourself. It is not only about going to church or Mosque. You can pick media icons like Angela Bassett, Will Smith,  Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, and or thespian Denzel Washington. (I know they are People and not stock, but hold on and keep reading).  Such People are not only great to watch on television and in movies, but have the kind of values about Black People, and themselves, that you should consider worthy of emulating. You don't have to meet such Black People for them to be characters you will want to emulate. This activity sure will get you ahead a great deal quicker than hanging around with troubled friends who might be wanting to pull you down. This is why I don't smoke pot or joint. I don't need anything that is illegal or not recommended or subscribed by a doctor, that will make my thoughts unclear, cloudy or unbalanced.   Making stock picks is a life line to a better life. I can tell you what I do. I use Fidelity Investments as my stock company. I also used Vanguard in the past. There are other companies. You can call them and ask How to invest. Don't try to scam someone. This is not at all recommended. Just keep investing and find out that reading the Wall Street Journal, the stock pages of the New York Times, or the Philadelphia Inquirer can be even more exciting than hanging out with your friends all the time or buying products you can't afford.  This can lead to great things and a mind set that will, in a few years, have you wanting to buy Real Estate. Instead of seeing your parents forced out of growing neighborhoods, you might be able to help your parents pay property taxes, and be an big asset for your family. You might want to give more money in church and be a giver in the Black community in which you live in. Look up the names of Black men such as Walter Lomax Reese who once owned WURD in Philadelphia; Mr. Earl Graves, Senor owner of Black Enterprise Magazine; and Percy Sutton who once owned WBLS of New York and read about How they lived their lives and helped entire Black communities, by creating great wealth and sharing it.